PHILADELPHIA (AP) 鈥 He's most often associated with Boston, the hometown of his legendary rock band, but Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler has a soft spot in his heart for the Hawaiian island of Maui.
The singer, who has a home on the island, wants vacationers to return to Maui to help the island's economy 鈥 last month 鈥 recover.
Near the end of the opening night of the band's in Philadelphia Saturday, Tyler urged audience members not to be afraid to travel to the island again.
鈥淲hen you think about Lahaina, think about south Maui,鈥 Tyler told the audience at the Wells Fargo Center shortly before performing the band鈥檚 biggest hit, 鈥淒ream On.鈥
鈥淧aia and Hana: it鈥檚 still there,鈥 he said, of two other Maui resort towns unscathed by the fires. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a place to go and do, you know, the love thing. It鈥檚 still open, it鈥檚 still happening.
鈥淓verything鈥檚 beautiful, except we gotta come there and make it more beautiful, OK?鈥 he said.
Immediately after the fires obliterated the seaside tourist town of Lahaina, officials including Gov. Josh Green told tourists to stay away during the island's recovery.
But they soon reversed that advice, realizing how essential tourism is to the island's economy 鈥 and to the prospects of its residents returning to a normal life anytime soon. Tyler's daughter, Mia, was among those initially discouraging tourists from coming to Maui shortly after the fires.
The number of people listed as missing from the fires stood at , Hawaii officials said.
The flames turned Lahaina into rubble in a few short hours on Aug. 8. Wind gusts topping 60 mph (97 kph) ripped through the town, causing the flames to spread exceptionally quickly.
Half the town鈥檚 12,000 residents are now living in hotels and short-term vacation rentals. Reconstruction is expected to take years and cost billions.
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