Steven Tyler says AEROSMITH’s ‘Farewell’ Tour Will Launch In 2017
During a live call-in interview on “The Howard Stern Show” on SiriusXM satellite radio back in June, Steven Tyler revealed that the band will embark on a farewell tour in 2017. Tyler said: “I love this band. I really do. I want to squash every thought that anybody might have about ‘the band’s over.’
“We’re doing a farewell tour — but it’s only because it’s time. We’ve never done that.”
Asked to confirm the band is planning a final run, Tyler said: “I think so. Next year.” On the subject of whether guitarist Joe Perry understands that, the singer said: “Mmm-hmm.”
But he added that the tour will last “probably forever,” and refers to THE WHO having staged several farewells, saying: “I know. Can you believe that? How about KISS? They did 19 farewell tours.”
While on hiatus, the members of AEROSMITH have been keeping busy with solo projects — Perry recently hit the road with his star-studded side project HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, featuring Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, former GUNS N’ ROSES drummer Matt Sorum, and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS bassist Robert DeLeo. AEROSMITH guitarist Brad Whitford has joined forces once again with Derek St. Holmes for a 19-date spring and summer run.
Perry in April spoke frankly about the state of AEROSMITH, admitting to Rolling Stone: “A farewell tour is something we’ve talked about doing for years, let’s say roughly in the last five years. It’s just something the band’s talked about at various times.”
Perry also talked about the band gravitating towards working on their own in 2016. He said: “It’s very rare you get this much time, considering the way we’ve always been on the road or been in the studio doing whatever, so it’s been a good time to do some of these other projects. Steven has been off working really hard on his solo thing. I know it’s something he’s always wanted to do. He puts so much into AEROSMITH, he’s never really given himself the time to do this, so it’s worked out really well for him. I don’t really hear from him much but I wouldn’t expect that I would considering he’s working on a record and doing gigs and the whole thing. But when things start gearing up, we start rehearsing for the South American tour, I’m sure we’ll start forming a plan for the next year or two or whatever.”
Perry said that although AEROSMITH splitting isn’t something he’s looking forward to, he feels that the band is nearing the end. “It’s getting to be about that time, but I’m really looking forward to the VAMPIRES thing,” he said. “And I know Brad‘s doing stuff with Derek and they’re buddies from way back. Everybody’s got stuff that they’re doing, so it’s kind of up the middle. It’s inevitable that once we get back together I’ll be ready to play ‘Dream On’ again.”
The guitarist told The Pulse Of Radio that ultimately, the thrill of what AEROSMITH accomplished musically trumps all the problems that the band has endured due to drugs, women, management and ego issues. “It’s really the five of us, y’know, as a band,” he said. “And it’s still exciting to walk out onstage with these guys. And that, I think, is the glue that keeps us coming back. Sometimes I ask that question myself, y’know, ‘Why am I still doin’ it?’ Well, when I walk out onstage in Moscow and everybody out there is singing words to songs that we wrote in the basement, or, y’know, in some studio somewhere. It’s nothin’ short of a miracle, y’know? And so we kind of have a lot of respect for that.”
