After more than 50 years as one of the United States’ most iconic classic rock bands, Aerosmith has announced its immediate retirement from touring. The band was due to go out with a bang on the Peace Out farewell tour but said in a statement on Friday that singer Steven Tyler‘s vocal cords have suffered irreparable damage from an injury last year, forcing Aerosmith to cancel.
“We’ve always wanted to blow your mind when performing,” the band wrote on social media. “As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other. He has spent months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury. We’ve seen him struggling despite having the best medical team by his side. Sadly, it is clear, that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible. We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision – as a band of brothers – to retire from the touring stage.”
Aerosmith was originally due to rock the Peace Out tour last fall with support from The Black Crowes. Three shows into the tour, however, Tyler suffered vocal cord damage that sidelined the singer and put the tour on hold. In April, the band announced rescheduled tour dates set to begin in September. Those who purchased tickets to the Peace Out tour through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded, while those who bought from third-party resellers should reach out to their point of purchase for details.
“We are grateful beyond words for everyone who was pumped to get on the road with us one last time,” the band concluded. “Grateful to our expert crew, our incredible team and the thousands of talented people who’ve made our historic runs possible. A final thank you to you – the best fans on planet Earth. Play our music loud, now and always. Dream On. You’ve made our dreams come true.”
The past several years have not been easy for Aerosmith. In 2020, the band made headlines when longtime drummer Joey Kramer took Aerosmith to court because he was asked to audition for his position after taking time away to heal from an injury. The parties ended up publicly reconciling shortly before COVID. However, Kramer sat out the band’s 2022 Las Vegas residency and was not going to join them for the farewell tour.
Frontman Steven Tyler also had his share of difficulties before the vocal injury. The band’s Las Vegas residency was put on hold in 2022 when the singer, who has been open about his struggles with addiction, relapsed and went into a drug treatment program. Later that year, Tyler was sued for sexual battery and assault of a minor for an alleged romantic relationship he had with a teenage girl in the mid-1970s. The lawsuit was a product of California’s 2019 Child Victims Act which lifted the statute of limitations for three years to allow childhood sexual abuse survivors to come forward and seek justice. That suit was dismissed earlier this year by a judge who deemed that the alleged abuse did not meet the standard of “serious risk of physical injury.”
See the full statement from Aerosmith on the band’s retirement from touring.
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