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November 16, 2009
Aerosmith Uncertainty Continues
Many fans may have concluded that the drama that has been playing out within the ranks of Aerosmith in recent months was over and that frontman Steven Tyler had kissed and made up with the rest of the guys. After all, he did make a surprise appearance on stage in New York City with the Joe Perry Project and boldly announced that he had no plans to leave Aerosmith.
Does that mean Tyler will not be taking some time off? Perhaps not, and if comments attributed to Joe Perry by the Boston Herald are on the money, Tyler’s appearance – and we presume his words – meant nothing. According to Perry Tyler wants to take a couple of years off from Aerosmith and “do some of whatever he wants to do.”
Perry insists that Aerosmith will keep on working, whether Tyler is present or not. “The band is a really well-oiled machine, and we’re going to work one way or another, and I don’t know what form that’s going to take,” said Perry.
If that turns out to be the case, the Steven Tyler wannabes out there may want to start those video cameras rolling and post their “audition” tapes on YouTube. It worked for Arnel Pineda and Benoit David.
Meanwhile, Perry is working to dispel some rumors that surfaced after his group canceled a gig in Connecticut. A spokesman for the venue where the show as scheduled, “Toad’s Place,” in New Haven, said that they were told that the entire tour had been scrubbed.
Perry took to his Twitter account to set the record straight, saying, “JPP is not canceling the tour.It’s going strong. We are In process of adding dates the end Jan throughout Canada in Jan too.”
It appears Perry’s point was proven on Friday night when he and his group took the stage at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in New Hampshire. Speculation about the future of Perry’s main gig continued, with fans expressing their opinions on the subject.
As reported on Seacoast Online, fan opinion varied. When asked whether they thought Steve Tyler would make another surprise appearance at the show, reaction varied from “That’d be pretty cool.” to “I really don’t care if he shows up or not. Joe Perry is the band.”
Why Tyler decided to make the surprise appearance with Perry’s group in NYC is not clear. Even Perry was reported to be completely surprised by it, and admitted that Tyler was the last person he expected to see that night. Perhaps Tyler was just trying to put fans at ease by announcing that he has not plans to leave Aerosmith, but that does not seem to be a guarantee that fans will have a chance to see the group perform together again anytime soon.
November 6, 2009
Fresh Doubts Surface Regarding Future of Aerosmith
All accounts indicate that the “Bad Boys From Boston” have been wowing crowds at shows in Hawaii and at the Gran Prix in Abu Dhabi in recent weeks. No doubt under close scrutiny after persistent rumors of a rift between frontman Steven Tyler and the rest of the band, their on-stage interactions provided no indication that the boys were not getting along.
Behind the scenes, however, there is some evidence that the end of Aerosmith, as we have known it for nearly four decades, may be at hand. According to Classic Rock Magazine, relations between Tyler and the rest of the group show signs of strain. Tyler has pulled the plug on a South American tour that was on tap for the end of the year and has expressed his desire to dedicate more of his time to solo projects.
It’s hard not to suspect that the personal conflicts within the group are a major factor in Tyler’s desire to focus more on his own career. It appears that he has had little or no contact with the other members of the group lately, except for the time they have spent on stage. It is also being reported that Tyler has put some additional distance between himself and the rest of the group by having his dressing room located further away from the others than would normally be expected.
It also seems that some of the group’s other members are beginning to have doubts about their continued relationship with Tyler. Guitarist Joe Perry seems to have been the most vocal of the group lately, and has been pretty forthcoming about his feelings regarding the situation.
Guitarist Brad Whitford is also opening up a bit now and revealing his uncertainty about the future. Talking about the possibility of an Aerosmith without Tyler, Whitford said: “Nobody could replace Steven or imitate him – he’s one of a kind. But if somebody was willing to do it and the chemistry was right, why not?”
As for Tyler, if one were to read between the lines a bit, one might get the impression that he has some pent-up resentment towards the other members of the band. “I don’t know what I’m doing yet, but it’s definitely going to be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself – Brand Tyler,” he was quoted as saying.
That surely doesn’t make it sound like he’s anxious to get back together again with Aerosmith again soon. What comes next for Aerosmith is anyone’s guess, but it seems likely that the group – in its current form – is on pretty shaky ground unless Tyler and whomever else it is in the group he is not getting along with decide to bury the hatchet and move on.
August 11, 2009
Future of Aerosmith Tour Still Uncertain
In the midst of what might be the most injury-plagued rock tour in history, the future of the current Aerosmith tour is in question – something that frustrates guitarist Joe Perry, and probably the rest of the group as well. Perry has been the one talking publicly about the tour and keeping himself busy with side projects.
In a recent talk with Billboard, Perry details some of his frustration with the state of the tour, and hopes that Tyler’s injuries are not serious. Describing the experience so far, Perry says “It hasn’t really felt like a tour,” and goes on to talk about how well it had been going, and that he felt the group was building up to “the best show and best tour we’ve done in a long time.”
Despite the numerous medical issues that have been derailing their plans recently, Perry sounds confident that Aerosmith will be playing for some time to come. “there’s no reason why we can’t keep playing until we can’t walk. You have to know that you can’t do certain things anymore.”
Lord knows it can be difficult to come to terms with the fact that we should slow down as we start easing into our later years. But that may be the key to keeping things going for groups like Aerosmith that have been rocking for nearly four decades. It’s hard to fault Steven Tyler for making an effort to entertain his fans during a break in the show due to a sound system malfunction, but dancing on a rain-slicked catwalk probably wasn’t something a 61-year-old guy should be doing.
As much as it may hurt, it’s time for Tyler to start playing it safe, and I think the majority of his fans will forgive him for that. Especially the ones that have been fans from the beginning. After all, we’re all in this together, this aging thing. And when you consider the lifestyle choices many of these guys made during the early years of their careers, it’s pretty impressive to see them still rocking on stage instead of in rocking chairs.
Joe Perry seems like the type that won’t be letting any moss grow beneath his feet. His tour bus is rolling on. He’s got a new album to promote and has also been making some surprise guest appearances here and there. He sat in with Jimmy Buffett and with Jane’s Addiction at Lollapalooza recently, and took part in the rhythm guitar extravaganza that can be seen below.
Perry’s new album, Have Guitar, Will Travel certainly seems to be a true reflection on the way he lives his life because that’s exactly what the man is doing.
For more, check out Billboard.
