Now You See Him, Now You Don’t: The Magic of Steven Tyler

The recent surprise appearance at one his live gigs in NYC may have left Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry wondering if his former “toxic twin,” Steven Tyler, may have been concealing his skills as a magician, but even if the aging frontman does not deserve that much credit, he sure has been successful at confounding fans and the media regarding what his status is within the ranks for Aerosmith.

Perry admitted to being shocked when Tyler showed up unannounced at a show in NYC where Perry was performing with his own group, the Joe Perry Project. Perry, later saying that Tyler was the last person he expected to see that evening, allowed Tyler to join in with the group for a rendition of the Aerosmith classic, “Walk This Way.” Tyler also seized the opportunity to announce to the audience that he was not leaving Aerosmith.

Since then, various other rumors and speculation about the situation have surfaced. There was a lot of buzz about the concern that the other members of the group are said to have for Tyler’s well being, suggesting that he may have fallen under the spell of substance abuse again.

Over the weekend, we’ve heard from a few more people who want to vent a little, or who claim to have some inside information on what’s really going on with Aerosmith.

A source claiming to be close to Joe Perry says that the rumors claiming Aerosmith has been seeking a replacement for Steven Tyler are not accurate. The rumors had developed to the point where names were even being tossed around. The group was said to be bringing in a guy from Venezuela named Paul Gillman for an audition. The alleged source claims that he has never heard of the guy.

Also checking in and sharing her thoughts is Tyler daughter, Mia, who, following what seems to be a new celeb trend of tweeting comments directly to fans, vented a bit and said that her dad’s band mates gossiping on Twitter was uncalled for. So far we have not heard anything out of Liv, but perhaps she’s busy with acting or something.

Finally, we hear from a representative for the man himself. A Tyler insider says that the whole flap is not a big deal, and that Tyler is just taking a little time off to continue recovering from the injuries he sustained in the infamous stage fall, and that he also has plans to work on his autobiography.

Previously it was believed that Tyler was planning to take a two-year break from the band, but now we are hearing from the Tyler rep that his time away from Aerosmith “won’t be substantial.” Let’s see if that quells the rumors a bit now, shall we?

Yeah, right, I’m sure that’s the end of it.

Tags: Aerosmith, Autobiography, Hiatus, Joe Perry, Mia Tyler, Steven Tyler, Twitter

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.

Tags: Aerosmith, Future, Hiatus, Joe Perry, Steven Tyler, tour

‘The Boss’ Heading For The Break Room

It seems as though we’ve been seeing reviews of Springsteen & Co. shows for the past couple of years, and I suppose that’s because they have spent a great deal of time on the road during that time.  There’s no question they they are a hard-working band and have succeeded in delighting fans with their live shows throughout North America and Europe.

Nearing the end of their current tour, which – according to guitarist Steven Van Zandt – could be their last, the group plans to take some time off. That “could be the last tour” language is something we’ve heard from other groups comprised of aging rockers. Considering the recent spell of health-related problems that plagued Aerosmith recently and caused them to cancel their tour, it’s understandable that some of these veteran groups are leaving their options open and making no secret of it.

During a recent conference call, Van Zandt didn’t sound certain about the length of the break the group is planning to take, and, as mentioned previously, whether or not the break will become permanent.

“I don’t know how long, one year, year-and-a-half, two years off. This is a good time to see us. We may not be as pretty, [but] we seem to be getting better in funny ways. You never know. This could be be the last tour. We do every show like it’s our last show anyway,” Van Zandt said.

Fans still have a chance to catch Springsteen and his band mates live if they snag tickets to one of the upcoming shows – some of which have yet to go on sale.

There’s still a bit of work left for the group to finish up, including five dates at the famed Giants Stadium in their home state of New Jersey, as well as shows in Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C. among others.

More information is available at Live Daily.

Tags: Break, Bruce Springsteen, E Street Band, Hiatus, Steven Van Zandt, Time Off, tour