Aerosmith's Big Announcement: 'Think It's About Time'

Band to embark on its final tour, a 40-date run from Sept. 2 through Jan. 26
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 1, 2023 8:01 AM CDT
Aerosmith's Big Announcement: 'Think It's About Time'
From left, Tom Hamilton, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, John Douglas, and Brad Whitford of Aerosmith perform on Sept. 8 at Fenway Park in Boston.   (Photo by Winslow Townson/Invision/AP, file)

Aerosmith will be touring a city near you for the last time to celebrate the rock band's 50-plus years together. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band announced Monday the dates for their farewell tour called Peace Out, starting Sept. 2 in Philadelphia. The 40-date run of shows, which includes a stop in the band's hometown of Boston on New Year's Eve, will end Jan. 26 in Montreal. "I think it’s about time," guitarist Joe Perry said, per the AP. Perry said the group, with frontman Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarist Brad Whitford, learned from the staging and production from their recent Las Vegas residency shows. Perry believes the time to say goodbye is now, especially with every founding band member over the age of 70. Tyler, 75, is the oldest in the group.

"It's kind of a chance to celebrate the 50 years we've been out here," Perry said. "You never know how much longer everybody's going to be healthy to do this. ... It's been a while since we've actually done a real tour. We did that run in Vegas, which was great. It was fun, but [we're] kind of anxious to get back on the road." Tyler and Perry said the band is looking forward to digging into their lengthy catalog of the group's rock classics, including "Crazy," "Janie's Got a Gun," and "Livin' on the Edge." Over the years, Aerosmith, which formed in 1970, has collected four Grammys. The band broke boundaries intersecting rock and hip-hop with their epic collaboration with Run DMC for "Walk This Way."

Aerosmith performed the Super Bowl halftime show in 2001, and the group even has its own theme park attraction at Disney World in Florida and in Paris: the "Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith" ride. "We're opening up Pandora's Box one last time to present our fans with the Peace Out tour," Tyler said in a statement, the "Pandora's Box" mention referring to Aerosmith's 1991 three-disc compilation album that covered the band's output from the 1970s to the early 1980s. "Be there or beware as we bring all the toys out of the attic. Get ready," Tyler added.

story continues below

The band said Kramer decided to not take part in the current dates on the upcoming tour. He's still a part of the group, but the drummer has been on leave to "focus his attention on his family and health" since their Vegas residency last year. Drummer John Douglas will continue to play in his place. Perry called Kramer their brother, and the band said his "legendary presence behind the drum kit will be sorely missed." Before the 40-date tour wraps, Perry said other cities domestically and internationally could be added. "It's the final farewell tour, but I have a feeling it will go on for a while," he said. "But I don't know how many times we'll be coming back to the same cities. It could very possibly be the last time."

(More Aerosmith stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X