Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler will not tour again despite his recent performance at a charity gig earlier this month, per ex-Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum.
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Earlier this month, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler hosted his annual Jam For Janie charity event, which took place on February 3 and doubled as a Grammys watch party. At the event, Tyler hit the stage for a brief performance.
Following the performance – which also saw Tyler perform with other famous musicians – fans began speculating if it was a sign that Tyler was fit enough for a potential Aerosmith reunion and tour.
According to former Velvet Revolver drummer and personal friend of Tyler’s Matt Sorum however, Tyler’s performance was likely a one-off. Speaking to WBAB, per Blabbermouth, Sorum said that he had been approached by Tyler for the Jam For Janie event, for which he was musical director, and that they had countless calls over several months while putting the gig together.
In response to fans speculating if Tyler could return to a touring schedule, Sorum said: “Well, let me just explain what’s happening with Steven Tyler, ’cause he’s a really good friend. And we were on the phone 10 times a day. It was great. And he trusts me…. it was a really big moment for him because he hurt himself bad. Now, is he gonna tour again? No, he’s not.”
Sorum went on: “Steven cannot put himself under the rigours of doing a full worldwide tour because there’s a lot of pressure. And if you’re not a singer, you wouldn’t understand what he goes through, but he’s 77 years old and he’s a perfectionist. And if he doesn’t sing correctly, it bothers him. And he’s not gonna put it on tape, like 80 per cent of the people that are out there taking your money. He will not be on tape, and he won’t change the keys of the song. That’s just who he is. He’s, like, ‘I’m an artist. I’m a singer. This is my band. I’ve been doing this for 50 years. And if I can’t do it perfect, I can’t do it.’ And I respect that.”
As for how Tyler was able to prepare for the gig earlier this month, Sorum shared: “I talked to him about it multiple times. I said, ‘So, just sing four or five songs tops.’ He says, ‘I can do that.’ And that was just one time. Maybe down the line, he’ll do it again and possibly do the same amount of songs.”
Aerosmith announced their abrupt retirement from touring in August last year after Tyler suffered a serious vocal cord injury. The band’s final live show was held as part of their ‘Peace Out’ tour, which began in 2023, but only saw the band play three nights, before rescheduling the rest of the dates after Tyler injured his larynx.
Following the announcement that Aerosmith’s touring days had come to an end, numerous famous faces shared their sadness at the news. Queen’s Brian May said that the announcement “brought a tear” to his eye, while Sammy Hagar shared his long history with the members, calling the retirement “a great fucking loss”. It was later confirmed that fans could watch the band’s final ever show on YouTube in 4K quality.
Tom Hamilton also gave fans an update on how the decision to quit tour was made last year: “The decision was made by the team which includes the band and our dedicated management… We don’t know what the future holds but it won’t include touring.”
Hamilton also said he “can’t imagine” the band continuing with a new singer, and added: “I’m sure all of us have music in our future and it will manifest itself in ways that we haven’t planned yet. I’ve been playing in a band with some good friends. We have a bunch of really good songs and we hope to be putting them out soon and hopefully doing some gigs.”
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