On Friday, the band announced their “heartbreaking and difficult” decision to retire from touring in a statement shared on their website and social media accounts, citing 76-year-old lead singer Steven Tyler’s vocal injury, which he sustained during a show in September 2023.
Aerosmith is retiring from touring.
“It has been the honor of our lives to have our music become part of yours,” the band said in their statement. “In every club, on every massive tour and at moments grand and private you have given us a place in the soundtrack of your lives.”
“We’ve always wanted to blow your mind when performing,” the statement continued. “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,” the statement further said. “We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision – as a band of brothers – to retire from the touring stage.”
Aerosmith, which formed in Boston in 1970 with Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford, previously shared the news about Tyler’s vocal cord injury, in a statement shared on Facebook.
“To our fans: Unfortunately, Steven’s vocal injury is more serious than initially thought,” the statement began. “His doctor has confirmed that in addition to the damage to his vocal cords, he fractured his larynx which requires ongoing care.”
At the time, the band was supposed to embark on their farewell tour, titled “Peace Out,” which they said would be their last. The tour, which was announced in May 2023, included a 40-date run of shows and was slated to kick off in Philadelphia on Sept. 2, 2023, with The Black Crowes as their special guest.
The tour was rescheduled to commence on Sept. 20, 2024, in Pittsburgh.
A message from Tyler was also shared in the statement then, in which he said he was “heartbroken to not be out there with Aerosmith, my brothers and the incredible Black Crowes, rocking with the best fans in the world.”
“I promise we will be back as soon as we can!” he added.
The band also previously canceled several Las Vegas shows in 2022 due to an undisclosed illness of Tyler.
In their statement on Friday, the band shared how excited they were to hit the road for their tour.
“We are grateful beyond words for everyone who was pumped to get on the road with us one last time,” they said. “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.”
Their statement concluded with information on how concertgoers will be automatically refunded if they purchased their tickets through Ticketmaster. Those who purchased theirs on a third-party resale site will need to reach out to their point of purchase for more details.