Aerosmith has announced their retirement from the road and scrapped the rescheduled dates of their Peace Out farewell tour.
The band broke the news on Friday afternoon in an emotional statement. “It was 1970 when a spark of inspiration became Aerosmith,” they wrote. “Thanks to you, our Blue Army, that spark caught flame and has been burning for over five decades. Some of you have been with us since the beginning and all of you are the reason we made rock ‘n’ roll history.
“It has been the honor of our lives to have our music become part of yours,” they continued. “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.”
They then addressed the primary cause for their retirement from the road: Steven Tyler‘s vocal injury, which forced them to initially postpone their farewell tour after just three dates in September 2023. They were scheduled to resume the tour on Sept. 20 and stay on the road through late February.
“We’ve always wanted to blow your mind when performing. 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. We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision — as a band of brothers — to retire from the touring stage.
“We are grateful beyond words for everyone who was pumped to get on the road with us one last time,” they concluded. “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.”
The band also noted that tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded. All other refunds will be available at point of purchase.
READ MORE: Aerosmith Live Albums Ranked
What’s Next for Aerosmith?
It’s unclear what, if anything, Aerosmith has planned next. The band has not released an album since 2012’s Music From Another Dimension!, but guitarist Joe Perry recently told Rock Candy magazine that new music was “definitely a possibility, but at the minute we’re looking at the set for the tour and the songs we can play. He added: “We’re also remixing some of the early stuff and finding some interesting outtakes, so it’ll be fun to look at that stuff.”
Perry also expressed his gratitude for every opportunity to play at this stage — comments that sound especially prescient in light of Aerosmith’s retirement from the road. “The issue with Steven shows you that freak things can happen,” he said. “You just don’t know, so that’s why every night that I go on, I play like it’s the last show.”
Aerosmith Albums Ranked
Any worst-to-best ranking of Aerosmith must deal with two distinct eras: their sleazy ’70s work and the slicker, more successful ’80s comeback. But which one was better?
Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff