Aerosmith, one of rock’s top-selling acts, announced the end of its touring days Friday, saying that lead singer Steven Tyler’s vocal injury has proven to be enduring and that he’ll never fully recover.
The band launched its “Peace Out: The Farewell Tour” in May 2023 but postponed dates after just a few shows, when Tyler suffered an injured larynx.
The band said in a statement Friday that Tyler has spent months working to get his voice back to how it had been.
“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,” it said. “We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision — as a band of brothers — to retire from the touring stage.”
It’s not clear if the end of touring for Aerosmith means the end of live performance. Other big-name acts have dangled the possibility of a last-ever tour, amassing ticket sales only to return to music venues.
That doesn’t seem to be the case for Aerosmith, which has made attempts to complete its latest tour, putting it back on the calendar later this year. Performances were ultimately pushed to this September before Friday’s announcement.
The last show of the tour took place on Sept. 9, 2023, in Elmont, New York. Aerosmith’s last album was released in 2012.
The band suggested it would be difficult to replicate its telltale sound without Tyler’s extraordinary and often raspy voice.
Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other,” it said in its announcement.
Aerosmith has sold more than 150 million records, according to Billboard, placing 28 songs on the Billboard Top 100 and one at the No. 1 position — 1998’s soundtrack hit “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from “Armageddon.”
The band’s music quickly became a staple of FM radio, thanks to the success of its self-titled debut and the hit, “Dream On.” In 1986, Aerosmith collided with hip-hop juggernaut Run-DMC for a rap version of its 1975 track “Walk This Way,” tapping a new generation of fans and alienating a few of its original ones.
Concert industry publication Pollstar ranks the band at No. 31 on its “Top Touring Artists of the Pollstar Era” chart, which measures acts based on gross ticket sales between July 7, 1980, and July 1, 2022. Aerosmith’s gross draw for that time, it said, is $603 million.
“We are grateful beyond words for everyone who was pumped to get on the road with us one last time,” the band said Friday. “You’ve made our dreams come true.”
