Aerosmith Retire From Touring: ‘Heartbreaking and Difficult’

Aerosmith will no longer tour – the band announced in a long social media post on Friday, cancelling the third part of what was meant to be its farewell tour after Steven Tyler injured his vocal cords last year.

As you can imagine, there is nothing in the world like Steven’s voice, nor anyone who works harder at perfecting it than he does. All of us have seen and heard him fighting to get back to the level he was at prior to his injuries. Doctors have advised him and the rest of us that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not likely. We have said all along that we would stick together and leave the touring life behind if any one of us were to have a medical emergency. Unfortunately, we are all now forced to stick together so as to ensure that we don’t lose Steven’s ability to hear. We’ve been sincerely moved by the outpouring of love and support from family, friends and fans everywhere. It has meant more to Steven and all of us in Aerosmith than words alone can ever articulate. The decision to retire from touring is the most difficult decision we’ve all ever had to make.

And though Aerosmith kicked off the Peace Out farewell tour in May 2023 and played a few shows that month, early dates were cancelled or postponed after Tyler strained his Larynx. The band announced a slate of rescheduled show dates in April, intending to return to the road in September.

‘We thank everybody out there who was psyched to rock out with us one last time,’ Aerosmith announced on Friday. ‘Thank you to our crew, our team, and the countless thousands of people that help to make those historic runs happen. And thank you to you,. Turn it up loud, now and forever. Dream On. You gave us our dreams.’

With the cancellation of the final tour, one of the most popular rock ‘n’ roll bands ever ceases travelling – Aerosmith has sold more than 150 million records worldwide. ‘In 1970, a blue streak of inspiration became Aerosmith. You, the Blue Army, kept that inspiration alive and on fire for more than 50 years,’ the band said. ‘Some of you were there in the beginning, and all of you are the reason that we became the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world.’

Separate from the injury to his voice, Tyler is being sued over claims that he sexually assaulted a minor in the Seventies. The plaintiff Julia Misley alleged that Tyler persuaded her mother to let him be her guardian so he could take Misley with him across state lines and eventually have sex with her. Tyler denies the charges. About a year later, a second woman filed her own lawsuit against him; this one was dismissed this past spring.

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Those who bought Aerosmith tickets on Ticketmaster will get their money back automatically, and others who bought on resale sites such as SeatGeek or StubHub should contact where they bought the tickets for more information.

Read the band’s entire statement on their retirement below:

It is by you, with you, for you that Aerosmith was ever ignited in 1970. You’re the Blue Army carrying the flame forward for more than 50 years and counting. Only a portion of you was with us from day one but all of you are why we made rock ‘n’ roll history.

You have helped us add our records to the soundtrack of your lives. That our music has actually done this – that you have blindsided us by actually embracing it – is the most profound of all our musical ambitions. We have done everything we can to blow your minds upon our appearances.

Your brother’s voice is a musical instrument like no other. He has taken every possible step to bring his vocal abilities as close as he can to where they were the night he was injured. Appreciation for the gift of his voice and talent has been heightened by his insight into the music and his gritty determination. Over the last many months, directed by the absolute best medical team available, we finally have the answers we have all been praying come true. Steven just can’t get back to the vocal abilities so many around the world are used to. As a band of brothers, we have come to the hard decision that it’s time for Def Leppard to retire from the touring life.

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To all of these loving people we offer our humble and heartfelt thanks for allowing us to end our long ride together with such a glorious and joyous celebration where we left it all on the stage. To the entire original management team and the remarkable crew who have travelled with us each and every step of the way – especially Cheryl, Ann and Bob – thank you for believing in us even in dire downtimes: in fact, all the downtimes.

A special note of thanks goes out to our lead roadie, Brother Mark, and especially to my partner in life and song, the love of my life, my eternal beloved, my wife Patti, who has devoted her life to being my rock and my crown: to her I say: I love you to the moon and back. Finally, to our fans, without whom we would not be where we are or what we are, thank you for your loyalty and devotion over the past 50 years, which has made it possible for us to even get this far. Play our music loud: play it proud. Play it now. Play it forever. – Dream on.You made our dreams come true.

*If you purchased your tickets through Ticketmaster, you will automatically be refunded, nothing else to do. If you purchased through a third party resale site (e.g. SeatGeek, StubHub, VividSeats, etc), reach out to your point of purchase for more information.