The pandemic put a halt on the concert industry that lasted well over a year. While many bands are preparing to hit the road again this summer and fall, some veteran acts may have missed out on their last genuine opportunity to play for their legions of fans. Unfortunately, according to guitarist Brad Whitford, Aerosmith may be one of those bands.
As it was, 2020 was slated to be a big year for Aerosmith. The band was set to continue its “Deuces Are Wild” Las Vegas residency well into the latter part of the year, and was also scheduled to perform a massive hometown 50th anniversary show in Boston’s Fenway Park.
The 50th anniversary concert has been rescheduled for September 8th, 2022, while a full European tour has been pushed to summer of next year. However, Whitford wonders if the band will be able to play those shows or any other concert, for that matter. The guitarist cites the band members’ ages as the reason he has doubts that they’ll take the stage again.
Related Video
While appearing on guitarist Joe Bonamassa’s interview series Live From Nerdville (transcribed by Blabbermouth), Whitford said, “The European tour, they tried to plan one last year, and they’re talking about next year. It’s a pipe dream right now. Nothing’s gonna happen for a long time. Sometimes I’m not sure what my partners are thinking when they think that’s gonna happen.”
He added, “There’s another interesting thing about going to Europe now because of Brexit — it’s so much harder to get work visas because of that. That’s gonna be a whole other nightmare. I mean, I have my doubts about Aerosmith ever really performing again at this stage, because age is becoming a real factor. And it is what it is.”
Singer Steven Tyler is the oldest of the Aerosmith bunch at 73 years old, while all members of the group will be over the age of 70 by next February. The band has also experienced a number of health setbacks in recent years.
Drummer Joey Kramer had a heart scare in 2014 and injured his shoulder in 2019. He actually sued Aerosmith in order to return to the band in early 2020 when they started performing without him due to his health. Meanwhile, guitarist Joe Perry has had a couple of instances where he collapsed onstage and backstage, including one time with his supergroup The Hollywood Vampires in 2016 and another time after playing with Billy Joel in 2018. And bassist Tom Hamilton battled throat and tongue cancer several years ago.
For now, Aerosmith’s aforementioned 2022 European summer tour and 50th anniversary show in Boston are still on. Here’s hoping the legendary rockers remain healthy and strong as they look to take the stage again.
Watch Brad Whitford’s appearance on Joe Bonamassa’s Live From Nerdville below.
