Watch Aerosmith Play ‘Dream On’ and ‘Walk This Way’ at Final Concert in 2023

Aerosmith dropped a bomb on their fans late Friday afternoon when they announced that not only was their long-delayed farewell tour not happening, but the band was effectively over due to a vocal injury Steven Tyler suffered last year.

Aerosmith Retire From Touring: 'Heartbreaking and Difficult'

“As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other,” they wrote in a collective statement. “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.”

Aerosmith kicked off Peace Out: Their Farewell Tour Sept. 2, 2023 at the Walls Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It continued Sept. 6 in Pittsburgh, and then headed to the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Sept. 9. But after just three shows, Tyler injured his larynx, and they had to postpone future dates. “He is receiving the best medical treatment available to ensure his recovery is swift,” the band announced, “but given the nature of a fracture, he is being told patience is essential.”

“I am heartbroken to not be out there with Aerosmith, my brothers,” Tyler added in his own note, “rocking with the best fans in the world. I promise we will be back as soon as we can!”

They ultimately postponed the entire tour a full year, with a new kickoff date booked for Sept. 20, 2024, back in Pittsburgh. But as the date drew near, it became clear that carrying on simply wasn’t possible. “Thanks to you, our Blue Army, that spark caught flame and has been burning for over five decades,” they wrote to fans. “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. 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.”

Barring some sort of future miracle, it means that the saga of Aerosmith ended Sept. 9, 2023, in Elmont, New York. Nobody in the arena knew they were witnessing history, and Tyler was in fine form as the group tore through MTV-era hits (“Love in an Elevator,” “Cryin’,” “Rag Doll”), Seventies classics (“Sweet Emotion,” “Rats in the Cellar,” “Toys in the Attic”), and a handful of deep cuts (“Adam’s Apple,” “Bright Light Fright”). It ended in standard fashion with “Dream On” and “Walk This Way.”

As you can see from this fan-shot video, Tyler hits the high notes on “Dream On” with little strain. At the end, he climbs on top of the piano to belt out the finale.

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The show ended with “Walk This Way,” and a surprise birthday celebration for Perry, who turned 73 the following day. They even wheeled out a giant Aerosmith cake as Tyler led the entire arena in “Happy Birthday.” “There is he, right there, a living fuckin’ legend,” Tyler said. “Mr. Joe Perry!”

They had no way to knowing they were saying goodbye to the concert stage forever. Their announcement on Friday did leave some small degree of wiggle room in regard to their future by saying they were going to merely “retire from the touring stage.” Could that mean they might work together again in the studio?

There was enough ambiguity that the lede of their Wikipedia entry toggled back and forth between “Aerosmith are a band” and “Aerosmith were a band” all weekend. But they haven’t made a single album in 12 years. How could they make one with Tyler’s voice permanently damaged?

As we consider those questions, our mind goes back to that final “Dream On” in Elmont. This is a song Tyler has performed more than 1,7000 times. Most of us have probably heard it many more times than that over the years. But re-watching that video, the familiar lyrics suddenly seem sad and poignant.

“Every time that I look in the mirror,” Tyler sings. “All these lines on my face getting clearer/The past is gone/It went by like dusk to dawn/Isn’t that the way? Everybody’s got the dues in life to pay.”

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