The heyday of one of the world’s greatest rock bands has come and gone, and Aerosmith will likely never tour or perform live again. It’s sad to think about; but when it comes down to it, Aerosmith has had quite a few memorable and borderline insane touring moments. Let’s look at a few examples and brush up on your Aerosmith history!
1. The Very First Show – 1970
November 6, 1970 marked the very first time Aerosmith performed an official concert. According to Steven Tyler, the friction between himself and Joe Perry started from that very first performance. In Tyler’s 2011 memoir, he noted that disagreements about the volume of the band’s amps started a career-long riff between the two powerhouse musicians.
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2. Fireworks and Injuries in Philly – 1977
October 10, 1977 was definitely one of Aerosmith’s most memorable touring moments. The bulk of their second concert at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was more or less incident-free. However, things took a dangerous turn when the band returned for their encore.
Someone in the audience threw a cherry bomb on stage, which injured Tyler’s eye and Perry’s artery in his hand. Philadelphia was a little bit cursed after that, as just a year later Tyler was injured again while performing in the city when a beer bottle was thrown at him.
3. Joe Perry Quits After Dramatic Exit – 1979
Back in 1979, Perry ended up quitting Aerosmith for a while. His last show before dipping out was on July 28 at The World Series Of Rock in Cleveland, Ohio. It was a killer set, but things backstage got notably heated between Perry and Tyler. Not only were the two fighting but their wives were also involved in the fight. After the drama subsided, Perry quit the band.
“Being in Aerosmith was like walking into a dog fight and both dogs bite you,” Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford said in the book Walk This Way.
4. The OG Lineup Returns – 1984
After a few years without Perry and Whitford (and a somewhat lackluster lineup), the two musicians finally rejoined Aerosmith and launched the Back In The Saddle Tour. June 22, 1984 marked their official return and the concert took place at the Capitol Theater. It marked a new era for the band; especially considering they went on tour without permission from Columbia Records.
5. Steven Tyler Gets Injured and Quits – 2009
It’s hard to imagine Aerosmith without Steven Tyler. However, there was a very, very brief period of time when Tyler decided to quit. On August 5, 2009, the band performed at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
During the performance, sound issues started around the halfway mark of the concert. Tyler tried to entertain his audience with a little dance, but ended up falling off of the stage. Tyler broke his shoulder, and the tour was canceled.
Rumors spread that Tyler wouldn’t even speak to his bandmates and by November, he had quit the band. The following month, he did a stint in rehab, then eventually reunited with the band to tour the next year.
Photo by Aaron Perry
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