Steve Tyler Update - Aerosmith Tour Remains in Limbo

Since Aerosmith's tour postponement following singer Steve Tyler's injury, guitarist Joe Perry has been giving interviews and working on side projects. In a Detroit radio interview given yesterday, Joe was asked about the state of Steve Tyler.

"The original diagnosis that we heard was that the shoulder was broken in 2 places....

It was like he was in a bad bar fight if somebody had a baseball bat."

The future of the injury plagued Aerosmith tour still remains uncertain.

"We still don't know if we're going to keep the tour up or what. It's breaking my heart," Perry said.

So far, Ticketmaster has listed the entire Canadian leg of Aerosmith's tour as officially postponed with the exception of a September 3 date in Toronto, ON. Postponed dates include Winnipeg, MB Fri 08/07, Regina Sun 08/09, Edmonton, AB Tue, 08/11, Calgary, AB Thu, 08/13, Vancouver, BC Sat, 08/15/09. None of the postponed dates have yet been rescheduled.

Perry expressed some of his frustration. "It hasn't really felt like a tour," Perry had thought the tour had been going well, and could have been, "the best show and best tour we've done in a long time."

In spite of the multiple health issues that have stricken the band in recent months, Joe Perry remains confident the Boston bad boys will continue to rock for a long time yet.

"There's no reason why we can't keep playing until we can't walk. You have to know that you can't do certain things anymore."

In Steve Tyler's case, dancing on wet stage catwalks should rank high on the singer's future "things you can't do" list.

But given Steve Tyler's age (61) and the severity of his injuries, plus the fact that Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton remains sidelined from the tour recovering from surgery, guitarist Brad Whitford, only just recently returned after suffering a serious concussion and even Joe Perry started the year with a knee injury - you have to wonder if this tour was meant to be.

Though it would be a disappointment to fans, it might be better for the band to eat the losses, get their health back and give it another whirl next year.

Joe Perry in the meantime is not sitting at home crying in his beer. He's been making the rounds, plugging his new album Have Guitar, Will Travel, and has also been putting in some surprise guest appearances. He recently sat in with Jimmy Buffett and with Jane's Addiction at Lollapalooza recently.

Joe's not holding his breath waiting for this tour to recommence. In all likelihood, neither should the fans.

Rob Rheubottom