Steven Tyler Quit Aerosmith? Say it Ain't So, Joe!

Steven Tyler has quit Aerosmith? According to a story in the Las Vegas Sun, it might appear to be so. The internet has lit up with news that Steven Tyler quit Aerosmith since guitarist Joe Perry reportedly said the band has had no contact with their lead singer since he walked off the stage during a concert in Abu Dhabi last month. But is there an Aerosmith without Steven Tyler? If Steven Tyler quit Aerosmith, what would become of the band?

Joe Perry told the paper, "Steven quit as far as I can tell. I don't know anymore than you do about it. I got off the plane two nights ago. I saw online that Steven said that he was going to leave the band."

For those who think that Joe Perry should be a little more in touch with his bandmate of 40 years, Perry said, "He has had no contact with me or the other band members. He's notorious for that, that's one thing I've learned to live with. I try to overlook it."

Steven Tyler and the members of Aerosmith have had a few mishaps in the past few years, including a bad fall suffered by Tyler at Sturgis this summer. The band was forced to cancel several shows on the World Tour because of the injuries.

Joe Perry said that it was obvious that Steven Tyler wasn't fully committed to the band any longer. "He's obviously had this planned for a long time. To disregard his brothers to the point where we have to find out about it on the internet. I still care for him as a person, or at least the person I used to know. But things change."

And they do. Joe Perry understands more than most. He left Aerosmith himself in 1979 but returned in 1984. In the interim, he performed with the Joe Perry Project.

As for the Steven Tyler quitting Aerosmith situation, Joe Perry maintained that the band would continue, even without the iconic lead singer. "As far as replacing Steve... We'll probably find somebody else that will sing in those spots where we need a singer and then we'll be able to move the Aerosmith up a notch, move the vibe up a notch."

There is little doubt that Joe Perry and his bandmates can find someone to sing in Steven Tyler's place, but there will be no "replacing" Steven Tyler as the frontman for Aerosmith. His vocals are as unique to rock 'n roll as his iconic features. Listening to someone else sing in his stead under the Aerosmith banner somehow does not seem to ring true. Because Aerosmith isn't a band five or ten years into their music; they are 40 years into their music. Unlike bands that have gone on to much success with a lead singer change (AC/DC, Van Halen, Iron Maiden), Aerosmith has known but one singer in their four decades of existence. Getting used to the nuances of another voice might be a bit difficult for Aerosmith fans to entertain.

Of course, they could get lucky, like Journey did when they acquired Arnel Pineda.

But Steven Tyler quitting Aerosmith and Aerosmith continuing? Better they just call it the Joe Perry Project and move on...

But before everyone writes Steven Tyler off, let's have a bit of patience and see what Steven Tyler has to say about it...

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Sources:

Las Vegas Sun
AZCentral.com