Aerosmith have announced their retirement from touring as frontman Steven Tyler’s full recovery from a vocal cord injury was “not possible”.

“As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other,” the US rock band said in a statement published last Friday (2 August).

“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,” it continues.

“We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision – as a band of brothers – to retire from the touring stage.”

Tyler suffered vocal cord damage during a concert at the UBS Arena in New York on 9 September 2023 – the third date on the band’s Peace Out farewell tour.

The 75-year-old received doctor’s orders not to sing for 30 days but it later emerged that the injury was “more serious than initially thought” and the band were forced to postpone the remainder of the 40-date North America tour.

Despite hopes Tyler could quickly recover, the postponements stretched into April 2024, when the band announced the tour would resume between September and February 2025.

The new 40-date Live Nation-produced run was to include rescheduled dates as well as three new shows but has now been cancelled.

The three Peace Out tour dates Aerosmith got in the books, at UBS Arena, PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, earned nearly US$12.4 million, averaging nearly 18,000 tickets sold per show, according to Pollstar.

“He has spent months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury”

Aerosmith, comprising founding members Tyler, lead guitarist Joe Perry, bassist Tom Hamilton, guitarist Brad Whitford and founder drummer Joey Kramer, said it had been “the honour of our lives to have our music become part of yours”.

“It was 1970 when a spark of inspiration became Aerosmith,” the statement said. “Thanks to you, our Blue Army, that spark caught flame and has been burning for over five decades. Some of you have been with us since the beginning and all of you are the reason we made rock’n’roll history.”

The band said they were “grateful beyond words” for those who were set to see them on their farewell tour. “A final thank you to you – the best fans on planet Earth,” the statement said. “Play our music loud, now and always. Dream on. You’ve made our dreams come true.”

Queen guitarist Sir Brian May took to Instagram to share his feelings on the band’s retirement: “This has brought a tear to my eye. Aerosmith have been a huge part of my life, as they have been for millions of other rock fans.

“Steve Tyler stands as one of the greatest vocalists and frontmen of all time and it’s heartbreaking that his extraordinary voice has been so damaged. All things must pass, but the inspiring work of Aerosmith will live on – along with the memories of truly one of the most awesome bands to ever hit a stage.”

Fellow American rock band the Black Crowes, the tour’s opening act, said on X: “We are shocked and saddened by this news from earlier today. Nothing but much love and respect to our friends in Aerosmith. Heartfelt thanks for all of the incredible [memories].”

Formed in Boston in 1970, Aerosmith became a household name through smash hits such as Dream On, Sweet Emotion, Love in an Elevator, Walk This Way and I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.

Having sold more than 150 million records worldwide, the quintet is the best-selling American hard rock band of all time.

They are also a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a four-time Grammy Award-winning act.

Aerosmith are represented by Rod MacSween, ITB, in Europe and Christopher Dalston, CAA, worldwide.

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Aerosmith have postponed the remaining dates of their Peace Out farewell tour until 2024.

The planned 40-date North American run kicked off at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia at the start of this month with support from the Black Crowes. But six shows had to be rescheduled after Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler suffered vocal cord damage during a concert at the UBS Arena in New York on 9 September.

The 75-year-old received doctor’s orders not to sing for 30 days, but it has since emerged the injury is “more serious than initially thought”, prompting the additional postponements.

“His doctor has confirmed that in addition to the damage to his vocal cords, he fractured his larynx which requires ongoing care,” says a statement on behalf of the band.

“Given the nature of a fracture, he is being told patience is essential”

“He is receiving the best medical treatment available to ensure his recovery is swift, but given the nature of a fracture, he is being told patience is essential. As a result, all the currently scheduled Peace Out shows must be postponed.”

The tour was previously scheduled to finish up at Bell Centre in Montreal on 26 January next year. All previously purchased tickets will be honoured for the rescheduled dates, with refunds available for those unable to attend.

Last year, the group returned to their native Boston to perform a record-breaking one-off show at Fenway Park as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. With over 38,700 people in attendance, it was the most tickets sold to date for a show at the venue.

Earlier this week meanwhile, Bruce Springsteen also postponed the remainder of his 2023 tour with the E Street Band “out of an abundance of caution”, as he continues his recovery from peptic ulcer disease.

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US rock legends Aerosmith have announced they will launch their farewell tour, Peace Out, in September.

Produced by Live Nation, the 40-date North American run will kick off at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on 2 September, with other stops including Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, New York’s Madison Square Garden, Austin’s Moody Center, Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, Chicago’s United Center and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, wrapping up at Bell Centre in Montreal on 26 January 2024.

The tour, which will feature support from special guests The Black Crowes, will also feature a special hometown show in Boston at the TD Garden on New Year’s Eve 2023.

“It’s not goodbye it’s peace out,” says a joint statement from Aerosmith. “Get ready and walk this way, you’re going to get the best show of our lives.”

“Joey’s unmistakable and legendary presence behind the drum kit will be sorely missed”

Drummer Joey Kramer will be absent from the dates as he focuses “on his family and health”, with John Douglas set to deputise.

‘“While Joey Kramer remains a beloved founding member of Aerosmith, he has regrettably made the decision to sit out the currently scheduled touring dates to focus his full attention on his family and health,” adds the statement. “Joey’s unmistakable and legendary presence behind the drum kit will be sorely missed.”

Aerosmith recently played a Las Vegas residency, Aerosmith: Deuces Are Wild, at Dolby Live (cap. 5,200) at Park MGM. The final two shows of the run were cancelled due to an illness to frontman Steven Tyler.

Ahead of the residency, the group returned to Boston to perform a record-breaking one-off show at Fenway Park as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. With over 38,700 people in attendance, it was the most tickets sold to date for a show at the venue.

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Aerosmith have cancelled the first set of dates of their Las Vegas residency after singer Steven Tyler entered rehab.

The Live Nation-promoted Deuces Are Wild run at Dolby Live (cap. 5,200) at Park MGM was due to run from 17 June to 11 December in celebration of the band’s 50th anniversary, but will now start in September after Tyler relapsed on pain medication following foot surgery.

“As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years,” said a statement on the band’s social media channels. “After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment programme to concentrate on his health and recovery.

“We will continue our 2022 dates starting in September”

“We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must cancel our first set of Las Vegas residency dates this June and July while he focuses on his well-being. We will continue our 2022 dates starting in September, and we’ll let you know any further updates as soon as we can.”

The legendary American band, who are represented by CAA in North America, were due to become the first-ever act to perform in Dolby Live using spatial audio technology, Dolby Atmos. They previously launched the residency in 2019, playing concerts in Vegas up until February 2020 when the Covid pandemic brought live music to a halt globally.

Earlier this year, the group cancelled their delayed 2022 UK and European headline tour due to “uncertainty around travel logistics and the continued presence of Covid restrictions and other issues”.

Dolby Live is currently hosting a residency by Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak’s Silk Sonic superduo.

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Aerosmith has confirmed the return of their Deuces Are Wild residency to Las Vegas this year, in celebration of their 50th anniversary.

The four-time Grammy-award winning rock legends will be the first-ever act to perform in Dolby Live (cap. 5,200) at Park MGM using spatial audio technology, Dolby Atmos.

The band, which is represented by CAA in North America, previously launched the residency in 2019 and played concerts in Vegas up until February 2020 when the Covid pandemic brought live music to a halt globally.

The Live Nation-promoted residency will mark Aerosmith’s first concerts in over two years

The Live Nation-promoted residency, which comprises select dates from 17 June to 11 December, will mark Aerosmith’s first concerts in over two years.

Earlier this year, the band cancelled their delayed 2022 UK and European headline tour due to “uncertainty around travel logistics and the continued presence of Covid restrictions and other issues”.

The band were also expected to perform at this year’s Glastonbury festival after previously being confirmed for the 2020 edition. However, Aerosmith do not currently appear on this year’s line-up.

Dolby Live will also host residencies from Lady Gaga and Silk Sonic this year, while Keith Urban, Van Morrison, Sting and Rod Stewart are to deliver residencies at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum theatre (cap. 4,300).

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MF Live, the company behind cancelled Canadian rock festival Roxodus, has filed for bankruptcy.

The company, whose “sole purpose was to organise the Roxodus Music Fest”, owes over CA$18 million (US$13.8m) to around 200 creditors, including $5m ($3.8m) to ticketing provider Eventbrite and $11.1m ($8.5m) to contractors Taurus Site Services. MF Live’s assets equate to $154,000 ($118,000) in cash.

According to liquidator Grant Thornton Limited, “the event did not generate sufficient ticket sales to cover the expected costs, leaving MF Live Inc. insolvent.”

“We also understand that earlier wet weather posed certain challenges in preparing the site for the event and prevented MF Live Inc. from being able to host a safe event,” reads the document.

“The event did not generate sufficient ticket sales to cover the expected costs, leaving MF Live insolvent”

A statement on the festival’s website blames “rainy weather” for the cancellation of the festival, which was to feature performances from Nickelback, Blondie, Aerosmith and Kid Rock.

Last week, Eventbrite announced it would provide all ticketholders with a refund, while continuing “to aggressively pursue the return of funds from the festival’s creators.”

At the same time, MF Live co-founder Mike Dunphy denied all responsibility for issuing refunds. Dunphy also refuted rumours that he had “stolen monies”.

Dunphy and fellow MF Live founder Fab Loranger parted ways ten days before the festival’s cancellation and are no longer on speaking terms, according to an interview with CTV News.

The first meeting of the creditors is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. on 30 July at the Grant Thornton offices in Toronto.

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Eventbrite, the ticketing partner for Canadian rock festival Roxodus, is refunding all those who bought tickets to the event following its cancellation last week.

Roxodus organisers MF Live cancelled the festival, which was scheduled to take place from 11 to 14 July at Edenvale Airport in Ontario, due to “tremendous rainy weather” which “impacted our ability to produce the festival”.

Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nickelback, Billy Idol and Blondie were among the acts featuring on the Roxodus bill.

“After multiple attempts to communicate and secure funds back from the abruptly-cancelled Roxodus Music Fest in Ontario, Canada, the organisers have provided no indication that they will refund ticket holders,” reads a statement issued by Eventbrite on Sunday (7 July).

“We believe attendees deserve to get their money back now, so we have set up an Eventbrite-funded Fan Relief Program [sic] to make all Roxodus ticket holders whole while we continue to aggressively pursue the return of funds from the festival’s creators.”

Eventbrite’s statement follows an announcement from MF Live co-founder Mike Dunphy, in which the Roxodus organiser denied all responsibility for refunds.

“My role at MF Live was that of talent buyer/operations. I did not sign contracts, issue cheques or control funds received from ticket sales,” wrote Dunphy.

“After multiple attempts to communicate and secure funds back from the abruptly-cancelled Roxodus Music Fest, the organisers have provided no indication that they will refund ticket holders”

“Eventbrite is the ticketing partner with whom Roxodus sold tickets. They alone have all purchaser information. Since I am not in control of financial items regarding Roxodus, I cannot communicate plans for refunds.”

Dunphy, who stated he had no involvement in decisions relating to the cancellation of the festival, also denied that he had “stolen monies as widely rumoured on social media.”

Reports state that local police had been investigating a former employee of MF Live prior to Roxodus’ cancellation. It is unclear whether the investigation has any relation to the festival.

Fellow MF Live co-founder, Fab Loranger, told reporters at Global News: “Our specific role in the entire project was to provide the funding. We invested millions of dollars. We relied on Mr Dunphy, his representations and his advice, to ensure everything was properly taken care of. It obviously wasn’t. We lost it all.”

Dunphy rejected Loranger’s statement, which he termed “incorrect”.

Ticketholders will receive refunds from Eventbrite within seven business days from 7 July. Tickets for Roxodus started at CA$129 (US$99), with camping packages costing between $219 (US$168) and $1,600 (US$1,225).

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Performers at CTS Eventim’s Waldbühne amphitheatre played to more than 350,000 people during the 2017 concert season, recording the open-air Berlin venue’s highest yearly attendance to date.

A total of 22 events, eight of them sold-out, also pushed the Waldbühne (‘Woodland Stage’) to the top of Pollstar’s 200 leading amphitheatres by ticket sales in Q3 2017, up from fifth place in Q3 2016.

Summer 2017 highlights included sold-out shows by Robbie Williams, Pink and Udo Lindenberg, along with performances by Aerosmith, Kings of Leon and Andreas Gabalier and classical concerts by Ludovico Einaudi, Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov (newly exclusive to DEAG) and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The successful Peace x Peace charity festival, meanwhile, raised nearly €414,000 for children living in war zones.

“It’s great how the Waldbühne Berlin has developed over the past nine years”

The season closed with Rumpelstil’s now-traditional Taschenlampenkonzert (‘torch concert’), which for the 19th time saw attendees “dance, sing and celebrate in an ocean of light”, says CTS, which has operated the 22,000-cap. venue (pictured), built for the infamous 1936 Olympic Games, since 2009.

“It’s great how the Waldbühne Berlin has developed over the past [nine] years,” says CTS Eventim executive vice-president Rainer Appel. “By now it is not just the leading European open-air location, but also a frontrunner worldwide. Once again, we’d like to thank the artists, promoters and visitors who together with us made 2017 another record year for the Waldbühne.”

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Festival Republic (FR) has hailed the “huge success” of the 2017 edition of Download, which returned to Donington Park in Leicester, UK, for the 15th time last weekend.

After flash flooding at the 2016 festival, the company installed 3,000+ metres of new drainage for 2017, more than quadrupling the site’s run-off capacity in preparation for a similar downpour this year. (According to Download, more than 70 million gallons of water fell on Donington in 2016 – equivalent to 106 Olympic-sized swimming pools.)

As it happened, the weather gods saw fit to smile on Download 2017, leaving the festival largely rain-free and the improved site “greener than ever”, says FR. More than 80,000 people turned out to see headliners Aerosmith (in their final UK show), System of a Down and Biffy Clyro, with other performers including Prophets of Rage, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Machine Gun Kelly, AFI, Simple Plan.

Other highlights included a full-size wrestling arena courtesy of WWE NXT, the return of the Wall of Death with vintage motorcycles, a silent disco, a cinema and a mobile tattoo studio.

In addition to the new drainage, FR introduced additional security measures, including armed police on site, and a new traffic plan to ease congestion following the closure of the M1 motorway.

“It’s been another really good year, with a great atmosphere and low levels”

The extra police presence was well received, with officers encouraging fans to pose for selfies using the hashtag #copaselfie. Supt Martin Ball of Leicestershire police says the festival was also a success from a policing perspective: “It’s been another really good year with a great atmosphere and low levels of crime reported to us. The success of our operation lies in our great working relationship with the organisers, Festival Republic. Although it is too soon to give definite crime figures, early indications are that reported crime is very low. Officers worked hard day and night patrolling car parks and campsites and they talked to hundreds of rock fans, swapping hats, giving high fives and having their picture taken.

“We had visibly armed officers patrolling for the first time this year following the tragic events of Manchester and London and they were all overwhelmed by the positive response from festivalgoers, who thanked them for keeping them safe. They were happy to have their picture taken many times, which was a new experience for the usually camera-shy firearms officers.”

Festival promoter Andy Copping, Live Nation’s president of UK touring, says the vibe at the festival remains unchanged, despite the security challenges posed by the Manchester Arena bombing. “This is the home of rock, and has been since 1980, and I love reading people’s social media when they get here when they say, ‘We’re home’,” he tells the Derby Telegraph. “There is something about the spirit of the place – you can feel the vibe.”

Since 2016 a sister festival has taken place in France, as Live Nation seeks to replicate the success of the UK event on the continent. Linkin Park, System of a Down and Green Day headlined Download Paris, which also took place last weekend, with the first Download Madrid set for 22–24 June.

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Zurich-based abc Production has become the latest promoter to ban backpacks in the aftermath of 22 May’s Manchester Arena bombing.

Under the new rules, those attending future abc shows – which include Justin Bieber at the Stade de Suisse (32,000-cap.) on 15 June, Aerosmith at Hallenstadion (13,000-cap.) on 5 July and The Rolling Stones at the Letzigrund stadium (30,930-cap.) on 20 September – will be limited to bum bags/money belts and bags no larger than an A5 sheet of paper (14.8 x 21 cm).

In a statement, the promoter says it is “aware of its great responsibility in security matters”. “As a consequence of the tragic events at Manchester Arena, as well as the constantly changing demands of tour safety and artist management, abc Production has decided to implement a rigorous backpack and bag ban on all shows,” it reads.

“As a consequence of the tragic events at Manchester Arena, abc Production has decided to implement a rigorous backpack and bag ban”

By banning rucksacks, abc follows German festivals Rock am Ring/Rock im Park, which last week announced no backpacks would be permitted in the festival arena. (Despite the increased security, the first day of the festival was called after receiving a “concrete warning” of an imminent terrorist attack.)

abc says a backpack ban will speed up entry, with “shorter waiting times” as a result of security staff not needed to search patrons’ bags.

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