A video posted Monday shows Steven Tyler and photographer Ross Halfin hanging letters on the Hollywood Bowl marquee that spell out “Aerosmith & Friends,” alongside two dates — October 29 and November 1 — stirring speculation that the long-retired rockers could be headed back to a stage just a few miles from where the band first broke big on the West Coast.
According to themusicuniverse.com, the band says full details will be revealed Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern and 7 a.m. Pacific. In the clip, Tyler can be heard saying, “It's Aerosmith and friends, Ross … Aerosmith and friends!” as the two men finish arranging the sign. MyNewsLA.com reports the video marks the band's first public gesture toward a stage return since it ended touring more than two years ago.
The marquee itself, with its two dates spelled out in giant letters, was described in detail by Rock Cellar Magazine, which noted that if the Hollywood Bowl appearances are confirmed, they would mark Aerosmith's first shows since September 2023. The outlet also pointed out that since retiring from the road, Tyler has made a handful of one-off appearances and the band recorded an EP with Yungblud.
A Farewell Cut Short
Aerosmith's absence from the stage traces back to a painful chapter. The band launched its Peace Out farewell tour in 2023, planned as a 40-date trek across North America, per the same account from therockrevival.com. But the tour couldn't continue after Tyler sustained a vocal injury only a few shows in.
In 2024, Aerosmith formally canceled the remaining dates and announced its retirement from touring. A September 2023 band statement postponing the tour, cited by Variety, said Tyler had fractured his larynx, which required ongoing care. The band's last full concert had come in Elmont, New York, on September 9, 2023.
Since then, Tyler has turned up at benefit shows and awards ceremonies, including a performance at the Back to the Beginning concert, though Aerosmith itself has not played together as a full band. Guitarist Joe Perry had previously hinted that more was possible, telling Rock Cellar Magazine, “We're talking about it … I mean, except for anything on the calendar, we're all alive and well.” Perry added elsewhere, as reported by hellorayo.co.uk, “I know there's gotta be at least another Aerosmith gig.”
Decades of Hits and a Hall of Fame Legacy
Formed in Boston in 1970, Aerosmith's longtime lineup of Tyler, Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer became one of rock's most successful acts, recording staples like Dream On, Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way and I Don't Want to Miss a Thing. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Therockrevival.com describes Aerosmith as the best-selling American rock band of all time, with more than 150 million records sold worldwide. The band hasn't released a full album since Music From Another Dimension! came out in 2012, according to Variety, though its more recent One More Time EP with Yungblud still managed to hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart and No. 9 on the Billboard 200, per themusicuniverse.com.
For now, the Hollywood Bowl marquee is the only concrete sign of what's to come. Whether “Aerosmith & Friends” means the full band or something looser remains unclear, and fans eager for specifics on lineup, tickets or openers will have to wait for Tuesday's announcement.
