Is Aerosmith Still Together? Retirement, Then the Hollywood Bowl
Rebecca ·
Yes, Aerosmith is still together. The band never split up. What it did, in August 2024, was retire from touring, because Steven Tyler's damaged voice wasn't going to fully recover. Now, two years on, they're back for two one-off nights at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 29 and November 1, 2026.
That's why so many people are typing "is Aerosmith still together" and "did Aerosmith retire" into Google at the moment. The short version: together, yes; touring, officially no; playing live, apparently yes, for two nights at least. As of late October 2026 there's no new tour on the calendar.
Why did Aerosmith retire from touring?
It came down to Tyler's larynx. The band's farewell run, Peace Out: The Farewell Tour, only got three shows in before Tyler fractured his larynx at the concert on September 9, 2023, in Elmont, New York, as The Washington Times recounts. Those three dates grossed $12.4 million, according to Pollstar figures the paper cites.
The rest of the tour was postponed, then pushed back again. On August 2, 2024, the band gave up. Their statement, quoted by NBC News, said a full recovery from Tyler's injury "is not possible" and that they'd made the decision "as a band of brothers." The remaining dates never happened.
So Elmont on September 9, 2023 is, for now, the last full Aerosmith concert. The band's last studio album came out in 2012.
Did Aerosmith break up?
No, and the difference matters. Retiring from the road isn't the same as dissolving the band. Aerosmith kept recording and kept turning up in small doses after 2024:
- Tyler has made occasional live appearances, including one with Joe Perry and Yungblud at the MTV Video Music Awards, per the Los Angeles Times.
- On November 21, 2025, Aerosmith and Yungblud released One More Time, a five-track EP on Capitol Records. According to the label's announcement, it was the band's first new music in more than 12 years, and its single "My Only Angel" debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart.
- Perry and guitarist Brad Whitford have kept playing live in the Joe Perry Project, alongside the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson.
Even this spring, Perry was still saying the band wasn't in touring mode and that Tyler had only recently become comfortable singing again, according to The Washington Times. Which makes the Hollywood Bowl announcement a bit of a surprise.
When are the Aerosmith Hollywood Bowl shows?
Thursday, October 29 and Sunday, November 1, 2026, at the Hollywood Bowl. The concerts are billed as California, Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends, a nod to their early-'70s hit "Dream On". They were announced on October 7, with producer Don Was as music director, and part of the money goes to Tyler's charity, Janie's Fund.
It's very much an "& Friends" event. Announced guests include:
| Guest | Connection |
|---|---|
| Run-DMC | Remade "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith in 1986 |
| The Black Crowes | Singer Chris Robinson already plays in the Joe Perry Project |
| Slash and Duff McKagan | Guns N' Roses |
| Chad Smith | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Heart, Billy Idol, Sammy Hagar, Tom Morello, Jerry Cantrell, Eric Church, Andrew Watt | Also on the announced list |
Promoters say the lineup will change from night to night, with more guests to come and final line-ups confirmed close to showtime. In other words, don't buy a ticket for one specific guest.
Will Aerosmith tour again?
Nothing announced says so. Both the LA Times and The Washington Times frame these as two shows, not the start of a tour, and nothing in the 2024 retirement statement has been formally reversed. Two nights in one city, with a rotating cast of guest singers and players to share the load, is a very different job from a 40-date arena tour.
Our read, and it is only that: if the Bowl shows go well, the "never say never" questions will start, but the band's own words still point to occasional events rather than a return to the road.
How big was Aerosmith, anyway?
Big enough that a two-night return makes national news. NBC News, citing Billboard, puts their sales at more than 150 million records since they formed in Boston in 1970, with 28 songs in the Billboard Top 100. Only one reached No. 1: "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", from the Armageddon soundtrack in 1998. That still surprises people, given how many of their songs feel like they must have topped the chart.
Their 1986 team-up with Run-DMC on "Walk This Way" brought them a whole new generation of fans (and, NBC notes, put off a few of the old ones). In Musicle's collaboration data it's still the link between the two acts, and Aerosmith's other connections run from Willie Nelson and Carrie Underwood to Yungblud and, via "My Only Angel", Steve Martin on banjo.
Quick answers
Is Steven Tyler still singing? Yes, in limited settings. The band said in 2024 his voice wouldn't fully recover, but he has kept making occasional appearances and sang on the 2025 EP.
When was Aerosmith's last tour? Peace Out: The Farewell Tour, which played three shows in September 2023 before Tyler's injury. The band called time on it, and on touring, in August 2024.
Did Aerosmith make new music after retiring? Yes: the One More Time EP with Yungblud, out November 21, 2025.
Where can I see Aerosmith in 2026? Only at the Hollywood Bowl on October 29 or November 1, as of October 2026.
Sources
- NBC News: Aerosmith retires from touring, says full recovery for Steven Tyler's vocal injury 'not possible'
- The Washington Times: Aerosmith ends touring retirement with two Hollywood Bowl shows
- Los Angeles Times (via Yahoo): Aerosmith will play the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 29 and Nov. 1
- Universal Music Canada: Aerosmith + Yungblud's collaborative EP One More Time out today via Capitol Records
Cover image: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Rob Rubio, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).
