Steven Tyler returns to rehab, prompting cancelation of Aerosmith's Las Vegas residency return
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has returned to rehab, prompting the cancelation of the band's upcoming Las Vegas residency.
Aerosmith posted the news on its social media accounts, saying that while Tyler has worked on his sobriety for years, he relapsed while undergoing pain management for recent foot surgery.
Tyler has voluntarily entered rehab "to concentrate on his health and recovery."
Thank you for your understanding and for your support for Steven during this time.
If you purchased your tickets via Ticketmaster, you will be refunded and will receive an email shortly with details, otherwise please contact your point of purchase for information on refunds. pic.twitter.com/1nuUc5Gj1j— Aerosmith (@Aerosmith) May 24, 2022
Aerosmith's return to Dolby Live at Park MGM with their Deuces Are Wild show was scheduled to kick off June 24, with scattered dates through December. According to the band's statement, all shows in June and July are canceled and the band expects to return to the road in September. (Tickets purchased via Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded.)
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The flamboyant Tyler, 74, has spoken often about his lifelong addiction struggles. In 2014, he told a group of drug court graduates in Maui, "I am a drug addict and alcoholic and fighting it every day."
Aerosmith's encore in Las Vegas, where they launched a residency at Park MGM in 2017, was already going to be without drummer Joey Kramer, who opted to sit out the shows so he "can focus his full attention on his family during these uncertain times," according to a statement from the band. Kramer was estranged from Aerosmith in 2019 but returned in 2020.
In a March interview with USA TODAY to announce the new Las Vegas run, veteran guitarist Joe Perry expressed his excitement about playing again with the band, which played its last show in Las Vegas in February 2020 and canceled the rest of their residency dates due to the pandemic,
A highlight of their rock spectacle arrives during the encore, when a lift elevates Tyler and Perry above the crowd.
“That (lift) is something we normally wouldn’t do on the road, but judging from the response of the audience, we’ll certainly keep it in the show,” Perry said. “I get as much of a kick out of it as anyone. That thing is swaying back and forth – at one point in a show I had to grab Steven by the belt and pull him back. But that’s the kind of stuff that makes it a rock ‘n’ roll show.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler back in rehab, Vegas shows canceled
