US rock legends Aerosmith have announced their immediate retirement from touring and cancelled their upcoming Farewell - Peace Out tour dates. The news was announced in a statement from the band shared on social media.
"It was 1970 when a spark of inspiration became Aerosmith," the statement begins. "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.
"It has been the honour of our lives to have our music become part of yours. In every club, on every massive tour and at moments grand and private you have given us a place in the soundtrack of your lives.
"We’ve always wanted to blow your mind when performing. As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other. 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. We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision - as a band of brothers - to retire from the touring stage.
"We are grateful beyond words for everyone who was pumped to get on the road with us one last time. Grateful to our expert crew, our incredible team and the thousands of talented people who’ve made our historic runs possible. A final thank you to you - the best fans on planet Earth. Play our music loud, now and always. Dream On. You’ve made our dreams come true."
Tickets purchased via Ticketmaster will be refunded automatically, while ticket holders who bought their seats via third-party resellers will need to refer to those vendors.
The original Peace Out dates were announced in May 2023, but the trek faltered after just three shows when Steven Tyler sustained damage to his vocal cords, leading to the cancellation of six further dates.
Two weeks later the band postponed the rest of the tour when Tyler's injury was discovered to be more serious than initially thought, and that he'd fractured his larynx and would require a significant period of rest and recuperation. The shows were rescheduled in April this year, a month before Tyler successfully returned to the stage, guesting with the Black Crowes in London.
Aerosmith's last show was at the UBS Arena in Elmont, NY, on September 9 last year.