Tom Hamilton Opens Up on Aerosmith’s Retirement
Last month, Aerosmith announced that their farewell tour was once again canceled and that they were retiring. The news came due to frontman Steven Tyler’s vocal cord injuries, which have proven too great to allow him to perform. It was a sad end to the band’s touring days, but Tom Hamilton says there may be more in store.
The iconic rock bassist opened up on the situation in an email interview with Charlie Kendall’s Metalshop.
“Let me start by clearing up some information on Steven’s injury,” he began. “We were playing the third show of our ‘Peace Out’ tour last September [at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York]. During the third song of the set Steven had a fall that resulted in a fracture to his larynx. Somehow he finished the show. Don’t ask me how. It’s a testament to his strength and desire to give the people what they came for. It wasn’t a case for him blowing his throat out by doing something wrong. He has been healing well and working his ass of to get ready to go back out on the road but it just wasn’t possible. ”
He then added that there was no talk about replacing Tyler on the road with another singer, saying, “I can’t imagine it.” However, he also said “We don’t know what the future holds but it won’t include touring,” leading speculators to believe there could be more Aerosmith music in the future.
Kendall then stated that musicians don’t just “stop” and asked what Hamilton will do now.
“I’m sure all of us have music in our future and it will manifest itself in ways that we haven’t planned yet,” he said. “I’ve been playing in a band with some good friends. We have a bunch of really good songs and we hope to be putting them out soon and hopefully doing some gigs.”
The interview concluded with Hamilton’s message to the fans.
“We’re so grateful for all the people in this world who have come to love this band. I think that was the hardest part about retiring from the road, just knowing that there’s so many people out there who have found meaning in our music. We see you and we feel you. Thanks!!”
Aerosmith’s incredible five decades of music include Hamilton’s unforgettable bass lines on songs like “Sweet Emotion”, “Janie’s Got a Gun”, and “Love in an Elevator”. He was a founding member of the band in 1970 and was there for everything except for a brief period in 2006 when he was undergoing throat cancer treatment.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
