# RIP Aerosmith and thanks for the great Rock N Roll! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [August 3, 2024, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178 "2024-08-03T02:17:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/21 "2024-08-03T09:20:53Z")
I remember Steven being asked what he would do if Aerosmith hadn’t happened. He said if he had to do it all over, he’d tell his younger self to get into producing or making music for video games as a side job because he mostly enjoyed the experiences he had … ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/22 "2024-08-03T09:37:05Z")
We were going to go see them later this year. So much for that. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/23 "2024-08-03T10:22:10Z")
Eh, it happens as these legacy acts get older. I was going to take my older rock-n-roll-crazy daughter to see Heart on their European farewell tour until the health announcement. Sad but not terribly surprising. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/24 "2024-08-03T10:43:18Z")
Absolutely love first-era Aerosmith, a fan of middle-era, and not so much after they transformed into Bon Jovi. But man, early Aerosmith was so awesome. Dangerous, rocking stuff. _Toys in the Attic_ and _Rocks_ are legitimate masterpieces. There is nothing in rock more sinister and foreboding than the intro to “Back in the Saddle.” I used to wear out “Nobody’s Fault,” played at max volume. Saw them live maybe five times, and I caught them sober and sharp. Such a great band at their best, such a terrific catalog. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/25 "2024-08-03T10:46:16Z")
I had "Toys in the Attic " on 8-track and used to drive around blasting it out. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/26 "2024-08-03T11:40:23Z")
I bought Get Your Wings when it came out because they just looked like a hard rocking band on the cover and the name Aerosmith sounded like a blacksmith of the airwaves. Both proved to correct assumptions. Then I went out and got their first album and was convinced that they had the staying power of groups like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. Guess I was right about that one. Saw them a couple of times in the 70’s and took my daughter and her friends to see them when she graduated HS in 2000. Damn they aged well, and the kids still loved them! The Train Kept A-Rollin for over 5 decades, well done! ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/27 "2024-08-03T12:49:43Z")
Saw them in '76 with REO Speedwagon opening. Good stuff. The wife was making noises about seeing the Peace Out tour, but I wasn’t so enthusiastic about paying those ticket prices. Well, I guess that’s settled now. I think the first four albums, especially _Toys in the Attic_ and _Rocks_, are essential for anyone with an interest in classic rock. More recently, I found _Honkin’ on Bobo_ to be a nice listen if not essential. I wish they could have done one or two more like that (covers of old blues tunes). Anyway, thanks, guys. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/28 "2024-08-03T13:05:07Z")
I’m glad I misunderstood the thread title- I was afraid for a second there that the whole band had died in a bus crash or something 😱 > [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > My Aerosmith story: 1994, my sophomore year of college, Aerosmith came to Detroit on their Get a Grip Tour. Hey, I might have been at the same concert! Joe Louis Arena? Hm, well, the more I think about it, the timeline doesn’t quite match up. It was a couple years after I had graduated college in ‘87, so it was probably more like 89-90. I was dating a girl I had met at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, where I worked at the time (I know I wasn’t still working there by ‘94). The girl I was dating (actually more like an after-work hang, but I wanted it to become more) was a ‘rocker’ girl- she dressed and looked like Joan Jett or one of the other Runaways. She wasn’t the ‘girl next door’ looking type I usually dated, and she scared me a little (in a good way). She had 2 Aerosmith tickets and asked me. The first part of the evening went great! The band had just recently gotten sober, and put on a great, tight show. Unfortunately after we left, my car wouldn’t start. I had been so focused on trying to be cool and funny on the way there I forgot to get gas. So we’re stranded in downtown Detroit. I called a former college friend who lived nearby and he said he’d bring a can of gas. We waited outside Joe Louis Arena for a long time but he never showed. Later it turned out he had looked for us but we had crossed signals on where to meet. I had to call a cab to take us to a gas station. Thing about downtown Detroit at the time, gas stations were few and far between for some reason. The cabbie had to drive several miles. So, the aftermath did not go smoothly, and I don’t think we hung out much after that, but it was a great show. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/29 "2024-08-03T13:07:15Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > They’re specifically retired from _ **touring** _, according to that article (and another one I saw earlier today). I imagine that that probably also means they’ve retired completely, but they very specifically did not actually say that in the official statement. > > That said, they haven’t released a new studio album in 12 years, and it’s hard to picture how Tyler would be able to sing in the studio, if he’s not able to sing on stage, but who knows? My best guess is that it means that the band still exists as a legal entity, for the purpose of collecting royalties etc. And that this leaves the door open for releasing old, as-yet-unreleased material (demos, alternate versions, etc.). But I don’t know much about the music business. Aerosmith has been mentioned several times over in the “[What one band is the epitome of classic rock for you](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-band-is-the-epitome-of-classic-rock-for-you/1005151)” thread. If the question were restricted to American bands, I think they’d be a solid first choice. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/30 "2024-08-03T13:11:44Z")
I’ve always judged bands according to how they perform live. Aerosmith was/is one hell of a live band. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/31 "2024-08-03T13:39:51Z")
They were the first concert I ever went to. High school sophomore or junior, so 86 or 87. I went to see the opening band, The Smithereens. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/32 "2024-08-03T13:47:26Z")
It wasn’t even sunrise, here, this morning. Hadn’t had coffee yet. Bleary-eyed as all Hell. Got “Train Kept a Rollin’” going on the Amazon Echo. Then, I uttered a sentence I’m quite sure I’ve never uttered before: “Alexa? Volume Eight.” Damn. So, so good. OhByTheWay: I’m awake _now._ ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/33 "2024-08-03T18:18:34Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > My best guess is that it means that the band still exists as a legal entity, for the purpose of collecting royalties etc. And that this leaves the door open for releasing old, as-yet-unreleased material (demos, alternate versions, etc.). But I don’t know much about the music business. I’d be very surprised if simply retiring (just from touring, or “fully retiring”) had any effect on the Aerosmith “legal entity,” especially as four of the five founding members (who are, presumably, the “owners” of the band as an entity) are all still alive, and still active members of the band. The fifth current member (and, I’d guess, part-owner), Brad Whitford, joined the band in 1971, a year after their founding. Compared to most rock bands of similar vintage, they’ve gone through surprisingly little personnel turnover. And, yes, I’d agree that, going forward, they’ll continue to repackage and re-release older material, and license their music for use in advertising, TV shows, movies, etc. As noted earlier, they haven’t released any new music in over a decade; the retirement from touring mostly means that they won’t have that particular income stream any longer. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2024, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/34 "2024-08-03T18:33:58Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > A good memory and a great story are worth a lot more than $150. No idiocy here. The view from 30 years later, absolutely. Back then, as a broke college student who had to work about 5 hours to afford that $25 ticket, I deserved all the shit my friends gave me for that “negotiation.” 🤪 > [@solost](#): > > Hey, I might have been at the same concert! Joe Louis Arena? The Palace. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/35 "2024-08-04T02:31:16Z")
Aerosmith just doesn’t seem like the kind of band that is going to stop until Steven Tyler and Joe Perry have both died, been cremated and had their ashes scattered into the wind. Maybe they run across some cutting-edge procedure to get Tyler singing right again. Or maybe they accept his limitations and reinvent themselves as a lower-wattage outfit (which would be entirely reasonable for a bunch of guys in their 70s). It’s just hard to imagine that they’re done, and I don’t say that as someone who is especially attached to them emotionally. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/36 "2024-08-04T02:55:44Z")
I was a fan until I saw them in late '78. It was at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis. They sucked so bad they got booed when the lights came on. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/37 "2024-08-04T10:28:27Z")
You saw them in their “stoned stupid” phase. They were a real tight band sober. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/38 "2024-08-04T12:34:26Z")
Steven has fought that battle for a long time. It’s worse for him because he’s the face of the band. > **[Steven Tyler voluntarily entering drug treatment program after relapse](https://www.today.com/health/health/aerosmiths-steven-tyler-relapses-voluntarily-enters-drug-treatment-pro-rcna30369)** > > Tyler, 74, is seeking treatment for substance abuse after relapsing following a surgery on his foot. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/39 "2024-08-04T12:36:40Z")
Anything past “Rocks” is just ok, in my opinion, but man…those first 4 albums, er, _rocked_. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178/40 "2024-08-04T13:10:06Z")
I’d make one exception to that statement, Pump was definitely worth a listen and Janie’s Got a Gun totally showcased Joe Perry’s rock credentials. But yeah, the first four albums were classic hard rock at its best. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-aerosmith-and-thanks-for-the-great-rock-n-roll/1005178.md?page=3)