Aerosmith May Go on a Farewell Tour in 2017

Aerosmith / Courtesy photo by Ross Halfin

The next time Aerosmith goes on tour together, it could be the last hurrah for the Boston-bred rockers.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, frontman Steven Tyler revealed that when the group finally returns from its hiatus, it may be for a farewell tour in 2017.

“I’m doing 30 [solo] shows from May until August,” Tyler said. “And then in 2017 we go out with Aerosmith. We’re probably doing a farewell tour. Look, there’s two bands that still have the original members, us and the Stones. I’m grateful for that. Whether we do a farewell tour or go into the studio and do another record, I’m just excited about it.”

Brad Whitford has also recently talked about the possibility of a farewell tour. In an interview on Eddie Trunk’s podcast, the long-time Aerosmith guitarist said that the band is getting pretty old after four decades of rocking out together, so it seems like the right time to say goodbye.

“We are actually talking about that — about actually putting together a sort of wind-down tour which we would call the Farewell Tour,” Whitford said. “I guess it’s just because of our age. You know, something’s gonna happen. It’s just inevitable that somebody’s not gonna be able to do it anymore. So it would be very nice to take a nice long bow and say thank you and… put it to bed kind of gracefully.”

Aerosmith has been on hiatus since Tyler decided to pursue a solo country album, which will debut later this year.

His decision to go on a solo tour has ruffled a few of his bandmates’ feathers, including Joe Perry, who mocked Tyler’s new cowboy persona in an interview with USA Today.

Whitford has also been critical of the singer, saying in an interview with Boston magazine last year that he was disappointed by Tyler’s decision.

“He changed his mind and it kind of blindsided us a little bit, so I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Whitford said. “It’s just so disappointing because he’s my brother and I kind of feel like he let me down a little bit. But I love him to death.”

Don’t be surprised if Aerosmith comes back following the farewell tour. Like superheroes who die in comic books, bands always seem to make a comeback, no matter how old they get.