Aerosmith announced that they need to cancel the June and July dates of their Vegas residency as band member Steven Tyler recently checked into rehab for pain pill abuse.
“As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years,” the band’s official statement said. It was posted on Tuesday.
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
“We will continue our 2022 dates starting in September, and we’ll let you know any further updates as soon as we can. We are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows,” the announcement said.
“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.”
The Boston-based band includes Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Brad Whitford, along with Tyler. The 74-year-old rocker relapsed on pain pills after having foot surgery earlier this year, according to the Daily Mail.
Tyler has spoken openly about his struggle with substance abuse in the past. He also entered rehab in 2009. The Aerosmith lead told CNN during a 2017 interview that he opened Janie’s House, a home for abused and neglected girls located in Atlanta, after meeting women in a rehab facility who were there at least in part because of being abused.
“While I was in (rehab), I found out most of women in there were battered and beaten and abused verbally and sexually in huge numbers,” he said at the time. “It was like seven out of 10, eight out of 10.”
Tyler, whose real name is Steven Victor Tallarico, told Oprah in 2012 that he actually enjoyed being sober. “Everybody said, ‘You won’t be able to handle it if you get sober.’ But I spent 12 years loving it,” the musician said at the time.
“When you take drugs a lot, you think being on them all the time is where it’s at. It’s not. It’s about feeling experiences—like going out in the morning and watching the sunrise.”
At that point, Tyler had been to rehab eight times total. He also got a little upset when Oprah mentioned she was surprised he was still alive after taking so many drugs, which he discussed in detail in his memoir, “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?”
“It used to be cool to hear that. Now it kind of hurts,” Tyler told the talk show host.