Aerosmith, J. Geils Band To Play Fenway

Tyler and J. Geils Band vocalist Peter Wolf announced the August 14 co-headline date during Wednesday’s Yankees vs. Red Sox game at Fenway. Although only one date has been announced, the Boston Globe hints that a second night might be booked depending on initial ticket sales.

Speaking of which, Boston Red Sox season ticket holders will get first crack at tickets, which run from $55 to $175. For us mere mortals, tickets go on sale April 17 at 10 a.m. Beantown time.

As to the state of the band, Tyler told The Boston Globe, “We’re walking, talking and taking solid foods. I had a little accident when I fell off the stage at Sturgis, but I’m feeling good and I’m ready to kick some [expletive.]”

Aerosmith fans know that the band entered a whole new world of trouble when Tyler fell off the stage while doing an impromptu dance in South Dakota last summer. The band was performing “Love In An Elevator” when a fuse blew, silencing the sound system.

While waiting for the audio to return, Tyler entertained the audience with a little step he jokingly referred to later as “The Tyler Shuffle.” That’s when he accidentally tumbled off stage, breaking his shoulder.

Aerosmith eventually canceled the tour, but as Tyler’s health improved, the band booked a few fall dates, including a Nov. 1 show in Abu Dhabi. It was immediately after the Abu Dhabi gig that the frontman told a reporter he was planning to work on “Brand Tyler” for the next couple of years.

From then on it was rumor city as reports of Tyler leaving Aerosmith were followed by gossip that the band was looking for a new lead singer, followed by an announcement Tyler was remaining in Aerosmith. Of course, all those rumors took place during a seven-month period following Tyler’s Sturgis accident, making the time span a very fertile period for rumors and gossip.

Now there is some word as to what went on behind the scenes during the months following Tyler’s accident. Speaking with the Boston Herald’s Inside Track bloggers, bassist Tom Hamilton said the band eventually held a meeting to discuss the future.

“There was a lot of sort of reconciling and processing feelings and stuff,” Hamilton told The Inside Track. “Everyone said how they wanted things to be in the future and it became clear that, for everybody, the coolest thing to do would be to resolve things with the band.”

And those rumors about Tyler leaving the band and everything that followed, including the band looking for a new lead singer? Turns out the band really was facing a crisis. That is, until Tyler appeared at a Joe Perry November gig in New York and announced he was staying in the band.

“I wasn’t shocked, but I thought it would take longer,” Hamilton said. “It came very suddenly. Up to that point there had been no direct communication with Steven. It sucked. I hated that it was that way for a few months.”

Tyler eventually went into rehab for treatment to fight an addiction to painkillers. In February the band made it official by announcing that their new lead singer was … Steven Tyler.

“I just auditioned and got the gig,” Tyler joked in a video announcement.

Hamilton told The Inside Track that during the months of rumors about Tyler quitting and a possible new singer that “the phone was ringing. People wanted to see the band.”

“We finally realized, even with all the BS flying around, that there was a beautiful thing right there if we had enough sense to grab it.”

Click here to read the complete Boston Herald / The Inside Track article.

Click here for The Boston Globe article.