Post by Pete on Sept 8, 2010 12:01:57 GMT -5
Aerosmith heads into Calgary amid band dispute
Guitarist Perry again threatens to replace vocalist Tyler
Guitarist Perry again threatens to replace vocalist Tyler
Joe Perry has one message for Aerosmith's western Canadian fans:
Catch the band now, while you still can.
The guitar hero, who's about to turn 60, says he has no idea when folks will have a chance to see the Boston hard rock band in action again -- at least in its classic form.
"Technically speaking, after the gig in Vancouver (on Sept. 16), I don't have a job with Aerosmith," said a weary sounding Perry in an interview with the Herald to advance the group's Friday show at the Saddledome.
"We know these are the last shows for awhile. And I really do mean awhile. I don't know when we'll be out there again, the five of us, so we'll be playing with everything we've got."
He's not just hyping Aerosmith's upcoming concerts. Perry's desperate uncertainty about the band's future has been brewing for well over a year now.
Major cracks began appearing in Aerosmith's armour during a disaster-plagued tour in the summer of 2009 that culminated with singer Steven Tyler falling from a South Dakota stage and breaking his shoulder.
At that time, Aerosmith cancelled the remainder of its tour, including scheduled western Canadian dates, eventually leading to a lawsuit against the band by Calgary-based concert promoter Keystone Music, which has since been resolved.
Meanwhile, Tyler and Perry have feuded in the press virtually non-stop, with Tyler -- who did a stint in rehab last December -- talking about recording a solo record while
Perry threatened to replace him with a new singer in Aerosmith.
The band members seemed to have patched up their differences when Aerosmith launched its current c*cked, Locked, Ready To Rock Tour, as well as announcing plans to record a new album.
But the harmony was short-lived. The feud reignited this summer when news leaked that Tyler, 62, was up for a second job as a judge on the reality TV singing competition American Idol.
Perry says he was blind-sided by the story, learning about it through the media, and once again he's steamed at his lifelong bandmate.
"(The whole group) sat down not too long ago, when we decided to do this tour, and we basically laid out plans for the next two years," Perry says.
"And when you're sitting there talking about that and one of the band members knows full well he's signed a contract that's taking him out of the music business for up to seven months of the year -- that kind of throws a wrench into things . . .
"It's all very well to say, 'I'm going to go off and do this and it won't interfere with the band . . .' but there's only so many weeks in the month and so many months in the year."
In addition to his American Idol plans, Tyler is also working on his autobiography and he's due for surgery to have his knees replaced, according to Perry.
All of that has the guitarist repeating his threats to replace Tyler with another vocalist.
"I'm not going to sit around for two years waiting for him to come back to Aerosmith," Perry says. While the guitar hero admits that an Aerosmith minus Tyler "would be a different animal," he also wishes to continue playing with the other three members of the band. "(You've got) four guys that are great together, and if you find the right singer, there's no reason you can't go and entertain people," he says.
At recent concerts the tension between Tyler and Perry has even manifested itself in physical altercations, although both incidents were explained away as accidents.
At a show in New York, the animated Tyler accidentally struck Perry in the head with his ever twirling microphone stand. "I almost passed out and blood was dripping from my forehead for the rest of the night," Perry says.
Then, a few nights later at the band's Toronto show at Air Canada Centre the two rockers again collided. Perry was taking a guitar solo on the catwalk when Tyler hip-checked him.
Tyler has admitted as much, explaining that he's always been playfully aggressive with his bandmates onstage. Nevertheless, Perry responded with a bump of his own -- though, as he describes it, he only "brushed" the singer with his guitar -- causing Tyler to lose his balance, falling from the stage.
"He's got this thing in his head that it's cool when the guys in the band bump into each other," Perry gripes. "Nobody else in the band feels that way. . . . Leave me alone when I'm playing."
Asked about his thoughts on American Idol, the hit TV show that has become a threat to his beloved band, Perry pulls no punches.
"It's a reality show designed to get people to watch that station and sell advertising," he says dismissively. "It's one step above (Teenage Mutant) Ninja Turtles.
"I'll tell you one thing, when we put this band together, this is not something that (Steven Tyler) would do," he adds, his voice filled with disappointment and frustration.
"It's his business, but I don't want Aerosmith's name involved with it. We have nothing to do with it."
