Heavy Metal Superfan Blog

Okay, so Aerosmith's been self-destructing in slow motion for several months now, what with several of the withered old bastards who make up the band injuring themselves or going in for reconstructive surgery and thus forcing tour dates to be canceled. And it shouldn't be ignored that 2009 represents the 30th anniversary of their last good album (yes, Night In The Ruts is a good album).

But still, the announcement by guitarist Joe Perry that frontgrandfather Steven Tyler had for all intents and purposes quit the band freaked some people out. Enough people, it seems, that Tyler was forced to storm the stage at Perry's recent solo show at New York's Fillmore at Irving Plaza and announce that he had not, in fact, left Aerosmith behind, no matter how fervently those of us who prize dignity in our rock stars might wish it to be so.

Here's some video of that moment of awesomeness. Decide for yourselves which is more nauseating - the shaky camerawork or the prospect of another few more pitiful years of these guys pretending they don't hate each other and milking the suckers who'll still pay to see them.



And just for the hell of it, here's the video of Tyler falling off the stage earlier this year:

While it's true there are tons of bands on the road right now, as part of package tours or on smaller bills, it also seems like lots of acts are suffering mishaps, injuries, and other things causing them to cancel shows. Here's the latest casualty list:
- Aerosmith has canceled the remaining dates of its tour with ZZ Top due to vocalist Steven Tyler's recent fall from the stage in South Dakota. This follows injuries incurred by bassist Tom Hamilton and guitarist Brad Whitford.

- Whitesnake has dropped off its tour with Judas Priest after vocalist David Coverdale began suffering major problems with his throat. The group's final performance on the tour was August 11 in Colorado, at which Coverdale was only able to perform four songs before leaving the stage.

- Black metal band Abigail Williams has been forced to leave their tour with Goatwhore, Daath, Abysmal Dawn and Success Will Write Apocalypse Across The Sky due to persistent illness within the band. Several members have been sent to emergency rooms with flu symptoms and are under medical supervision.

- On the up side, though, Marduk is here! The Swedish black metal legends, who were supposed to perform on a spring U.S. tour with Mayhem, Cattle Decapitation and other bands, didn't make it because they screwed up their visa paperwork. However, they landed in Baltimore midweek, performed last night in Philadelphia, and will be playing NYC on Saturday night (where your humble correspondent will be glowering from the edge of the pit). These are Marduk's first U.S. shows since 2000.