After frontman Steven Tyler seriously injured his voice at a gig, Aerosmith have confirmed that their days of touring have come to an immediate end. Check out footage and the full setlist from their final show below.
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The gig took place at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on September 9, 2023, and no one – including the band themselves – knew it would be their last.
Held as part of their ‘Peace Out’ tour, the run of live shows kicked off last year, but the band only played three nights, before rescheduling the rest of the dates after Tyler injured his larynx.
Their final show, held in Elmont, New York, followed on from their tour opening set in Philadelphia on September 2, 2023, and a follow-up show in Pittsburgh on September 6.
Like the others, it began with a video montage of the band throughout the years, before Tyler and co. erupted on the stage and opened the set with a rendition of ‘Back In The Saddle’. From there they went into a cover of the Rufus Thomas song ‘Walking the Dog’. This was the first time they had played it live on the tour, and it came after they originally covered it on their 1977 LP ‘Draw the Line’.
From there, countless fan favourites followed, including ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’, ‘Cryin’’, ‘Livin’ On The Edge’, ‘Love in an Elevator’ and ‘Sweet Emotion’.
‘Bright Light Fright’ – taken from their ‘Draw The Line’ album – was also aired out for the first time since 1994, according to Setlist.fm, and Aerosmith closed out the night with back-to-back renditions of ‘Toys In The Attic’, ‘Dream On’ and ‘Walk This Way’.
Funnily enough, the last song they played at what would soon be confirmed as their final-ever show was not one from their discography. Instead, the band closed out the show by performing ‘Happy Birthday to You’, bringing out a giant chocolate cake to celebrate guitarist Joe Perry’s 73rd birthday the following day.
Check out more footage of the show below, as well as the full setlist.
The setlist for Aerosmith’s final show was:
‘Back in the Saddle’
‘Walking the Dog’ (Rufus Thomas cover, tour debut)
‘Rag Doll’
‘Livin’ on the Edge’
‘Janie’s Got a Gun’
‘No More No More’
‘Cryin”
Adam’s Apple’
‘Seasons of Wither’
‘Movin’ Out’
‘Love in an Elevator’
‘Bright Light Fright’ (first time since 1994)
‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’
‘Rats in the Cellar’
‘Sweet Emotion’
‘Toys in the Attic’
‘Dream On’
‘Walk This Way’
‘Happy Birthday to You’
After the tour was postponed following the New York gig, the rescheduled ‘Peace Out’ dates were set to begin on September 20 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, however, due to the vocalist being unable to overcome his injury, the band went on to confirm that they had “made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision” to bring the outfit to an end.
The announcement was made on social media last Friday (August 2), and it was confirmed that the tour had been cancelled in its entirety, and they would not be playing live again.
“As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other. He has spent months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury. We’ve seen him struggling despite having the best medical team by his side. Sadly, it is clear, that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible,” the update read.
“Some of you have been with us since the beginning and all of you are the reason we made rock ‘n’ roll history. It has been the honour of our lives to have our music become part of yours. In every club, on every massive tour and at moments grand and private you have given us a place in the soundtrack of your lives.”
Numerous famous faces have come out to share their sadness at the news too, with Queen guitarist Brian May explaining that the announcement “brought a tear” to his eye, and Sammy Hagar sharing his long history with the members, calling the retirement “a great fucking loss”.
Those who have tickets to the axed shows can find refunds available at the point of purchase.
Aerosmith’s last studio album arrived over a decade ago, when the band shared ‘Music From Another Dimension!’ in 2012. Steven Tyler’s last studio album arrived in 2016, in the form of a debut solo LP called ‘We’re All Somebody from Somewhere’.
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