Steven Tyler’s Strange Serenades
While still seeking treatment for pain medication addiction, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler has given a few surprise performances in some unlikely places.
Aerosmith may be without their lead singer, but Steven Tyler is still taking his voice to the airwaves, at least through PA systems. On January 19, the 61-year-old front man saved some karaoke competitors, who were getting booed while singing his 1998 hit “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” at The Tilted Kilt pub in Palm Desert, CA. To the amazement of the crowd, he jumped on stage and serenaded the crowd with the rest of the Armageddon theme. According to the DJ, Tyler did not intend to sing when he arrived at the pub with his publicist and management team, wanting to stay incognito and not allowing pictures.
That wasn’t his only impromptu performance. Home Depot shoppers in Rancho Mirage, CA got a surprise Jan. 23 when the “Crazy” singer came over the PA system. He belted out parts of Aerosmith hits “Dude Looks Like a Lady” and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” TMZ reports that Tyler inhaled some helium from a helium machine and continued singing while signing autographs for the customers.
Tyler’s manager Eric Sherman explained the singer’s bizarre behavior, telling People that Tyler is “a performer 24/7 – whether he’s on stage, at the Home Depot or singing karaoke.” Sherman went on to point out that Tyler is still in rehab for his addiction to pain killers (a result of orthopedic injuries from stage performances over the last decade). He is in a 90-day residential day treatment program and “has privileges to leave the grounds.” So what’s the reason for his Home Depot appearance? Sherman says, “He was shopping.”
Despite his strange antics, the front man is supposedly doing well with his treatment. Sherman said, “We are all really proud of Steven’s continuing successful therapy and look forward to the day he returns to the stage and recording studio with Aerosmith to make new music for the fans.”
When Tyler entered rehab in late December, he reiterated his plan to return to the band in a statement saying, “With the help of my family and team of medical professionals, I am taking responsibility for the management of my pain and am eager to be back on the stage and in the recording studio with my band mates.” He has already finished a 30-day intensive sobriety treatment, but it seems as though the rest of Aerosmith can’t wait to get back to work. After some confusion on whether Tyler was quitting the band to go solo or not (he plans on staying), guitarist Joe Perry said, “he has to have leg surgery and foot surgery and it’s basically going to take him out of the picture for about a year, year and a half. So, in the meantime, the rest of the band wants to play. We’re gonna find somebody to get in there and fill that spot.” Auditions for the band will begin in February with hopes for finding a replacement by the summer so the band can hit the road.
By Michelle Vaccaro