JOE PERRY

For five decades, his raw, instinctive guitar lines have helped Aerosmith become the kind of rock act whose songs an entire generation can sing.

- Andrew Daly

But as the band grew from funk-fired upstarts into megastars, Joe Perry made sure never to lose one vital thing: curiosity. As Aerosmith call time on their stellar 50-year touring career, Joe joins us to reflect on what he's learned about guitar along the way...

Leading up to August of this year, Joe Perry was busy preparing for a tour. Not just any tour - he was saddling up for what was to be Aerosmith's rebooted Peace Out tour. The same one that came to a screeching halt after a performance at the UBS Arena in Elmont, Long Island, on 9 September 2023, when normally evergreen vocalist Steven Tyler suffered an injury during the show and fractured his larynx.

But all that changed just weeks ago on 2 August when Aerosmith issued a joint statement informing the world that there would be no second chance at 'Peacing Out'.

"It has been the honor of our lives to have our music become part of yours..." said the statement that ran across all Aero-related social media.

"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. We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision - as a band of brothers to retire from the touring stage." Just like that, Aerosmith, as a touring entity, was gone. Joe Perry, of course, was left reeling to think about what might have been. It's understandable as he had spent over 50 years, save for a few lost years between 1979 and 1984, devoted to the Aerosmith machine. The idea that he and his bandmates couldn't say goodbye on their terms is heartbreaking.