“It’s heartbreaking that his extraordinary voice has been so damaged”: Brian May reflects on Aerosmith’s retirement
Queen’s Brain May has shared his thoughts on Aerosmith’s retirement. The band announced on 2 August that their journey has come to an end as a result of frontman Steven Tyler’s vocal injury.
Tyler sustained a fractured larynx back in 2023. The band have now cancelled all upcoming farewell tour dates, despite originally intending to step down after their final live shows in early 2025.
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Re-posting the band’s official statement on Instagram, May shared his admiration for the classic rock outfit, and commended Tyler for being one of the “greatest” singers “of all time”.
“This has brought a tear to my eye,” May begins. “Aerosmith have been a huge part of my life, as they have been for millions of other rock fans. Steve Tyler stands as one the greatest vocalists and front men of all time – and it’s heartbreaking that his extraordinary voice has been so damaged.
“We all send our love and prayers for your recovery, Steve. It’s also typical of the pure class of the band that they have made and broadcast this bold decision in such style. The career of Aerosmith is truly something to celebrate forever. All things must pass – but the inspiring work of Aerosmith will live on – along with the memories of truly one of the most awesome bands to ever hit a stage.”
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In their original statement, Aerosmith state that recovery from Tyler’s injury is not possible. They also give thanks to their “expert crew, our incredible team and the thousands of talented people who’ve made our historic runs possible”.
The concluding line of their emotional goodbye reads, “A final thank you to you – the best fans on planet Earth. Play our music loud, now and always. Dream On. You’ve made our dreams come true.”
As for May, he continues to play in Queen with Adam Lambert taking on vocal duties. In an interview with Sammy Hagar shared in July, he shared how he and his fellow Queen bandmates originally found it difficult to play again when frontman Freddie Mercury passed away.
“What we did was give it up, we actually did give it up when Freddie died and we’d always said if one of us goes, that’s it. Roger and I both went out grieving to the max and saying it’s over, we don’t even want to talk about it for quite a long time, and then we made the last album, the Made In Heaven album with the tracks that Freddie had left us to play with, and it became a real labour of love because he left some lovely little bits and pieces.”
Of their current vocalist, May added, “Adam brings fresh views on things, [and] he’s not afraid to say, ‘why don’t we try it this way or that way,’ so the songs are not fossils, they’re alive and evolving with Adam which is great.”
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