AEROSMITH Guitarist Hopes Upcoming Dates Will 'Blossom' Into Much Longer Tour

A new Associated Press video interview with AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry conducted while he was in Europe for a run of dates with THE JOE PERRY PROJECT can be viewed below.

According to The Pulse of Radio, AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton told the Boston Herald last week that the band members were "all lawyered up" when they convened at their rehearsal studio in February to try and salvage the nearly 40-year-old group. Following a public feud that lasted months and included both singer Steven Tyler walking away and the rest of the band hinting at getting a new frontman, Hamilton said that there was "a lot of sort of reconciling and processing feelings and stuff" at the meeting, adding, "Everyone said how they wanted things to be in the future and it became clear that, for everybody, the coolest thing to do would be to resolve things with the band."

The trouble started last August when Tyler fell from a stage in Sturgis, South Dakota, leading to the cancellation of a tour and rumors that the long-sober rocker was off the wagon again.

Tyler later announced that he was taking two years off to pursue a solo career, with the rest of AEROSMITH responding that they would not sit around and wait for him to return. Tyler threatened to sue.

The singer eventually relented, saying he wanted to stay in AEROSMITH and entering a 90-day rehab to battle an addiction to painkillers. Hamilton said, "He took a really big step and it was really great."

With the band back on track, South American and European dates have already been announced. Only one U.S. show is confirmed so far — an August 14 gig at Boston's Fenway Park with THE J. GEILS BAND — but more are likely to follow.