AEROSMITH's TOM HAMILTON: How I Ended Up Playing Bass For THIN LIZZY On 2016-2017 Tour

In a new interview with Defenders Of The Faith, AEROSMITH's Tom Hamilton reflected on the experience of playing bass for THIN LIZZY on the latter band's anniversary shows in 2016 and 2017. Tom joined THIN LIZZY guitarists Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson, together with lead vocalist Ricky Warwick, keyboard player Darren Wharton and JUDAS PRIEST drummer Scott Travis, for five European festival performances in the summer of 2016, as well as an appearance on the Rock Legends V cruise in January 2017.

Tom said: "I went to see MOTÖRHEAD with my son one night and after the show, we were able to spend a lot of time with Lemmy, who was so great to us. We got to meet his band. His drummer was Mikkey Dee. A few months later, he got in touch with me and said he was going to be playing with THIN LIZZY on a tour to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of [THIN LIZZY leader] Phil Lynott's death. He said they were looking for a bass player and if I wanted the gig, it was mine. I knew in my heart there was no way I would say no, although it would be the first time I ever did something outside of AEROSMITH, so I had some butterflies. I had done some minor things outside of my day job, but never a tour.

"A few months after that, after studying my ass off learning the songs, I was in London for the first day of rehearsals," he continued. "I thought I had the songs down, but I was a little behind the curve. Damon Johnson, who is now a great friend of mine, was playing guitar. He and I got together one on one the next day and he helped me get polished. What a great guy!

"From then on, rehearsals went better and better and then we were off to our first gig. We played five or six big festivals in Europe and it was a blast. I loved playing 'The Boys are Back in Town' and 'Whiskey In A Jar'.

"After the festivals, we played on a cruise which was an entirely new experience that I really enjoyed.

"Unfortunately, I never met Phil Lynott. Learning his songs gave me an immense amount of respect for what he accomplished musically."

As previously reported, Hamilton's new band CLOSE ENEMIES has signed with TLG|ROCK for management and label services. CLOSE ENEMIES debut single, "Sound Of A Train", will be released on January 17 and will be distributed through Virgin Music Group.

Joining the 72-year-old Hamilton in the new group his bass tech Trace Foster, who plays guitar in CLOSE ENEMIES alongside Peter Stroud, who has been playing with Sheryl Crow for 25 years. CLOSE ENEMIES' drummer is Tony Brock, who had a band called THE BABYS and then played with Rod Stewart for 12 years. Fronting CLOSE ENEMIES is Chasen Hampton, a performer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with a strong background in the country music scene. CLOSE ENEMIES is also working with "a great lyricist" named Gary Stier.

The members of AEROSMITH made the announcement that they were retiring from touring on August 2, 2024 — nearly one year after singer Steven Tyler fractured his larynx during a September 2023 show.

The "Peace Out" tour came to a halt after what turned out to be a final gig in Elmont, New York on September 9, 2023. That show came just three dates into the trek, which was supposed to last through February 2024. Tyler said in a statement at the time that the injury caused bleeding but that he hoped he and his AEROSMITH bandmates would be back on the road after postponing a few shows.

The rescheduled "Peace Out" tour was due to begin September 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with special guests THE BLACK CROWES.