Watch: AEROSMITH Reunites With Drummer JOEY KRAMER For First Of Two Hollywood Bowl Concerts

Joey Kramer reunited with AEROSMITH Thursday night (October 29) in Los Angeles, California, marking his first performance with the band since February 2020.

The 76-year-old drummer, who has battled a series of health issues in recent years, returned to the stage alongside singer Steven Tyler, guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, and bassist Tom Hamilton for the first of two "Aerosmith & Friends" shows at the Hollywood Bowl.

Sitting behind the kit for AEROSMITH for the first five songs of the band's six-song set was former NIRVANA drummer and current FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl, who, according to Tyler, insisted on being part of the show.

"I get a phone call," Tyler told the crowd at the conclusion of "Toys In The Attic". "[Dave] goes, 'Steven. The Bowl. I've got to get in.' I said, 'David, do you want to play the drums for AEROSMITH?' And he goes, 'No, I want to roadie.'"

AEROSMITH, with Grohl on drums, also played "Back In The Saddle", the opening track from the band's 1976 album "Rocks", the classic power ballad "Dream On", before being joined by Johnny Depp for "The Train Kept A-Rollin'".

Prior to the final song of AEROSMITH's set, Tyler thanked everyone involved in the concert and praised his longtime bandmates.

"Before we say goodnight, I just want to say what a ride it's been with my brothers — Joe, Tom, Brad and Joey," he said. “Fifty-five fucking years, and we're the same fucking band that started fifty-five and a half years ago."

Kramer, who hadn't performed with AEROSMITH since February 15, 2020, when he played the band's "Deuces Are Wild" residency at the Park MGM in Las Vegas, sat behind the kit for the night's final song, "Walk This Way", alongside his drum tech, John Douglas, who previously filled in for Kramer on various tours.

The "California Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends" celebration was hosted by comedian Bill Burr, with a core house band that included Don Was, Nuno Bettencourt, Kenny Aronoff, Chad Smith, Andrew Watt, Mike Inez and others backing several guest musicians before THE BLACK CROWES, GUNS N' ROSES and AEROSMITH hit the stage to close out the night.

"California Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends" setlist:

01. Make It (Sully Erna of Godsmack)
02. Lightning Strikes (Sully Erna of Godsmack)
03. Lord Of The Thighs (Warren Hayes)
04. Walkin' The Dog (Warren Haynes)
05. Livin' On The Edge (Billy Idol and Steve Stevens)
06. Draw The Line (Sammy Hagar)
07. Helter Skelter (Sammy Hagar)
08. Never Loved A Man (HEART)
09. Janie’s Got A Gun (HEART)
10. Rag Doll (Eric Church)
11. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing (Eric Church)
12. Let The Music Do The Talking (THE BLACK CROWES)
13. Write Me A Letter (THE BLACK CROWES)
14. Combination (THE BLACK CROWES)
15. No More No More (THE BLACK CROWES)
16. Chip Away The Stone (THE BLACK CROWES)
17. Nobody's Fault (GUNS N' ROSES)
18. Last Child (GUNS N' ROSES)
19. Seasons Of Wither (GUNS N' ROSES)
20. Welcome To The Jungle (GUNS N' ROSES)
21. Paradise City (GUNS N' ROSES)
22. Toys In The Attic (AEROSMITH with Dave Grohl on drums)
23. Back In The Saddle (AEROSMITH with Dave Grohl on drums)
24. Sweet Emotion (AEROSMITH with Dave Grohl on drums)
25. Dream On (AEROSMITH with Dave Grohl on drums)
26. The Train Kept A-Rollin' (AEROSMITH with Dave Grohl on drums, Johnny Depp on guitar)
27. Walk This Way (AEROSMITH with Joey Kramer and John Douglas on drums)

Two years ago, AEROSMITH announced that it was officially retiring from touring due to singer Tyler's vocal injury. AEROSMITH made the announcement on August 2, 2024 — nearly one year after the now-78-year-old singer fractured his larynx during a September 2023 show.

Tyler and Perry performed together for the first time in nearly two years at a private concert the singer hosted on April 30, 2025 in San Francisco, California. The event was a benefit for Janie's Fund, the initiative Tyler created in order to bring hope and healing to girls and young women who have experienced trauma.

AEROSMITH's "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.

Last November, Perry and Tyler released "One More Time", a five-song EP in collaboration with British rocker Yungblud (real name Dominic Harrison).

Tyler and Yungblud both wound up performing at the "Back To The Beginning" concert for Ozzy Osbourne and BLACK SABBATH on July 5, 2025 in Birmingham, England.

Earlier this summer, Perry hit the road in Europe with HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, the rock and roll supergroup in which he is joined by Alice Cooper, Cooper guitarist Tommy Henriksen and actor Johnny Depp.

In April 2026, Perry told Billboard that he wasn't quite ready to say that AEROSMITH would never perform live again. "The band is still kind of definitely not in touring mode, but there are certainly other options, so we stay in touch.

"You just never know," Perry teased about potential future AEROSMITH performances. "It's just been in the last six months that Steven's started to get comfortable with singing; he literally had to take a year off before he was able to start stretching his vocal cords, and you're always worried about reinjuring it. I learned a long time ago that everything we do is fragile… so we just take it day by day. You hope for the best. You just have to have the confidence and have that vision of positive in front of you. You can't do it unless you envision it."