Aerosmith are back in the saddle again and have announced a pair of “Aerosmith + Friends” performances, dubbed California, Dream On: Aerosmith + Friends, taking place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles Oct. 29 and Nov. 1. The dates bookend a pair of already scheduled My Chemical Romance Hollywood Bowl shows that should make it one great music weekend in Los Angeles.
The band paid off their social media tease from earlier this week while announcing the star-studded upcoming performances.
The return may come as a surprise to some fans as Aerosmith announced their retirement from touring in 2024. This came after the band had played their final date Sept. 9, 2023 at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. At the time, that was scheduled as part of their “Peace Out” farewell tour run, but the trek was cut short when Steven Tyler suffered a vocal injury.
In recent years, Tyler has returned to the stage on multiple occasions and even recorded and released an EP with Yungblud and Joe Perry last year. And a social media teaser that was shared yesterday reignited promise of Aerosmith taking the stage again.
What Is Happening With “Aerosmith + Friends”?
As the title infers, Aerosmith will be making their way back to the concert stage and with some name friends in tow.
The guest list for the shows include The Black Crowes, Run-DMC, Heart, Andrew Watt, Billy Idol, Chad Smith, Duff McKagan, Eric Church, Jerry Cantrell, Marcus King, Mike Inez, Nuno Bettencourt, Pat Monahan, Sammy Hagar, Slash, Steve Stevens, Sully Erna, Tom Morello, Adam Wakeman, Audley Freed, Don Was, Kenny Aronoff and more. As teased, “surprise announcements” are still coming.
The lineup will vary each night. Final nightly lineups will be announced at or near showtime and are subject to change.
How Do I Get Tickets?
Tickets for the “Aerosmith + Friends” shows will go on sale this Saturday (Oct. 10) at 10AM PT. Tickets are available for these special dates through the Aerosmith website.
Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Thursday October 8th at 10AM PT until Friday Oct. 9 at 10AM PT through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com. Additional presales will run throughout the week.
What Does This Mean for Aerosmith’s Future?
Admittedly, Aerosmith’s ending was not one the band appeared satisfied with.
In 2024, bassist Tom Hamilton confessed that he still held out hope for the future in spite of the retirement announcement. “The future is still out there and I imagine we’ll figure out a way to be part of it,” he shared in an interview with Charlie Kendall’s Metalshop.
At the time of Aerosmith’s retirement announcement, Tyler’s vocal recovery hadn’t progressed to the point where they were able to make the rescheduled performances scheduled on their farewell tour. But that was 2024 and Tyler has since made multiple live appearances including at Ozzy and Black Sabbath‘s Back to the Beginning concert in 2025 and as part of the Ozzy tribute at the MTV Video Music Awards later that year.
Tyler and Joe Perry also released their One More Time EP with Yungblud last year.
READ MORE: Aerosmith + Yungblud Add Steve Martin on Remix of ‘My Only Angel’
Back in December 2025, guitarist Joe Perry told Guitar World, “There’s stuff flying around; you know, ideas. The latest thing is that we’ve been talking about doing at least one show, somehow, some way, in conjunction with a documentary that tells the band’s story.”
This return to the stage at least leaves the door open for additional opportunities for the band.
Below, see the best hard rock song of each year since 1970:
Best Rock Song of Each Year Since 1970
Rock will always continue to roll.
Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire