Brad Whitford: "I Have My Doubts About Aerosmith Ever Really Performing Again"

Brad Whitford (left) and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith perform live in 2019
(Image credit: Rich Polk/Getty Images for Janie's Fund)

Aerosmith's most recent live performances came at the band's Las Vegas residency at the Park Theater in early 2020.

Though the band had further Las Vegas performances scheduled for spring 2020, in addition to a European tour that summer, these were all – of course – cancelled due to COVID-19.

The European tour was first moved to the summer of 2021, but has now been pushed back to 2022. However, longtime Aerosmith guitar-slinger Brad Whitford has cast doubt on whether the shows will happen at all. 

"They tried to plan one [a tour] last year, and they're talking about next year," Whitford told Joe Bonamassa during an appearance on the latter's Live from Nerdville podcast. "It's a pipe dream right now. Nothing's gonna happen for a long time. Sometimes I'm not sure what my partners are thinking when they think that's gonna happen."

Adding that Brexit has made it harder for bands to get work visas for European dates, Whitford said "I mean, I have my doubts about Aerosmith ever really performing again at this stage, because age is becoming a real factor. It is what it is."

In addition to the European dates, Aerosmith seemed to confirm – upon their announcement of the most recent rescheduling of the European tour – that they'd be performing at the 2022 Glastonbury festival, though they swiftly removed from the show from their website. 

You can listen to Whitford's full chat with Bonamassa – during which the Aerosmith guitarist also discussed the band's blue-collar appeal, and the anxieties of touring with a '59 Strat – above.

Jackson Maxwell
Associate Editor, GuitarWorld.com and GuitarPlayer.com

Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com and GuitarPlayer.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.