The classic five are in one room again — and the photos end six years of wondering.
By Theon — The Superfan, CelebnMusic247
The bad boys from Boston are back — all five of them. Rehearsal photos Aerosmith shared on Instagram on Tuesday night (Oct. 20) reveal that founding drummer Joey Kramer will be behind the kit for the band’s two Los Angeles shows, ending the biggest open question hanging over the band’s return.
The gallery — shot by renowned rock photographer Ross Halfin — shows the full classic lineup together: Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Kramer, under the caption “The Bad Boys from Boston are back. Who’s coming to the Hollywood Bowl next week?” The shows, billed as California, Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends, take place Oct. 29 and Nov. 1 at the Hollywood Bowl, with Guns N’ Roses directly supporting both nights and select-night appearances from The Black Crowes, Heart, Sammy Hagar, Tom Morello and Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez.
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It has been a long road back to this photo. Kramer last performed with Aerosmith on Feb. 15, 2020, during the band’s Deuces Are Wild residency in Las Vegas. He had missed shows in 2019 through injury, then sued his bandmates in early 2020, saying they were blocking his return ahead of the Grammys, where the band was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year. A judge ruled the band could perform at the ceremony without him, though he rejoined them on stage when the residency resumed on Feb. 10, 2020. A temporary leave for family matters followed in early 2022, his wife died a few months later, and he sat out all of the band’s 2022 and 2023 shows.
The Hollywood Bowl dates are also Aerosmith’s first full concerts since their Peace Out farewell tour collapsed in September 2023 after Tyler fractured his larynx — an injury that led the band to announce its retirement from touring in August 2024. That makes Kramer’s return the final piece: the lineup that made the records is the lineup walking back on stage.
The 247 Take — Bands announce “reunions” all the time; what they rarely do is quietly fix the one broken relationship that made the reunion feel impossible. Whatever was said in courtrooms in 2020, the only statement that matters in 2026 is five guys smiling in a rehearsal room. This is the Aerosmith fans thought they’d lost — twice.
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Sources: Loudwire | Brave Words
