LOS ANGELES — The Demon of Screamin’ is back in the saddle — and he can still hit the notes that make grown men weep!
Steven Tyler, the 78-year-old Aerosmith frontman whose fractured larynx forced the band to scrap its farewell tour in 2023, stunned the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 29 during the star-studded “California, Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends” show. Seated at a white grand piano for the band’s signature power ballad, Tyler delivered a dramatic, fog-shrouded performance before climbing triumphantly atop the instrument to wail the song’s infamous, glass-shattering high notes.
“I can’t believe how good Steven sounded,” one fan gushed online after clips of the moment went viral. Reviewers agreed: Tyler “nailed the shrieking high notes in ‘Dream On’ like a guy with something to prove.”
The performance marked Aerosmith’s first full concert in more than three years. After the 2023 vocal-cord injury that canceled the Peace Out tour, the band declared in 2024 that a full recovery wasn’t possible and they were retiring from the road. Sources had previously told Page Six that Tyler’s vocal cords were in “great” shape ahead of the two-night Hollywood Bowl stand, and Thursday night proved it.
With Dave Grohl on drums, Joe Perry and the rest of the classic lineup locked in, Tyler cranked through a six-song set that also included “Toys in the Attic,” “Back in the Saddle,” “Sweet Emotion,” and “Walk This Way” (with founding drummer Joey Kramer returning for the closer). Johnny Depp even joined Perry for a guitar duel on “Train Kept A-Rollin’.”
But it was “Dream On”, the song Tyler wrote as a teenager on an upright piano in his parents’ New Hampshire living room, that delivered the night’s most emotional punch. Fans and critics alike marveled that the rock legend, dressed in his trademark flashy ensemble with scarves flying, showed no obvious signs of vocal distress.
A second night at the Bowl is set for Sunday. Whether these shows are a one-off celebration or the start of something more remains unclear, but one thing is certain: At 78, Steven Tyler still knows how to make the dream come true.
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