Aerosmith Set Return to the Road, But Lose Another Member to Injury

In what has to be a record-breaking run of injuries for a single band, Aerosmith have suffered yet another setback on their Guitar Hero-themed summer tour with ZZ Top: bassist Tom Hamilton will be sitting out an unspecified number of shows due to what a press release describes as "non-invasive surgery." Band pal and Joe Perry Project musician David Hull will fill in for Hamilton while he recuperates.

The rest of Aerosmith will be returning to the road tonight, July 15th, in Atlanta, another press release confirms. The band's reps have also finally revealed what fans have suspected — that the reason Aerosmith have missed all of their shows this month was a leg injury sustained by frontman Steven Tyler at a gig at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, on June 28th. Seven shows were nixed for rescheduling, including a July 1st date in Ohio, July 3rd in Pennsylvania, July 5th, 7th and 9th in North Carolina, and a pair of Florida dates: July 11th and 13th. Fans have been instructed to stick with Aerosmith's official Website for updates on the rescheduled dates.

When Aerosmith do hit the stage tonight, it will be with guitarist Brad Whitford, who missed the first handful of dates the band played due to his own offstage mishap: he smashed his head on his Ferrari so forcefully, he suffered an internal injury and had to undergo surgery. After Tyler's leg strain, Perry Tweeted, "Pray 4 Stevens speedy return"; he hasn't posted an official comment about Hamilton's condition yet. The band's past medical problems include 1996 throat surgery for Tyler and throat cancer for Hamilton; 2008 foot surgery for Tyler which sent him to rehab to recover; March 2008 knee replacement for Perry; and Tyler's recent bout with pneumonia, which stalled work on the band's new LP.

Rolling Stone had the rare chance to go backstage with Aerosmith at their hometown Boston show last month — check our photos of Tyler warming up and Perry tuning up here: On the Road With Aerosmith.

Related Stories:
• Aerosmith Bring Toys In The Attic To New York's Jones Beach
• Aerosmith on the Road: Backstage With Steven Tyler and Co.
• Aerosmith's Joe Perry Talks New Album Delay, Tour With ZZ Top

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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