The Real Reason Joey Kramer Won’t Be In Aerosmith’s Farewell Tour

On September 2 in Philadelphia, Joey Kramer won’t be present when Aerosmith’s last tour begins.

Kramer, the group’s original drummer who served the group for more than 50 years, won’t go with the rest of the group on their last tour. The band explained in a statement:

“While Joey Kramer remains a beloved founding member of Aerosmith, he has regrettably made the decision to sit out the currently scheduled touring dates to focus his full attention on his family and health.”

The cause of Kramer’s absence dates back a number of years.

Aerosmith had played shows without their drummer before, like in 2014 when Kramer was unwell. But the 2019 incident started a pattern: Kramer missed shows during their Las Vegas residency due to a minor accident.

Months later, at the Grammy Awards, Aerosmith was honored to perform. Kramer had to audition to show he could play, but the band thought he lacked energy. Feeling treated unfairly, he sued, saying others hadn’t auditioned after their health issues.

He joined Aerosmith at the 2020 Grammys for the award but didn’t play. He later returned to drumming that year, skipping their 2022 Vegas shows. Sadly, his wife Linda passed away months later, hitting him hard.

When Aerosmith announced their farewell tour, Peace Out, they made note that Kramer wouldn’t be going. Although the band stated that his “unmistakable and legendary presence behind the drum kit will be sorely missed,” Kramer has been conspicuously absent from Peace Out promotional materials. For instance, Aerosmith has stated that the tour would include its “biggest production ever,” which will involve a “133-person crew, 22 semi trucks, 158 rigging points, 10 tour buses, over 600 lights, 67 guitars, 10 basses, 5 scarves, and 4 legends of rock!” Aerosmith has always been a quintet.

Not long before they announced the farewell tour, guitarist Joe Perry said:

“That’s probably one of the hardest things. Drumming is probably one of the most athletic parts of playing in a band, so it’s really hard.
“It’s been mostly because physically, [Joey has] just been beating himself up over the last 50 years. So, I don’t know. I mean, he’s still officially a member of the band. But I don’t think he’s gonna be sitting behind the drums.”

Weeks later, Perry reiterated those ideas and gave an explanation of why Kramer wouldn’t be joining the band on tour. Perry noted:

“His heart’s in the right place, but, listen, playing the drums is an athletic event.
“And there’s a certain point where you’re just kind of, like,… every joint starts to give out, man.”