Aerosmith Return at Hollywood Bowl With Grohl, Depp and a Kramer Cameo

Aerosmith played their first show in more than three years at the Hollywood Bowl on October 29, 2026, delivering a 45-minute set at the close of a nearly four-hour all-star bill — and nobody on stage said whether it will be their last.

The question hung over the evening from the start. Host Bill Burr, introducing opener Warren Haynes, declared on camera that these were "the final two shows in Aerosmith's history." No one from the band confirmed it. The comment appeared to be Burr speaking out of turn, though fans have long speculated about a possible hometown finale in Boston.

Steven Tyler showed no trace of the vocal injury that cut short the 2023 farewell tour. Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford, backed for five of six songs by Dave Grohl on drums, played what the occasion demanded: crunch and precision, scarves on the mic stand, and Tyler howling as if the hiatus never happened.

What happened to Joey Kramer?

The original drummer, sidelined by health issues since before 2023, appeared at the set's close. After Tyler told the crowd, "Fifty-five fucking years, and we're the same fucking band that started fifty-five and a half years ago," Kramer emerged for a hug, then took a second kit marked "JK" beside fill-in John Douglas for "Walk This Way." He could lay down a beat, but evidently not carry a full set — a bittersweet compromise that let the co-founder collect his flowers as a working performer one more time.

The set ran: "Toys in the Attic," "Back in the Saddle," "Sweet Emotion," "Dream On" and "Train Kept A-Rollin'" — the last with Johnny Depp, Perry's Hollywood Vampires bandmate, who took half of Perry's solo and, per the review, pulled it off. "Dream On," with Tyler at a grand piano and preening atop a hidden staircase, was the highlight. Then, after "Walk This Way," fireworks fired over the Bowl's shell. The band did not return. The ending felt anticlimactic; whether Sunday's second show brings clarification is unknown.

Who else played?

Guns N' Roses and the Black Crowes each played five-song sets heavily weighted toward Aerosmith covers. GNR offered "Nobody's Fault," "Seasons of Wither" and "Last Child" before "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City"; Axl Rose was stronger in his lower range. The Black Crowes played "Let the Music Do the Talking," "Write Me a Letter," "Combination," "No More No More" and "Chip Away the Stone."

Shorter spots went to Sully Erna of Godsmack, Haynes, Billy Idol with Steve Stevens, Sammy Hagar, Heart and Eric Church — whose rootsy "Rag Doll" worked and whose monitor-dependent "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" did not. A house band featuring Don Was, Kenny Aronoff and Andrew Watt backed them. Run-DMC, Tom Morello, Marcus King, Jerry Cantrell and Train's Pat Monahan are still owed appearances, presumably on Sunday; Thursday's start had already moved up to 6:45 from 7.

Is a documentary coming?

724 Management and Blackbird Presents produced the shows, and Blackbird's involvement, plus a camera flying on wires over the box seats, points to a filmed special or documentary. What does this change for fans? Officially, nothing is confirmed — not an end, not a future. Sunday's speeches, if any, may say.