Aerosmith will return to the Hollywood Bowl for two concerts in October and November, bringing together a remarkable list of guests from rock, metal, hip-hop and country for their first full shows since 2023.
Aerosmith will return to the stage for two Hollywood Bowl concerts later this month, more than three years after their last full performance and two years after announcing the end of their touring career. Called “California, Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends”, the October 29 and November 1 shows will bring Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford together with a remarkable cast of guest musicians including The Black Crowes, Run-DMC, Heart, Billy Idol, Sammy Hagar, Slash, Duff McKagan, Tom Morello and Eric Church.
The scale of the guest lineup makes these more than conventional comeback concerts. The current list also includes Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez of Alice In Chains, Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme, Pat Monahan of Train, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sully Erna of Godsmack, Marcus King, Steve Stevens, Andrew Watt, Adam Wakeman, Audley Freed and Kenny Aronoff.
Don Was will serve as musical director, with additional artists and surprise appearances still to be announced.
The lineup will vary between the two nights, with the final combinations of Aerosmith and their guests to be confirmed at or near showtime. That gives the concerts the potential to become two distinct performances rather than identical sets.
The Hollywood Bowl announcement also raises an intriguing question about Aerosmith’s own lineup. A new press image appears to show original drummer Joey Kramer back with the band. Kramer has not performed with Aerosmith since February 2020, following a period that included health issues and a legal dispute over his participation in the band’s performances.
If Kramer does perform at the Hollywood Bowl, it would mark the first time in more than six years that the classic Aerosmith lineup has appeared together on stage.
The concerts represent an unexpected development in Aerosmith’s touring story. In September 2023, the band began its Peace Out farewell tour, but the run ended after only three shows when Tyler suffered a fractured larynx. The remaining dates were postponed and subsequently cancelled, with Aerosmith announcing in August 2024 that Tyler’s vocal injury meant the band could no longer continue touring.
The group had therefore moved into a post-touring phase, although Tyler has continued to make selected live appearances. His performances have included benefit and special-event appearances, including the Back To The Beginning concert in Birmingham in 2025.
Joe Perry had also suggested last year that Aerosmith could play at least one more show. The two Hollywood Bowl concerts now provide that opportunity, although the band has not announced a new tour beyond the Los Angeles dates.
There is also a recent recording connection. Aerosmith released the collaborative track “My Only” with Yungblud in 2025, marking the band’s first new music in more than a decade. The Hollywood Bowl concerts now put the focus back on the group’s live catalogue, with a guest list broad enough to span several generations of artists influenced by Aerosmith’s music.
The setlist has not been announced, but the catalogue provides plenty of material for the format. “Dream On”, “Sweet Emotion”, “Walk This Way”, “Janie’s Got A Gun”, “Crazy”, “Cryin'” and “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” are among the band’s best-known songs, while the involvement of Run-DMC creates an obvious connection to “Walk This Way”, the 1986 collaboration that became a landmark meeting of hard rock and hip-hop.
The concerts are being promoted by Live Nation-Hewitt Silva and Blackbird Presents. Tickets go on sale through a series of presales, with Citi cardmembers given an early window beginning October 8, followed by an exclusive one-hour Aero Force One artist presale on October 9. General public sales begin October 10.
For Aerosmith, the Hollywood Bowl dates are currently the only announced concerts. For the audience, however, the attraction is bigger than a return to the stage. It is the prospect of seeing one of America’s most enduring rock bands surrounded by a guest list that could turn two nights in Los Angeles into a unique chapter of Aerosmith’s live history.
October 29 and November 1 will reveal exactly which friends make it onto the stage.
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