Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton: ‘The Band Is Still Alive’

“I’m not dead.” That old Monty Python gag (uttered by a plague-stricken man protesting his placement on a cart laden with bodies) couldn’t help but rattle around the brain of some Aerosmith fans after the band canceled its fall tour Aug. 2.

Lead singer Steven Tyler, 76, fractured his larynx last September after falling onstage. His recovery hasn’t gone well, and now Aerosmith’s touring career is over.

But don’t count Aerosmith out just yet. “The band is still alive,” says Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton, 72, who with Tyler cowrote “Sweet Emotion,” which recently hit number 8 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart (“Dream On” was number 1). We don’t know if Aerosmith will ever “Walk This Way” again — but it’s not too late to dream on about its new life in one form or another.

Hamilton tells AARP what the future may hold for a band that’s had more than one comeback on the road to selling 150 million albums.

How much hope does Aerosmith have on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being “doubtful we’ll do anything,” and 10 being “Yes, we’ll be doing something”?

On the hope scale, I’m somewhere between 7 and 9. We won’t be doing any tours from now on, but I’ll always have hope that other types of opportunities will come along. This isn’t the first time black clouds have been on our horizon — and somehow the sun managed to come out.

Time and hope are all we have at the moment.

Steven Tyler performs at UBS Arena on Sept. 9, 2023 in Elmont, New York.

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What did it feel like when the tour was canceled this August?

Steven’s injury to his throat was really bad. I was surprised but not shocked. Still, it was a real punch in the gut. My mother once told me that our family motto was “Que será, será.” I’ve had plenty of practice when it comes to accepting reality and moving ahead.

Is it incredibly frustrating not to do a proper farewell tour after building up for it so long — or is there any sense of relief in not doing this tour? It’s quite a grind.

There was no sense of relief for me. I was ready to go.

Tom Hamilton performs on the Sunset Cliffs Stage during the 2016 KAABOO Del Mar at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Sept. 17, 2016 in Del Mar, California.

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Would your own health have been OK on a tour?

I had a lot of radiation back in 2006 [for throat cancer]. The thing about radiation is that you can get aftereffects years later, and in my case, it showed up as some damage to the nerves in my arm and hand. But I’ve figured out a way to get around it. Actually, I think my body figured out a way by itself. Then there’s the normal wear and tear that comes from slamming your fingers into steel cables for 50-plus years. But when you love to do something, you come up with ways to keep doing it.