It’s been an exciting year for Aerosmith, as they took part in an all-star tribute to Ozzy Osbourne during the MTV VMAs and released their first new music in over a decade (One More Time, their much-anticipated collaborative EP with Yungblud). During a recent chat with Guitar World, founding guitarist Joe Perry reflected on his 2025 while also shedding new light on the future of Aerosmith.
What Did Joe Perry Reveal About Aerosmith’s Future?
Near the end of the interview (published online on Dec. 5), Perry was asked if he and frontman Steven Tyler “want to play some of [One More Time] live” and if there are “plans for one final Aerosmith show – or a few one-offs with Yungblud.”
Perry responded:
There’s stuff flying around; you know, ideas. The latest thing is that we’ve been talking about doing at least one show, somehow, some way, in conjunction with a documentary that tells the band’s story.
We’re still talking. Steven’s bouncing back and forth from New England to LA; I’m in Florida; and Yungblud’s on the road in Europe. So, it’s been a lot of Zoom calls!
He’s then asked: “If the last Aerosmith record is already done, are you comfortable putting a period on everything?” to which Perry clarifies: “I don’t think about it like that – I think about it like I don’t know what’s gonna happen next. For the last 20 years I’ve looked at every show and played it like it’s the last show. You really don’t know what’s gonna happen.”
Elsewhere, Perry ponders: “If this is the last thing that we do, it’s great. But I’m not retired yet. Steven doesn’t think he’s retired. Who knows? We’ve still got some juice left!”
Perry’s optimistic yet vague and hesitant sentiments are certainly justified. On one hand, One More Time has received plenty of attention and acclaim; however, Aerosmith launched their “Peace Out” farewell tour in 2023 and then canceled it in 2024 while also announcing their retirement from the road due in part to Tyler’s vocal issues.
Back in August of 2024, bassist Tom Hamilton even specified: “We don’t know what the future holds, but it won’t include touring.” That said, Tyler returned to the stage earlier this year, when he sang “a brief set packed with Aerosmith classics” – as Loudwire previously described – during his Janie’s Fund Grammy watch party at the Hollywood Palladium.
So, it’s understandable why Perry can’t promise anything specific for Aerosmith going into 2026 and beyond. Fingers crossed that something exciting will happen, though!
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What Else Did Joe Perry Say About Yungblud + Their EP?
Prior to discussing Aerosmith’s future, Perry approached various other topics.
For instance, he described the latter quarter of 2025 as “three months of insanity” due to Aerosmith and Yungblud – whose real name is Dominic Richard Harrison – marketing One More Time with “promotion, photoshoots and rehearsals morning to night.”
He also mentioned that One More Time was “something [they] hadn’t’ really planned on” but then specified: “The songs are inspired by him working with us, and us being inspired by working with him. There’s a lot of great guitar players and bands out there, but Yungblud really has the stuff, so we thought we’d throw our lot in.”
Later, he mentioned that he did “almost all of the five songs” on the EP with “a [custom-made] Fender Vibroverb” alongside “a stack of three Vibroverbs, . . . two Marshall stacks, . . . a 5150 Iconic . . . [and] a Terror Stamp by Orange.”
He added: “A couple of times we were working at Johnny Depp’s studio, where I had a really nice old Supro. But it was basically the Orange because those things sound fucking great; and after that it was the usual foot pedals.”
As for how he first met Yungblud, Perry told Guitar World that Aerosmith’s “manager’s son thought it would be a cool idea to get Aerosmith and Yungblud together, and he mentioned it to his dad, Larry Rudolph.” From there, “they started talking to Yungblud’s manager. Then Dom and I got on the phone, and he ended up coming down to Florida last year.”
Perry elaborates:
[Yungblud] said, “Let’s work on some stuff for my next record,” Mainly it was just to get to know him, but when I heard his stuff I was like, “Holy shit, this guy’s got the pipes!” I watched some of his live stuff and I thought, “He’s got it, man!” Dom went off on the road and I told Steven, “It would be great if we got together with him.” We went in a bunch of different studios – two down here in Florida and three in LA. We were all bouncing around, depending on who was doing what. When we got three songs done we were like, “Holy shit, we’re really locking into something!”
Regarding how Perry, Tyler and Yungblud linked up for the VMAs, Perry simply explained: “Steven and Yungblud played at the Ozzy thing in Birmingham, and somebody there said, ‘Why don’t you guys do this for the VMAs?’”
Other Aerosmith News
Last week, Loudwire reported on Aerosmith and Yungblud teaming up with country superstar Lainey Wilson for a new version of the third track on One More Time: “Wild Woman.”
On Dec. 4, Yungblud even tweeted a video in which he speaks with Wilson about the collaboration. He also shared a statement in which he expressed:
I’m really hyped to have Lainey Wilson jump on this record with us. I have been a fan of her for a while. Her life story is truly inspirational. With this record, we really needed a female vocalist who could carry it with the level of authenticity that Lainey embodies. We needed a wild woman and we for sure got one!
Of course, their version of “Wild Woman” comes about a month after Aerosmith and Yungblud partnered with actor/banjo player Steve Martin – yes, that Steve Martin – for a fresh take on “My Only Angel.”
Will there be any more surprise collaborations on revised versions of other One More Time tunes? That, and Aerosmith’s future in general, remains to be seen.
Rock Stars Celebrating Birthdays in December
We’re rockin’ around the Christmas tree and into a long list of rock stars who are celebrating their birthdays during the month of December.
Gallery Credit: Alicia Selin
