After revealing that he'd switch the track on his music gear from rock and roll to country, Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler recently announced two solo gigs for early 2016, which could potentially ease the singer into a larger tour.
The two gigs are set to launch on March 29 and March 31 at the Avalon Ballroom in Niagara Falls as Tyler performs alongside a six-piece Nashville band, Loving Mary. The group is composed of a number of professional songwriters including frequent Aerosmith collaborator Marti Frederiksen, who helped on numerous albums including 1997's Nine Lives.
The gig announcement reveals that fans will be treated to a fusion of Tyler's solo material, like his latest single, "Love Is Your Name," and popular Aerosmith tracks like "Jaded," "Dream On" and "Janie's Got A Gun."
As the former American Idol judge continues on his own path, he leaves Aerosmith off the touring circuit for most of 2016, something that's angered the group's guitarist, Brad Whitford, specifically. Whitford admits that the band feels "a little bit abandoned."
"Steven doesn't want to do it," Whitford told Billboard, "It's unfortunate. We kind of feel a little bit abandoned by him. I guess he seems to think his solo career is going to go great guns, and he doesn't seem to realize that - in my opinion - his fans around the globe want to see him in the context of Aerosmith and don't really care for whatever he thinks he's gonna do."
While the "Dude Looks Like A Lady" singer gears up to release his solo LP sometime in 2016, Whitford struck up another partnership with Ted Nugent and Derek St. Holmes, with ideas of a tour and new album on the horizon, as UltimateClassicRock notes.
Tickets for Steven Tyler's pair of Niagara Falls dates went on sale on Dec. 4 and are available or purchase via the Fallsview Casino Resort website.
