In the years leading up to the release of their 2012 album ‘Music from Another Dimension!’, Aerosmith experienced tension among the band members.
The incident that seemed to be the tipping point was Steven Tyler’s fall off the stage during a 2009 Guitar Hero Aerosmith Tour performance.
Tyler suffered a broken shoulder and head injury and was prescribed painkillers as part of his recovery. However, this led to a relapse, which he revealed a few months later.
During his time in rehab, Tyler’s focus on work shifted. He began working on solo projects and joined ‘American Idol’ in 2010 without informing his bandmates.
Although Steven Tyler continued to record and perform with Aerosmith, he also served as a jury member on the show in 2011. However, he left the show two years later and spoke about his experience in an interview with The Quietus.
Tyler stated that he learned not to “pick it, don’t make it, infect it” in reference to ‘American Idol’ being a television show.
He also revealed an ultimatum he gave to the showrunners after the second year, stating that they needed to pay him the amount he wanted or he would leave to work with the band that had been waiting for him for four years.
This ultimatum seemed to act as a catalyst for Tyler, reminding him of his commitment to Aerosmith and propelling him to re-engage with the band.
“After the second year, I told them: ‘You better give me the money I want. Otherwise, I’ll go and do it with the guys that have been waiting for me for four years.’ I was just very lucky that we got the whole band to go to LA. Jack [Douglas] was there; we got the chance to re-record; the way it happened was magical.”
Tyler made it clear in an interview with Yahoo! Music that his commitment to Aerosmith played a role in his decision to leave ‘American Idol’.
Shortly after, the band announced the release of ‘Music from Another Dimension!’ and debuted the album’s first single, ‘Legendary Child’, during the ‘American Idol’ season finale.
The band went on a world tour called ‘The Global Warming Tour’ to support the album’s release in 2012.
