“[Tyler] wants to take two years off from the band… The rest of the band wants to keep on working. We have so many different options to fill up that time. Anything is possible at this point. Basically, any communication that we’ve had over the last couple of months has been through managers, so that’s been pretty strange.”

Perry went on to add that Aerosmith, sans Tyler, is still considering touring and recording. As a result, they are looking for a new singer. Hopefully the search works out better than it did for Velvet Revolver.

We’re really happy that you’ve decided to remain with your band, but was the drama associated with the decision all that necessary? You see, just hours after you reportedly decided to leave the Boston outfit, (because you were on the “Pineapple Express”) and your former bandmates had already begun searching for your replacement, you, Mr. Tyler, decided to make a surprise appearance at Joe Perry’s solo performance in New York last night to announce that you weren’t really leaving the band. “I just want New York to know, I am not leaving Aerosmith,” you said (via NME), before turning to Perry and stating: “And Joe Perry, you are a man of many colors but I, motherfucker, am the rainbow!” Then, you led Perry & Co. in a rendition of “Walk This Way”.

As Seth and Amy would say, really, Steven? Really… really… really?

This appeared to have come to fruition on Friday (Nov. 7th), when guitarist Joe Perry announced the departure of Tyler in an interview the Las Vegas Sun.

“Steven quit as far as I can tell,” Perry said. “I don’t know any more than you do about it. I got off the plane two nights ago. I saw online that Steven said that he was going to leave the band. I don’t know for how long, indefinitely or whatever. Other than that, I don’t know.”

“He has had no contact with me or the other band members,” Perry added.

Of course, all this follows a series of back and forth between the former? bandmates. In recent weeks, guitarist Joe Perry has further complicated matters with offensive Tweets, causing Tyler to completely pull out of a South American tour planned for later this year. Also, did we mention that Tyler had been completely avoiding his fellow bandmates until their last three scheduled performances? Phew, that’s enough tension to force a cured drug addict back to hitting the sauce!

In attempts to relieve some tension, Tyler suggested last weekend, during Aerosmith’s performance at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, that he was considering moving ahead with a solo career. Tyler was later caught saying in an interview with Classic Rock Magazine, “I don’t know what I’m doing yet, but it’s definitely going to be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself – Brand Tyler.”

It’s still surprising that the band’s internal affairs should ruin “The Bad Boys of Boston” entirely, especially when they haven’t shown us anything indicative of concern either on stage or out in public. However, since Tyler’s statement, the remaining band members have considered reconvening in the near future to calculate their next plan of action, sans Tyler. Their verdict can only mean one of two things: Aerosmith will be forced to announce a long hiatus or the band will decide to move forward with a new lead singer.

When asked, guitarist Brad Whitford disclosed, “I’m not sure how good that would look, it would largely depend on who we could get and who would want to do it. That’s big shoes to fill. Nobody could replace Steven or imitate him — he’s one of a kind. But if somebody was willing to do it and the chemistry was right, why not?”

Sheesh, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, folks.

Joe Perry:

What: Tour dates for North American tour

When: Novemeber

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com on Monday, November 2nd at 10:00 AM EDT

Sting:

What: Tour dates for “Sting: In Concert – A Winter’s Night” (two nights in New York, NY)

When: December 8-9

Tixs: $75.00 – $300.00

Buy: Ticketmaster.com on Monday, November 2nd at 12:00 PM EDT

U2:

What: Tour dates for North American 2010 “360 Tour”

When: June – July

Tixs: $30.00 – $250.00

Buy: Ticketmaster.com on Monday, November 2nd at 10:00 AM EDT