A dispute between the Aerosmith members and Chris Robinson came up after The Black Crowes opened for the band during its ‘Pump’ tour in 1989. Things got tense when Robinson recalled how Joey Kramer got his band fired from the tour during an interview with Rolling Stone:
“We get to the first gig, and we opened the show with a new song we had just written. I was crawling around on the stage with a big knife, stabbing it into the stage. I guess the drummer for Aerosmith watched the opening of our set and immediately went back and contacted their management and had us fired.”
Accusations about Aerosmith’s live shows and Steven Tyler’s vocal performances followed these remarks, as he mentioned:
“Who said that all these bands that headline arenas are allowed to go out and sing to backup tapes? Aerosmith did it – I love Aerosmith to death. But you bore me when you sing to a backup tape… If you’re an entertainer and you take it seriously, you entertain with your natural abilities. You go onstage and take a chance like everyone else.”
Robinson received backlash from the public due to his words. A few months later, his brother and bandmate, Rich Robinson, defended him in another chat with Rolling Stone. He said the remarks were meant to address the singer’s disappointment in the music industry and were misunderstood.
Still, the tension between The Black Crowes and Aerosmith continued
A few years later, The Black Crowes reunited with a new lineup, including Chris Robinson, Rich Robinson, and Sven Pipien. By 2022, the band released its latest EP, ‘1972,’ and became the opening act for Aerosmith’s farewell tour, Peace Out. But the tour currently faces a delay due to Steven Tyler’s vocal injury, with plans to continue in 2024.
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