Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer misses Las Vegas Strip show
Aerosmith summoned an understudy for Tuesday night’s performance at Park Theater as drummer Joey Kramer took an unannounced night off.
Longtime drum tech and musician John Douglas filled in for Kramer in the eighth show in the band’s thundering “Deuces Are Wild” residency. Douglas is shown behind the drum set in videos shot by fans during the show.
The band has issued a statement Thursday afternoon: “Joey had a minor accident and is totally fine, but he hurt his shoulder in the process so he won’t be playing tomorrow.” An official offered no further comment when asked for details about Kramer’s condition.
Kramer, the band’s original drummer who came up with its very name, was in action on Sunday night. He also took in the 8 p.m. performance of “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace on Saturday, an off night for the band’s residency.
Yes, John Douglas played all the show. That's why I'm asking what happened with JK or if he is ok…😯 pic.twitter.com/rRJH5uC8Gj
— Diana Juárez (@DikaTyler) April 24, 2019
Kramer’s health concerns forced the band to cancel a show in Concord, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2014, as he underwent an angioplasty. His son Jesse Sky Kramer filled in for the next performance on Aug. 16 in Gorge, Wash.
Talking of the incident in a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Kramer said, “It surprised the (expletive) out of me when it happened. I exercise every day. I’m conscientious about my health. I thought it was heartburn or indigestion. We’re not 25-year-olds anymore. We can’t play as many shows as we used to.”
Fan sites also report tension between Kramer and Steven Tyler during the April 16 performance as the band closed with “Walk This Way,” with a few hiccups in the rock classic, and the two men bickering before final bows. One fan quoted Tyler as re-introducing Kramer with, “On the drums, I love him like a brother, though he may not think so, Joey the (expletive) Kramer!”
But Kramer was onstage, as scheduled, again April 18 and Sunday. The incident would seem like unremarkable rock ‘n’ roll behavior if not for the events on April 16.
After Friday night, the “Deuces” residency returns June 19, running through Dec. 4.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats! podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.