Sammy Hagar Gives Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Props After Retirement Announcement: ‘That’s Honorable’

Knowing when to hang it up is a skill not every rock singer has. While some call it a day way before their time is up, others hang around way too long and end up doing damage to their reputations. That’s why the announcement last week that Aerosmith will permanently retire from touring due to 76-year-old singer Steven Tyler’s ongoing vocal issues hit Sammy Hagar so hard.

During the encore of a show on Hagar’s Best of All Worlds tour with drummer Jason Bonham, former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and guitar god Joe Satriani at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Michigan on Friday, Hagar, 76, took a moment to acknowledge the then-new information and give Aerosmith props for their longevity and spirit.

“We had some crazy news today. We got here this afternoon sometime and we’re all sitting around backstage and a friend of ours that works for Aerosmith came and said, ‘Yeah, Aerosmith called retirement today. They quit. They stopped.’ God bless ’em,” Hagar said according to fan video of the moment. “It’s a horrible thing. What a great f–king loss.”

Hagar recalled the time in 1973 when his band Montrose was opening a gig for Aerosmith at Detroit’s Cobo Hall (now called Huntington Place) during a period when the red rocker had no idea who the “Dream On” Boston band were. “They sold out Cobo, and I’m going, ‘Who the f–k are these guys?,’” Hagar remembered saying. ” So, we did our show, we did an encore, and we played ‘Helter Skelter’ for our encore. And Aerosmith comes on and they opened with ‘Helter Skelter.’ Steven and I have been friends ever since.”

Long story short, Hagar added, “we love those guys. We all grew up with those guys. You grew up with them, we grew up with them, Mike and I. They’ve been our competitors to Van Halen for f–king 10 years. You know what I’m saying? ‘F–k those guys.’ No, no, no, but we really do like them. It’s just that we’re mad at them. But anyway, what a shame.”

Three months after rescheduling the remaining dates on their Peace Out farewell tour, Aerosmith announced their official retirement from touring on Friday due to singer Steven Tyler’s ongoing vocal cord injury. “It was 1970 when a spark of inspiration became Aerosmith. Thanks to you, our Blue Army, that spark caught flame and has been burning for over five decades. Some of you have been with us since the beginning and all of you are the reason we made rock ‘n’ roll history,” the statement began. “It has been the honor of our lives to have our music become part of yours. In every club, on every massive tour and at moments grand and private you have given us a place in the soundtrack of your lives.”

The “Walk This Way” group said that Tyler has spent “months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury,” but said it became clear that a full recovery was not going to happen. “We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision — as a and of brothers — to retire from the touring stage,” they wrote.

Hagar said the tough call to press permanent pause on the road was honorable, and rare. “It’s a sad thing, but honest to God, my hat goes off to one of the greatest rock and roll singers of all time, Mister Steven Tyler, for saying, ‘I can’t sing anymore. I quit,’” Hagar said before taking a veiled swing at other, unnamed, aging rockers who have continued to tour past their prime while making a bold prediction about himself.

“F–k yes! Listen, that’s honorable – that’s f–king honorable. The day I can’t sing anymore, I will f–king do the same thing. And that’s what a lot of other motherf–kers should have did a long time ago,” Hagar said. Sammy and the band then, naturally, broke into the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter,” which Hagar howled with his signature raspy vigor.

Aerosmith only got three shows into their swan song outing last year before having to reschedule the tour due to an injury to Tyler’s larynx.

Watch video of Hagar’s comments below.

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