Steven Tyler Not Quitting Aerosmith — Video

Fans who'd turned out Nov. 10 night to see Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry's solo band perform at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza were understandably stunned when the Joe Perry Project were joined on stage by Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, who, according to recent rumors, is slowly extricating himself from the fold to branch out as a solo artist.

What was perhaps more shocking for fans, who've been following media reports suggesting Tyler has not spoken to anyone from Aerosmith since the band cancelled its summer tour in early August, was what Tyler had to say to the New York crowd.

Friend of Noisecreep Katherine Turman was at the gig, and said Tyler emerged for the show's encore, dressed in an unbuttoned purple plaid shirt and "look[ing] great." Tyler spoke to the excited mass, saying, "New York, I want you to know I am not leaving Aerosmith." The audience cheered in response to the announcement. The band, with Tyler on the mic, then launched into 'Walk This Way,' the second single from Aerosmith's 1975 LP 'Toys in the Attic.'

Then, Tyler waltzed off stage, leaving Perry and his band to close the night out with a bluesy number.

This, coming just weeks after Tyler told Classic Rock magazine that he'd be focusing his immediate efforts on "Brand Steven Tyler," and after Perry's recent confirmations that the band would be searching for a new singer and that, as far as he was concerned, Tyler quit the band. At this point, its unclear what fans should believe about the future of the band.

But on Monday, OK! magazine caught Tyler on the red carpet outside the 2009 Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Carnegie Hall in New York. He was asked whether he is leaving the band, and replied, "Does it look like I'm leaving Aerosmith? You know what it is -- it's those people who are putting out Joe's album. Joe's doing a solo album. So people are paying attention to that."

It will likely be weeks before this situation's resolved completely, but of course, we here at Noisecreep will keep you up to date on any developments with the Aerosmith camp.