Joey Kramer to Sit Out Aerosmith’s 2022 Las Vegas Residency
Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer will not be joining his bandmates onstage when they resume their Deuces Are Wild Las Vegas residency in June.
The drummer has "regrettably made the decision to sit out the band's concerts in 2022 so he can focus his full attention on his family during these uncertain times," Aerosmith said in a statement to USA Today.
Drum technician John Douglas will handle drumming duties while Kramer "takes a temporary leave of absence." Aerosmith added that "he and the band look forward to his future performances with Aerosmith."
This is not the first time Kramer has been sidelined. The drummer sat out several months of the band's residency in 2019 due to an injury. Aerosmith then voted to exclude Kramer from their performances at the 2020 Grammys and a contemporaneous MusiCares event, claiming he was not fit to perform. Douglas filled in for Kramer then as well.
Kramer, in turn, sued his bandmates for the right to be reinstated as their performing drummer. He also posted a video of himself being refused access to an Aerosmith rehearsal.
"This is not about money," Kramer asserted in a statement released at the time of the lawsuit's announcement. "I am being deprived of the opportunity to be recognized along with my peers, for our collective, lifetime contributions to the music industry. Neither the MusiCares' Person of the Year Award nor the Grammys' Lifetime Achievement honors can ever be repeated." A judge rejected Kramer’s lawsuit in January 2020.
Kramer rejoined Aerosmith onstage on Feb. 10, 2020, apparently ending the band's months-long rift. "On the drums, Mr. Joey Kramer," Steven Tyler announced at the beginning of the show to audience applause.
Aerosmith will resume their Deuces Are Wild residency on June 17 at Dolby Live and continue through Dec. 11. It marks the band's first performances since the coronavirus pandemic halted live music in March 2020.