NO MORE NO MORE

Last year's Aerosmith farewell tour got postponed because singer Steven Tyler sustained a vocal cord injury. One of their three shows was in Pittsburgh.

It was brilliant. Lucky us.

Now comes the rotten news that Tyler hasn't recovered. The farewell tour is cancelled. Aerosmith won't perform again. They're on a permanent vacation.

I'm sad, but grateful.

I saw Aerosmith more than 20 times. They're America's Rolling Stones, the nation's greatest rock band ever. (Aerosmith No. 1, Van Halen No. 2, Lynyrd Skynyrd No. 3. Go argue on Twitter, which I'm not on.)

I'd like to say that Aerosmith never let me down.

But I can't. Aerosmith let me down all the time: Cancelled shows, drug problems, some not-great LPs, that ***king "Armageddon" song, constant feuding.

But being fallible is part of Aerosmith's charm.

I had tickets for five shows on the now-cancelled farewell tour: Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Newark, Columbus, MSG. Aerosmith let me down one final time. At least it wasn't opioid related.

Quitting is better than using tapes. Aerosmith was always 100 percent live. I think.

Read Tyler's autobiography. Then read guitarist Joe Perry's. They were in the same places at the same times, but their stories are in constant conflict. Just like Tyler and Perry.

The greatest concert I ever saw was July 20, 1988 at the Wheeling Civic Center. Guns N' Roses opening, Aerosmith headlining.

It was sold out, boiling hot, sweaty, lots of hillbilly energy. Aerosmith bouncing back from a slow decade, Guns N' Roses breaking through, both bands giving their all.

It was a perfect night of rock 'n' roll.

Aerosmith had two careers. Their raw, organic period first. Then their pop-star phase working with outside writers. I preferred the former. But both were great, and provided an interesting blend in live performance.

Nobody sounded like Aerosmith. Tyler was a unique frontman, one of the best. My enduring image will be Tyler and Perry at the same microphone, harmonizing on "Chip Away the Stone."

Now that's all over. Pass the vial and cross your fingers.

Most of my favorite bands are done: Aerosmith, UFO, Whitesnake, Led Zeppelin. It's a constantly growing list.

Thank God for Greta Van Fleet. It's supposed to be kids.

I won't be around when Greta Van Fleet wraps it up. That makes me sad, too.