Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer has insisted he’ll be at the MusiCares Person of the Year Awards despite a court ruling that he won’t be able to play at the gig.
The 69-year-old faced tensions with his bandmates Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford when he claimed they ‘freezed’ him out of the band after he suffered a ‘temporary disability’.
He then asked for an injunction which would force the band to allow him to play with them at two upcoming gigs, including the Grammys, which was denied by the court.
Chatting to TMZ, Joey said: ‘I never left the band,’ before insisting: ‘I’ll be there tomorrow night to spread the love, because that’s what it’s about.’
The band are set to receive the MusiCares’ Person of the Year Award and lifetime achievement accolade ahead of the Grammys.
Joey’s lawsuit came after him suffering minor injuries in spring 2019.
Although he was ready to return for Aerosmith’s Las Vegas residency later in the year, he alleged that the band introduced a new policy where he would have to audition to prove he was ‘able to play at an appropriate level’.
In the lawsuit obtained by TMZ, Kramer said the stress of the situation had ‘significant repercussions’ to his health and he ended up in hospital in November.
Kramer eventually auditioned earlier this month but the band still allegedly blocked him from rejoining. The reasoning was said to be because he ‘did not have enough “energy” in the recordings’, according to the lawsuits.
Breaking their silence on the situation, Aerosmith said in a statement: ‘We would be doing a disservice to Joey, to ourselves and to our fans to have him play without adequate time to prepare and rehearse.
‘Compounding this, he chose to file a lawsuit on the Friday night of the holiday weekend preceding the Grammys with total disregard for what is our limited window to prepare to perform these important events.’
Kramer also said in his own statement: ‘Being prohibited from playing with a band that I have given 50 years of my life to supporting, is beyond devastating.’
He insisted ‘this is not about money’ and that he is being ‘deprived of the opportunity to be recognised along with [his] peers’ for their musical accomplishments.
Kramer continued: ‘I hope our fans can understand that all I’m trying to do is get back to playing with the band that they love – and that’s Aerosmith with all five original members.
‘The greatest magic and success of Aerosmith happens when all the band’s founding members are together in the house.’
He added: ‘To be removed from my rightful place on stage to celebrate our success – a success that acknowledges my own life’s work, is just plain wrong.’
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