Why Steven Tyler Was Accused Of Lip Syncing By Chris Robinson?

A dispute arose between Aerosmith members and Chris Robinson when The Black Crowes opened for the band on their ‘Pump’ tour in 1989. During an interview with Rolling Stone, Chris Robinson revealed how Joey Kramer rejected his band from the tour.

He said, ” We arrive at our first performance and begin the show with a new song we had just composed. I was crawling around on stage with a large knife in my hand, stabbing it into the stage. I assume the drummer for Aerosmith noticed the start of our concert and instantly went back to their management and had us fired.”

Following these statements, he made the following observations about Aerosmith’s live acts and Steven Tyler‘s vocal performances. “Who said all these arena-headlining bands couldn’t go out and sing to backup tapes? Aerosmith did that, and I adore Aerosmith. But when you sing to a backing track, you bore me… If you’re a dedicated performer, you’ll use your innate ability to amuse. You go onstage and risk like everyone else.”

The Backlash And The Tension That Followed

The people reacted negatively to Robinson’s statements. Rich Robinson, his brother and bandmate, supported him a few months later in another interview with Rolling Stone. He said the words were mistaken and were intended to address the singer’s dissatisfaction with the music industry.

Still, tensions between The Black Crowes and Aerosmith continued until Robinson agreed with the band’s members, beginning with Joe Perry. The vocalist remembered meeting the guitarist at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston.

He explained, ” He recognized the name of the newest Black Crowes album, and I’m a huge Aerosmith fan. I enjoy ‘Night in the Ruts’ and ‘Draw the Line,’ as well as the damaged, burned-out recordings. [Laughs.] I think those records contain some cool, unique rock music.”

The Projects That Came After Peace

Robinson concentrated on his side project, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood after The Black Crowes split in 2015. During that time, he shared the stage with Perry at Los Angeles’ Roxy Theatre and worked with the guitarist on his ‘Sweetzerland Manifesto‘ record.

The Black Crowes returned a few years later with a new lineup that included Chris Robinson, Rich Robinson, and Sven Pipien. By 2022, the band had released its most recent EP, ‘1972,’ and had been announced as the supporting act for Aerosmith’s final tour, Peace Out. However, the tour is now on hold due to Steven Tyler’s vocal injury, with hopes to resume in 2024.