Aerosmith shared “Walk This Way” with Run-DMC again during the second “California, Dream On” concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, November 1. Forty years after their collaboration, Steven Tyler stopped the introduction to invite Rev Run and DMC on stage. Joey Kramer returned on drums, while Joe Perry played the guitar he had used in the song’s 1986 music video.
“Walk This Way” had already begun when Steven Tyler asked Aerosmith to stop. He told the Hollywood Bowl audience that something was missing, explaining that the song was not the same without certain people. The interruption opened the way for Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, who entered from opposite sides of the stage to share the performance with the band.
The reunion took place on Sunday, November 1, during the second of two “California, Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends” concerts. Run-DMC had been announced among the guests, creating anticipation before the performance began. Tyler nevertheless chose to welcome them from inside the song itself, turning the introduction into an invitation to reunite at the microphones rather than introducing a separate number before it started.
Joe Perry supplied another connection with 1986 by playing the Guild X-100 Bladerunner he had used in the collaboration’s video. Four decades later, the guitar appeared beside the same performers again. Near the end of the song, Tyler called out Run-DMC’s name while the two rappers bowed towards Aerosmith, acknowledging the shared history that had brought both sides together for this appearance.
Founding drummer Joey Kramer also returned for his only participation that evening, playing alongside John Douglas, who handled drums for the rest of Aerosmith’s set. Kramer had joined “Walk This Way” at the first concert on October 29 as well. This time, Run-DMC’s presence added the song’s second recording life to the stage, linking the original band performance with the collaboration that followed years later.
The track first appeared in 1975 on “Toys in the Attic”. Its distinctive rhythmic opening later attracted hip-hop DJs who used excerpts from records as the foundation for performances. Its route into Run-DMC’s repertoire therefore began with a musical point of contact before becoming an organised studio collaboration. The familiar rhythm provided a connection between the original rock recording and the approach that would reshape it.
Rick Rubin proposed recording a new version of the song itself for 1986’s “Raising Hell”, rather than simply using its beat beneath different lyrics. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry participated in the recording. Recognisable elements of the Aerosmith original remained, while Run-DMC’s delivery brought a different movement and introduced the song to another audience. The result gave an existing recording a new role in both acts’ stories.
In the music video, the performers occupied neighbouring rehearsal rooms divided by a wall that was eventually broken down. The image gave a literal form to their musical worlds coming together. At the Hollywood Bowl, Tyler returned to that shared memory by referring to the wall they had broken together. Perry’s decision to use the same guitar reinforced the visual link with the earlier video.
Aerosmith’s programme also changed from the first night. Douglas took the position previously filled by Dave Grohl, and “Come Together” joined the seven-song set. “Toys in the Attic”, “Back in the Saddle”, “Sweet Emotion” and “Dream On” preceded “Walk This Way”. The band then closed with “Train Kept A-Rollin’”, placing the Run-DMC reunion near the end rather than using it as the final song.
Earlier, the guests had explored different periods of the catalogue. Tom Morello and Lzzy Hale chose “Kings and Queens” and “Round and Round”. Billy Idol performed “Livin’ on the Edge” with Steve Stevens, while Grace Potter sang “What It Takes”. Heart offered “Janie’s Got a Gun” alongside their own “Barracuda”, and the Black Crowes included the less obvious “Get the Lead Out” from 1976’s “Rocks”.
Guns N’ Roses also revised their set, opening with “Mama Kin”, which they had covered on “Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide” in 1986. They continued with “S.O.S. (Too Bad)”, “Rats in the Cellar” and “Sick as a Dog”, then closed with their own “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “Nightrain”. Their programme moved from music associated with their influences into songs from their own repertoire.
During the evening, Tyler responded jokingly to Bill Burr, who had described the two concerts as Aerosmith’s final shows. Tyler imagined the band, the comedian and cockroaches surviving the end of the world. The appearances had not been officially announced as a definitive farewell, but neither did they come with an announcement that the group would resume touring. The distinction leaves future plans unconfirmed.
The “Peace Out” tour stopped in 2023 after Tyler’s laryngeal injury, only three concerts into its run. In August 2024, Aerosmith announced their retirement from touring. At the Hollywood Bowl, all five original members were together again, with Kramer returning for the song shared with Run-DMC. The evening reconnected those musicians and their history without establishing a new touring schedule beyond the two announced concerts.
