Following a contentious legal battle in January, Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer reunited on stage with his band on Feb. 10.
Joey was behind the drums once again for the group's "Deuces are Wild" residency show at the Park MGM. A fan account shared a video of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler introducing Joey, who sat down behind his kit and started playing "Let the Music Do the Talking" to open the show. (A longer version of the performance that was filmed from the side of the stage can be seen here.)
The reunion came days after TMZ reported that Joey — who took a leave of absence form the band after being injured last year — was working on his skills and was close to being back up to speed. TMZ reported last week that as soon as Joey's fellow band members — Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford — felt he was back at the level he needed to be, he'd be welcomed back with open arms.
The band made headlines when Joey filed a lawsuit against his bandmates on Jan. 17 after he was told he wouldn't be allowed to perform with them at a few Grammy weekend events including the Grammy Awards telecast itself. A judge responded on Jan. 23 and sided with the band, ruling that Aerosmith did not need to include him at such a late date. "Given that Kramer has not played with the band in six months and the dearth of available rehearsal time before the upcoming performances, Kramer has not shown a realistic alternative course of action sufficient to protect the band's business interests," the judge wrote, as reported by TMZ.
Joey was incensed that he had to audition to rejoin the band he's played with since its inception. "This is not about money. 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," Joey said in statement at the time of the drama.
His bandmates, meanwhile, were upset that Joey felt legal action was necessary. "Joey Kramer is our brother; his well-being is of paramount importance to us. However he has not been emotionally and physically able to perform with the band, by his own admission, for the last six months. We have missed him and have encouraged him to rejoin us to play many times but apparently he has not felt ready to do so. Given his decisions he is unfortunately unable to perform but of course we have invited him to be with us for both the Grammys and our MusiCares honor," the rest of Aerosmith said in a statement.
Joey chose to attend MusiCares and took the stage with his bandmates to accept their award, though he awkwardly left the stage before the group performed. Before singer Steven signed off for the night, he shouted-out his bandmates plus guest performers Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp. "Joe Kramer where are you? We love you, man," Steven said, as reported by USA Today.
Following the Feb. 10 show, Aerosmith shared several clips of themselves performing on their Instagram Story.
TMZ reported that Aerosmith didn't require Joey to audition again. "We're told the band didn't wanna jerk Joey around — they're bringing him back without holding another audition, and it's because they feel he's probably up to snuff and in good health again. Plus, our sources tell us it's an act of good faith between old pals," TMZ wrote the day of the reunion.