Formula One racing season is coming up in the United Arab Emirates capital city of Abu Dhabi, and promoters have booked Beyoncé and Aerosmith to provide some high-octane musical entertainment.
It’s all a part of Yasalam, which promotion company Flash Entertainment describes as a “thrilling programme of events and entertainment,” culminating with a four-night after-race shebang on Yas Island featuring Beyoncé Thursday, Oct. 29, and Aerosmith Sunday, Nov. 1, with more bands and artists to be announced.
The Aerosmith booking is especially interesting because it indicates Steven Tyler is ready to rock again. Having already scheduled two Hawaiian gigs, it appears Tyler has recovered from his shoulder-breaking fall during an August performance in Sturgis, S.D. Or at least has recovered enough to do a few dates.
The Abu Dhabi / Yasalam gig is the third Aerosmith date to surface within the past couple of weeks. The band plays Honolulu at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena Oct. 18 and the Hawaiian city of Kahului at the War Memorial Stadium Oct. 20.
The Kahului date was booked to satisfy a lawsuit settlement over a previously canceled Hawaii date. Fans filed a class action suit against the band when it canceled a 2007 show scheduled at the War Memorial Stadium in order to play a better-paying corporate gig for Toyota car dealers in Oahu. Along with the Kahului make-up date the band slotted a show in Honolulu.
By adding Abu Dhabi to its fall show plans, Aerosmith now has three shows on its schedule. But there’s still no word on whether the band will fulfill any previously scheduled dates that were postponed because of Tyler’s Sturgis tumble.