According to The Pulse of Radio, Joe Perry confirmed the rumors that Steven Tyler did indeed try out for Led Zeppelin shortly after Robert Plant passed on reuniting with the band in 2008.
For the first time Perry shared the details of Tyler's ill-fated attempt to front Zeppelin, telling Classic Rock magazine, "Steven disappeared and I called around. Somebody said he was in London trying out for Led Zeppelin. It's something I've never talked about before. It's a kind of window into how hard it's been to keep the partnership together. It's not the first time things like this have happened— that's the downside of our relationship."
According to what Jimmy Page told Perry, the rehearsals were "shambolic," with Tyler unfamiliar with the Zeppelin catalog and under the impression they would be working on new material.
Perry added: "Page felt really awkward about the audition, but ultimately it was a group decision (to pass on Tyler)."
Perry recently spoke to Arkansas City, Kansas radio station KACY 102.5 FM and admitted that having Paul Rodgers replace Tyler in Aerosmith was a thought, and that he plans to record some solo tracks with Rodgers in the future.
When asked if he would be amenable to having a female singer replace Tyler, Perry said: "Oh, definitely! No one in the band's brought that up, but sometimes. . . You've gotta think out of the box. Oddly enough, a lot of the bands I was in before I had Aerosmith, I had female singers in the band and it was really good — a lot of great songs. So that's definitely a possibility."
