I'm not one who is given to saying, "I told you so" but, well, I must say that I'm feeling a touch of vindication for my attempt to separate gossip from fact in the case of Aerosmith v. Steven Tyler.

Fact: Tyler is not leaving Aerosmith. Source: Tyler, who joined band mate Joe Perry on stage for a performance in New York City on Tuesday (11/10) night. The first words out of Tyler's mouth were, "I am not leaving Aerosmith."

Tyler's next words, reminding Perry (who just assumed Tyler was quitting based on his interpretation of something Tyler said to Classic Rock magazine) of Perry's own history: "You are a man of many colors," Tyler said, "but I am the [expletive deleted] rainbow!"

The moral of the story: always heed Edgar Allan Poe's admonition, "Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see."

^{Photo of multicolored band mates Tyler and Perry by Kevin Winter / Getty Images}

Pardon me if I seem a little groggy. I'm nursing a figurative hangover from ingesting a barrage of breathless blogging about what the future of Aerosmith may or may not be in the wake of some recent comments from lead vocalist Steven Tyler. Even some otherwise credible news organizations have joined in the binge.

Surprisingly little of what is being reported about the latest episode in the rock soap opera starring Steven Tyler and his estranged band mates (his "brothers" as guitarist Joe Perry likes to call them) is based on anything other than conjecture about unverified assumptions.

Let's take, for example, how Perry is being identified as the source of the revelation that Tyler has quit the band. What Perry actually said was that all he knows is what he's read online, which is where he says he and his "brothers" learned of Tyler's wish (far from being an actual plan of action, and one he has expressed several times in the past) as conveyed in a recent interview: "I don't know what I'm doing yet, but it's definitely going to be something Steven Tyler - working on the brand of myself - Brand Tyler."

Significantly, the source of that quote, Classic Rock magazine, has responded to the ensuing flapdoodle by pointing out that "he in no way indicated that he was leaving the band, and just stated that he wanted to spend some time out to record a solo album and promote his forthcoming autobiography."

Let's pause to interject a couple more actual facts. This is the same Joe Perry who stormed off in 1979, leaving Aerosmith and vowing never to return. He returned. Aerosmith owes their record label one more studio album under their current contract. Do you really think the label would accept an album without Tyler as fulfillment of that requirement?

And then there are those who would have us believe that Aerosmith couldn't possibly go on without Tyler. Really? If you think that's true, I would refer you to the histories of Queen, Yes, AC/DC, Van Halen and Journey, all of whom have managed to soldier on with lead vocalists other than those with whom they started. (I would also refer you to a cogent piece by my About.com colleague and fellow rock scribe, Tim Grierson on this subject.)

Am I saying that Tyler is not leaving Aerosmith? Absolutely not. What I'm saying is that none of us, including Tyler (see the "I don't know what I'm doing yet" quote above) and other members of Aerosmith really know what's going on. All we really know is that Tyler isn't returning phone calls, and that's nothing new.

(UPDATE: Tyler is not leaving Aerosmith)

^{Photo by Kevin Winter / Getty Images}

Live performance DVDs and gift-worthy box sets from the likes of AC/DC, The Doors, Paul McCartney and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers dominate the schedule of upcoming new releases from classic rock artists. Here are new releases in November.

Elton John is recovering from a double whammy, described by his spokesman as "a bad case of flu and a minor case of E. coli." The artist has been forced to postpone concert dates in Europe and the U.S., but hopes to rejoin the Face2Face tour with Billy Joel later this month in California.

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi is upbeat about his recovery after receiving treatment six weeks ago for a joint problem in his right hand. Out of an abundance of caution, Iommi is keeping his arm in a sling but says he is able to play guitar while he recovers.

Eric Clapton continues his recovery from the gall bladder surgery that knocked him out of performing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anniversary concert series last week. As he continues his recovery, Clapton's website proclaims that he remains committed to his 2010 concert schedule.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame celebrated its 25th anniversary with two nights of concerts (October 29 & 30) at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

Featured performers, Rock Hall inductees all, included Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, U2, Crosby Stills & Nash, Mick Jagger, Billy Joel, Jeff Beck (filling in for an ailing Eric Clapton) and Metallica.

HBO will telecast the concerts on November 29. In the meantime, here are some photo highlights of the Rock Hall 25th anniversary concerts.

^{Bono, Fergie, Mick Jagger photo by Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images}

What with the mind-altering drugs, devotees of the occult, and all those creative imaginations, classic rock was a great breeding ground for tales that just might be true (at least partially) and thus make for some great ghost stories -- the kind that just beg to be told when you're getting into the Halloween spirit.

Native American spirits. Ringwraiths. Dark and misty houses. Satan, werewolves, and a witch named Hattie. These are just a few of the dark (sometimes humorously so) themes that seem so appropriate at Halloween. Here's our annual survey of some of the creepiest classic rock songs.

Gallstones. That's what will keep Eric Clapton from performing as scheduled at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary concert series on Friday (10/30) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Clapton is recovering from gall bladder surgery and "is very sorry to disappoint the fans" and the Rock Hall, according to a statement. Jeff Beck will fill in.

Phil Collins May Drum No More
Phil Collins says that short of taping his drum sticks to his hands, "for now it is impossible for me to play drums" following surgery to repair dislocated vertebrae in his neck caused, he says, by his poor drumming posture during the Genesis reunion tour in 2007. Collins has adopted a "stuff happens" attitude and says that while, for now at least, he can't play drums or piano, "I can still sing!"

Another Macca Mini-Tour
Paul McCartney has announced seven European concert dates in December, following a similar number of shows in North America during the summer. McCartney will begin in Hamburg, Germany (where The Beatles first gained significant attention) on December 2 and end up at London's O2 Arena on December 22. The "Good Evening Europe" tour is McCartney's first in five years on that continent.

^{Eric Clapton photo by Tasos Katopodus / Getty Images; Phil Collins photo by Friedmann Vogel / Getty Images}

Today's mystery is what's behind the sudden cancellation of the third leg of Def Leppard's North American tour. A statement from the band cryptically attributes the cancellation to "unforeseen personal matters" (which is about one notch above "just because" as a clear reason.)

An apparent attempt at clarification also falls somewhat short. "[W]e don't take cancelling shows lightly, but unfortunately life's commitments need to be the priority." Life's commitments. Really?

No doubt the details will eventually dribble out, but the perception created by the purposely vague explanation (for lack of a better word) is that the tour is being cancelled because they can.

The third leg of the tour was scheduled to begin October 22. Ticket holders will get refunds, which is a polite way of saying that the cancelled dates won't be rescheduled.

^{Def Leppard's Joe Elliott - photo by Paul Kane / Getty Images}

The original lead vocalist and bassist for '60s/'70s rockers Blue Cheer, Dickie Peterson, has died of liver cancer at the age of 63.

Most of Peterson's career was spent with Blue Cheer, whose heavy metal rendition of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" propelled them from San Francisco psychedelic rockers to national prominence in 1968.

More about Peterson's life and career from About.com's resident blues guru, Reverend Keith A. Gordon.