American rock 'n' roll stalwart Aerosmith has made more news in the past two years than it has since the 1990s. Unfortunately, that has nothing to do with the band's music.

First, the band's plans for recording an album were postponed due to lead guitarist Joe Perry having knee surgery. Then, numerous band injuries caused the delays and the eventual cancellation of a co-headline tour with ZZ Top. Let's run down the list, shall we.

Bassist Tom Hamilton missed shows due to surgery, and rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford needed surgery after violently bumping his head when getting out of his Ferrari (something we can all relate to). Then, frontman Steven Tyler's bum hamstring was followed a month later by an accidental stage dive at a show in South Dakota, which resulted in head and neck problems and put the kabash on the Aerosmith/ZZ Top outing. Sounds more like an injury report from an NFL roster than a rock band, doesn't it?

In non-injury-related news, there have been a ton of rumors flying around in the last few months about the arena-rocking Bostonians. Tyler says he would like to take two years off from touring and recording to pursue a solo project yet has no plans of leaving the group. Perry says he wants the show to go on with Tyler or another lead singer if necessary.

I can't say I'd advise that. You can look back as recently as earlier this year, when Led Zeppelin threw around the idea of reuniting without singer Robert Plant, to gauge how fans would react to such a move. But to me, the real question is should these guys keep doing this? Is there such a thing as being too old to rock?

From a physical standpoint, I think the answer could definitely be yes. Just consult Aerosmith's hospital bills for proof. From a lyrical standpoint, I think that answer also could be yes depending on the group in question. When discussing the Aerosmith breakup rumors, a colleague of mine pointed out that rock 'n' roll is typically a young man's game with virility fueled by testosterone, not Cialis and Ensure smoothies.

I thought back to when I went to see Aerosmith in 1992 during the "Get A Grip" tour. I was a huge fan and didn't see anything wrong with Tyler singing about the joys of "Love in an Elevator." Now that he's 61 years old, it's hard to imagine this elder statesman of rock getting his fun while traveling up and down multiple floors without getting a little creeped out. More than likely, he's just loving an elevator these days so he doesn't have to lose his breath taking the stairs.

But when you take away the physical strains and lyrical oddities of older rockers still kicking and singing about young, hot love and sex, there's another element where rock 'n' roll seems to have an age limit.

This could apply to Aerosmith, KISS, AC/DC and even the Rolling Stones. All of these groups, aside from having members of ages ranging from their early 40s to mid-to-late 60s, also are having a hard time coming to grips with what they truly are today: nostalgia acts.

Plenty of bands from the '70s, '80s and '90s have reunited with no intention of recording new material. They know what sells the tickets for their tours is the appeal of hearing their most well-known songs live. Not these guys.

They continue to record original albums and, in some cases, cut distribution deals with Walmart to get their newest creations out there. But the fact is the new stuff rarely lives up to the band's early greatness. It doesn't have much relevance or push the group's musical and creative boundaries as much as it offers up a forgettable entry into the band's established brand identity, giving an excuse to go out on tour again to play the old favorites the crowd constantly devours. Otherwise, how can you explain why Aerosmith recently was playing their 1975 classic "Toys in the Attic" front to back instead of, say, 2001's "Just Push Play"?

I have a feeling that to the delight of many fans and to the puzzlement of some, Aerosmith and other bands will play until they can play no longer. There's a reason why rock music occupies a space in the phrase "Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll." All three can be pretty hard to walk away from. But if these older rockers think fans come out for anything other than old memories, they need to "Dream On."