The 2022 leg of The Stadium Tour featuring Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts wrapped up recently. Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil said the band will continue touring internationally with Def Leppard in 2023, through Mexico and South America in the spring and soccer stadiums in Europe next summer. Plans are for Mötley Crüe to return to the U.S. for more shows in 2024.
“We’re far from being over,” Neil told John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal in a recent interview. “When we come back in ’24, we’re going to do it all over again.”
Earlier this week, guitarist John 5 sat out Rob Zombie’s festival show in Sacramento. Zombie was rejoined by guitarist Mike Riggs “after a 20-year absence,” Zombie said on stage. According to Rock Feed, John 5 and Rob Zombie “no longer follow each other on social media” leading to rumors that John 5 might no longer be in the group.
Riggs spent six years as a member of Rob Zombie’s band from the late ’90s through early 2000s. John 5 joined the band in 2006 and has worked with him for the last 16 years.
Now, Metal Sludge has reported that “there have been a few rumors floating around the industry that Motley Crue have been looking at options going forward for their tours following their massively successful The Stadium Tour … What that means is quite simply, the band may at some point have to replace their aging guitarist Mick Mars.”
Mars has battled health challenges for years and will turn 72 next spring. Metal Sludge also reports that John 5 could be Mars’ eventual replacement. “Metal Sludge have been tipped off from a few in the industry that John 5 is strongly being considered and just might be the guy you will see playing guitar for Motley Crue at some point in the future.”
John 5 had previously told KNAC.com that he was proud of his work with Mötley Crüe on music for “The Dirt” soundtrack. “I’m so proud [of being part of that],” John 5 said. “Me and Nikki [Sixx,Mötley Crüe bassist] wrote on that. And dude, I f*cking love Mötley Crüe, and it was so cool for it to come to fruition. And to hear Vince [Neil, vocals] and Tommy [Lee, drums] and Mick [Mars, guitar] and, of course, Nikki doing that… I think that song really gave me a real excitement of collaborating with someone. And seeing the video and the history of it, it was really pretty incredible.”
John 5 also previously told Outburn that Nikki Sixx is his “best friend.”
“We love each other,” John 5 said. “He has inspired me and taught me so much about life in general. He’s a phenomenal songwriter, lyricist, author, everything. He’s always telling me to listen to this audio book or see this movie. He has a happy marriage, a happy life, a successful band he started from the ground up. He’s one of the most inspiring people. He’ll text me all the time to read something or try something. It’s wonderful. He’s a phenomenal photographer as well. I remember him telling me that he’s going to take bass lessons again and get into playing with his fingers. He was so dedicated.”
