Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts kicked off the long-awaited Stadium Tour on Thursday night in Atlanta. Unfortunately after a two year delay, the opening night was not without a snag as Crüe drummer Tommy Lee could perform only 5 songs of the set. Following” Wild Side”, “Shout At The Devil”, “Too Fast For Love”, “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” and “Saints Of Los Angeles,” Lee announced to the crowd he was unable to continue due to pain from broken ribs suffered days earlier.
“We did it! You did it. We did it. We’re f*cking here,” Lee told the crowd. “Two and a half years. Okay, well, anyway, what I’ve gotta tell you is about 14 days ago, I f*ckin’ broke not one, not two, not three, but four f*ckin’ ribs right here. I wish I had a f*ckin’ badass story, like me and Connor McGregor f*ckin’ scrapping out in some f*ckin’ bar or something. But I don’t,” he continued.
“Anyway, I hope you guys have a f*cking great time. And my boy Tommy Clufetos back here, he’s gonna help me get through this. ‘Cause the doctors told me, ‘No playing, bro. No playing.’ And I was like, ‘Are you f*cking high, bro? We’ve got a f*cking tour to do.’ So anyway, I ain’t f*ckin’ sitting out for sh*t. My boy’s gonna help me out here, and I’ll see you guys later. On with the g*ddamn show.”
Drummer Tommy Clufetos has performed with Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath and stepped in for the rest of the show. He is also in a project with Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, guitarist John 5 and Rob Zombie called L.A. Rats, and the band recorded a cover of Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere” for the movie “The Ice Road.”
Lee came back out to join his bandmates for “Home Sweet Home” during the end of the show. He also issued a statement following the gig. “Man ya’ll ain’t gonna believe this sh*t!….” he wrote. “I broke 4 f*cking ribs! But I’ve been resting and healing and even though the doctor tells me I shouldn’t play at all, you know I’m stubborn and I’ll beast through the pain every show for as many songs as I can! And have no fear, my boy Tommy Clufetos is here to help me out until I’m back at 100%…we’ve all been waiting years for this moment and there’s no way I’m missing this! On with the show!”
The Stadium Tour is set to resume on Saturday, June 18 in Miami. Mötley Crüe’s setlist included mostly their well-known hits, a medley, and the more recent song, “The Dirt,” which also included a guest appearance by Machine Gun Kelly who appeared on the studio version of the song.
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