=Mötley Crüe began their Las Vegas residency this weekend after rescheduling the original dates back in March. The band took a short hiatus as singer Vince Neil dealt with a serious health issue that he later revealed was a stroke.
A few years back, original Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars announced he was retiring from touring due to health issues of his own, but it led to a still ongoing lawsuit with the band over royalties. John 5 took Mars place in the touring and recording lineup.
Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx spoke with The Los Angeles Times ahead of the band’s rescheduled dates and again addressed Mars’ lawsuit and his claims that the much of the band doesn’t perform live. “Mick came to us and said, health-wise, he couldn’t fulfill his contract, and we let him out of the deal,” Sixx said. “Then he sued us because he just said that he can’t tour. We were like, ‘Well, if you can’t tour, you can’t tour.’ I will probably come to that too someday.”
Sixx then addressed Mars statement that “Nikki did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour.”
“Anything we enhance the shows with, we actually played,” Sixx said. “There are background vocals with my background vocals, and we have background singers to make it sound more like the record. That does not mean we’re not singing.”
Sixx called Mars’ accusations a “crazy betrayal” and added: “Saying he played in a band that didn’t play, it’s a betrayal to the band who saved his life. People say things like, ‘Well, if you guys are really playing, then I need isolated tracks from band rehearsal.’ … It’s ludicrous.”
