Dhruv Trivedi
Mötley Crüe has been synonymous with the wild rock-and-roll lifestyle since the 1980s and is still considered one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time. Each of its members personified the band’s notorious image for many years and, as a group, has put out a truly remarkable body of music and an autobiography titled ‘The Dirt’ (which was later made into a film of the same name).
Their live performances have also been the stuff of legend, with antics like drummer Tommy Lee’s entire drumkit suspended above the crowd during the concert. However, there was news about the group breaking up at one point in time. With the miniseries ‘Pam & Tommy‘ once again directing even more attention to the metal band, let’s take a look at what Mötley Crüe has been through.
Why Did Mötley Crüe Break Up?
Mötley Crüe was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 and seemingly played their first gig at the Starwood nightclub on April 24, 1981. The original band members are bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars, and lead singer Vince Neil. Their fifth album, ‘Dr. Feelgood,’ which was released in 1989, topped the Billboard 200 and was apparently the band’s first album after its members underwent a protracted battle with addiction.
In February 1992, lead singer Neil left the band following what seems to be a relatively small argument. However, there are also reports the band argued over picking a more “bluesy” direction, and he was temporarily replaced by singer John Corabi before rejoining the group in 1997. In 1999, drummer Lee left the band, seemingly to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Randy Castillo.
This is where things seemingly hit a low point as Castillo got sick shortly before the band was to leave for their 2000 ‘New Tattoo’ album tour. The tour went ahead, with drummer Samantha Maloney filling in. However, Castillo was then diagnosed with a form of skin cancer and passed away on March 26, 2002, and after this, the band took a hiatus.
Soon enough, fans began to clamor for the band, and in September 2004, Sixx announced that he and Neil had begun recording new material. A reunion tour subsequently began in February 2004. This was the start of another blazing era for Mötley Crüe as the band did what they did best and raised hell, touring with the likes of Aerosmith, Kiss, and Ozzy Osbourne for more than a decade. Their last gig was finally scheduled for and took place on New Year’s Eve of 2015 at the Los Angeles Staples Center. The band reportedly signed a “cessation of touring agreement,” which stopped them from touring under the Mötley Crüe name after 2015.
Where is Mötley Crüe Now?
Though the band seemingly performed its last concert in 2015, the rock gods had other plans. In September 2018, Neil announced on social media that the group was recording new music. According to their website, the heavy metal band members reunited for the making of ‘The Dirt,’ a movie based on their autobiography, which brought them closer together. This seemingly sparked the recording of new material, and soon, there was talk of a tour.
The cessation contract was also discarded, with the band saying that the fans’ “relentless demand” after the release of ‘The Dirt’ made the contract moot. There’s a pretty cool video that the band also put out which put any doubts about them touring to rest. Unfortunately, The Stadium Tour, initially scheduled for the summer of 2020, was postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants.
We’re 1000% hitting the road with @DefLeppard for #TheStadiumTour mid June…I CANT FÜCKIN’ WAIT……. https://t.co/CMSUr8xX2J
— 📷 (@NikkiSixx) January 14, 2022
However, Sixx responded to a fan on social media, saying that the band would be “hitting the road” with Def Leppard by June 2022. In a separate interview, Lee also said how he still enjoyed touring as long as everyone was having a good time and that he could still do heavy metal gigs “blindfolded.” And so, it looks like Mötley Crüe is going to be around for a while.
Read More: What is Tommy Lee’s Net Worth?
