Mötley Crüe have been synonymous with the wild rock and roll lifestyle since the 1980s and are 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, released a truly remarkable body of music and an autobiography called “The Dirt” (which was later made into a film of the same name. ).
Their live performances were also legendary, with antics like drummer Tommy Lee’s entire drum kit hanging above the crowd during the gig. However, there was news of the group breaking up at some point. With the “Pam & Tommy” miniseries bringing 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 apparently played their first gig at Starwood nightclub on April 24, 1981. The band’s original members are bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and vocalist Vince Neill. Their fifth album, ‘Dr. Feelgood,” released in 1989, topped the Billboard 200 and was apparently the band’s first album after its members suffered a long battle with addiction.
In February 1992, lead singer Neil left the band following what appears to be a relatively minor dispute. However, there are also reports that the band argued over choosing a more “bluesy” direction, and he was temporarily replaced by vocalist John Corabi before joining the band in 1997. In 1999, drummer Lee left the group, apparently to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Randy Castillo.
This is where things apparently hit a low point as Castillo fell ill shortly before the band left for their “New Tattoo” album tour in 2000. The tour continued, with the drummer Samantha Maloney. However, Castillo was later diagnosed with a form of skin cancer and died on March 26, 2002, and after that the band went on hiatus.
Soon fans started clamoring for the band and in September 2004 Sixx announced that he and Neil had started recording new material. A reunion tour then began in February 2004. It was the start of another flamboyant era for Mötley Crüe as the band did what they did best and raised hell, touring with Aerosmith, Kiss and Ozzy. Osbourne for over a decade. Their final concert was finally scheduled and took place on New Year’s Eve 2015 at the Los Angeles Staples Center. The band reportedly signed a “cease touring agreement”, which prevented them from touring under the Mötley Crüe name after 2015.
Where is Mötley Crüe now?
Although the band apparently played their last gig in 2015, the rock gods had other plans. In September 2018, Neil announced on social media that the band was recording new music. According to their website, the members of the heavy metal band reunited for the making of “The Dirt,” a film based on their autobiography, which brought them together. This apparently sparked the recording of new material, and soon there was talk of a tour.
The termination contract was also dropped, with the band saying “relentless demand” from fans after the release of “The Dirt” rendered the contract moot. There’s a pretty cool video the band posted as well, which puts their tour in doubt. Unfortunately, The Stadium Tour, originally scheduled for summer 2020, has been postponed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants.
We hit the road 1000% with @DefLeppard for #TheStadiumTour mid-June… I CAN’T WAIT……. https://t.co/CMSUr8xX2J
— 📷 (@NikkiSixx) January 14, 2022
However, Sixx responded to a fan on social media, saying that the band would “hit the road” with Def Leppard by June 2022. In a separate interview, Lee also said he still enjoys touring as long as everyone everyone was having fun. time and that he could still do heavy metal concerts “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?
