"But we finally
made the news"
Mötley
Crüe - You're All I Need - 1987
5/1/09 Tommy Lee is enforcing a new rule backstage at Mötley
Crüe shows: those entering his dressing room must remove an item of
clothing. He tells Playboy magazine, "You must remove one article of
clothing - your pants, your top - or else you are not allowed in my
dressing room. That gets the fucking party started so quick. Everyone's
walking around topless."
6/1/09 Downtown Music Publishing announces
they recently signed a worldwide publishing administration deal with
Nikki Sixx for his complete song catalogue, plus exclusive synch rights
to the original Mötley Crüe master recording catalogue. Downtown followed
up with a master-use synch licensing agreement with Eleven Seven Music
(of which Nikki is President). The deal allows it to aggressively pursue
Crüe music placements in various media. Downtown Music president Justin
Kalifowitz says, “Through this innovative partnership, Nikki’s publishing
copyrights and Motley’s master recordings will now be marketed and promoted
in lock-step. Combined with Eleven Seven’s premier roster, we can now
offer the licensing community a destination for the best in both iconic
and contemporary rock music.” Nikki adds, “In a time of industry consolidation,
signing with a boutique publisher who can focus on thousands of songs
instead of millions is just smart business.”
16/01/09
Tommy tells Billboard that he has started work on his second Methods
of Mayhem album, following up his side project's platinum 1999 debut.
DJ Aero and guitarist Kai Marcus are still onboard, and his producing
partner Scott Humphrey "is starting to get involved" as the songs are
formulating. Tommy says, "We're going to start tracking as soon as Motley
is done (touring) at the end of March, and hopefully I'll have it ready
by April/May and done by the top of June." Tommy also says he wouldn't
mind having Methods of Mayhem on the Crüe Fest II tour, which is slated
to begin in July. As for the rest of the Crüe Fest II lineup, Tommy
says it's still being discussed. "There's offers going around all over
the place. We actually talked about that a little. Rob Zombie's name
came up. Godsmack. Alice Cooper. I'd like to switch it up, add a little
bit more variety this year. I think it'd be fun to inject that."
17/1/09 The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas hosts Vince Neil's 4th Annual Off The Strip Poker Tournament
inside The Poker Lounge. Celebrities, Poker Pros and the adult entertainment
industry's hottest stars join Vince for a No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em Poker
Tournament. All proceeds from the poker tournament and charity auctions
benefit The Skylar Neil Memorial Foundation.
30/1/09
Mick partners with the celebrity services division of Paid, Inc. to
launch a revised version of his MickMars.tv website. The new site is
said to feature "an unparalleled level of fan interaction tied to Mars'
music and guitar playing prowess." Mick plans to use his website to
host online guitar playing clinics and provide interactive tablature
for portions of his most popular and famous riffs and solos, along with
video demonstrations of how he uses his own innovative techniques to
create some of his trademark phrases and sound effects. "Being in Mötley
Crüe has provided me a huge opportunity to personally reach out and
connect with my fans. Now I am able to create this huge vision of a
web platform filled with really cool, interactive features and a chance
for people to dynamically connect with me and my music in a hands-on
manner," says Mick.
31/1/09
Mötley Crüe plays White Trash Circus live for the first time during
their tour warm-up concert at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio.
1/2/09
At around 10:45am, a helicopter carrying Tommy from Palm Springs, where
he performed the night before, flies erratically and too close to a
Los Angeles Police Department chopper over Glendale. The pilot Dave
Martz then fails to follow directions given to him by the Van Nuys Airport
flight tower, before eventually being forced to land at the airport.
Once on the ground, the pilot reportedly tells police that he had been
drinking, so he's taken to the LAPD's Van Nuys Station where he is later
released without arrest after a field sobriety test and investigation.
The pilot's matter now falls to the Federal Aviation Administration
to decide on any further action once toxicology test results come back.
A police spokesperson says, "Tommy Lee was a passenger aboard the helicopter,
but he had nothing to do with the situation; so he was just released."
2/2/09
Mötley Crüe kicks off its North American arena tour in San Diego as
the band continues to promote its Saints Of Los Angeles album. The bill
also includes Hinder, Theory of a Deadman, and The Last Vegas. Nikki
says of the band's setlist, "We're gonna change some songs around. It's
exciting to go out and play new songs, break out some songs we haven't
played in a while."
3/2/09
Former Mötley front man John Corabi is set to regularly perform in Monster
Circus six nights a month on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in
the legendary Las Vegas Hilton Theater from March 19. The all-star line-up
also consists of Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake,
Dio), Fred Coury (Cinderella), Bruce Kulick (Kiss), and Tony Montana
(Great White). Various guest artists will join the circus and perform
the hits they personally rock out to, creating an evolving set list.
Monster Circus combines a high-octane live rock concert with sexy dancers,
human circus acts, aerialists, freaks and of course, a tour bus full
of platinum certified rock stars. An irreverent ringmaster along with
Sicko The Clown, Monster Circus' mascot, will lead the audience along
the 75-minute journey through the powerhouse rock and metal anthems
of the '70s, '80s and '90s. A nightly after-show party will keep the
circus going.
7/2/09
Mötley Crüe's Friday and Saturday night performances at The Joint in
Las Vegas are the Hard Rock venue's final concerts after fourteen years
of music events from the world's greatest artists. Paul McCartney will
help inaugurate a new 4,000-capacity theater at the Hard Rock Hotel
with a concert in April.
Vince says, "There was a tear in my eye
when I sang Home Sweet Home at the end. All of us up on stage were a
little teary eyed. We'd been told we were specially selected to close
it down as the final act, and that felt very special. It was an honour,
and as fast as we went through the show, it was suddenly the end. It
felt strange that that was it. Before we went on stage, the Hard Rock
executives gave each of us a guitar that they'd taken off the walls
and mounted on plaques to commemorate the night. They also gave us photographs
of all the times we'd played The Joint, so it was pretty sentimental."
8/2/09
The Mars Volta wins the Grammy for the Best Hard Rock Performance category
in the 51st Annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, beating out Mötley
Crüe, Disturbed, Judas Priest, and Rob Zombie. Nikki says, "The Mars
Volta is one of my fave bands and they do deserve it, 100%, so congrats
from me to them."
9/2/09
Mick wins a $212,000 default judgment against his former girlfriend
Robbie Mantooth, who he alleged violated the terms of their palimony
settlement. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Edward A. Ferns signs off
on the action that includes a requirement that Mantooth pay Mick nearly
$80,000 in attorneys' fees and nearly $60 a day in additional interest
until the judgment is paid in full. Mick filed the suit in November
2006 following settlement of previous litigation between him and Mantooth,
in which he gave her a down-payment and agreed to pay an additional
$5,070 a month on a balance of $300,000. He claimed Mantooth promised
not to disclose any financial information about him to anyone in exchange
for receiving the monthly payments, but she later gave information about
his account at City National Bank to a collection agency in an attempt
to use his funds to help pay off an $80,000 debt she owed and also told
the collection agency that he misappropriated her money and agreed to
pay her debts.
11/2/09
Vince says he's loving being back on the road with the Crüe. "We're
now one year in with nine more to go on our ten-year world tour contract.
I'm loving it. This is the fun part, and it all feels great," he says.
"The whole second year is planned out. We've got American cities through
the end of March. We have April off, which is when I'll return home
to Vegas for the Dr. Feelgood [rock club restaurant] opening [in Las
Vegas] and get the Rio tattoo shop underway. In May and June, we'll
hopscotch Europe before starting the second Crüe Fest here at home for
July, August and September. We get October off for vacation and then
return to Europe in November for the missed cities and go back to Australia
and Asia in December. It never stops, but we'll be back here for the
holidays again. On top of that, I've got my solo record coming out in
November."
15/2/09
Nikki invites Cheap Trick's Rick Neilson to the band's concert in Rockford,
Illinois where he spends time with him backstage. Mick suggests he jams
with Mötley on Jailhouse Rock, so the song is added to the set and they
perform it live. Rick catches a ride home on Nikki's tour bus after
the concert. Nikki says, "I haven't been by his house since 1985 or
so, and let's just say, it's a rather foggy memory but this one is burnt
into my memory banks with a branding iron. We ended up, for hours and
hours, looking at his wonderful guitar collection, and what a collection
it is: I played (well sort of, haha) Jailhouse Rock on Elvis's acoustic,
strummed on John Lennon's and Jimi Hendrix's guitars and a few other
insane classics that left me speechless. And last but not least, the
many stories of legends long since gone; an amazing night. The heart
of this man, the legacy of his music and his band’s influence touch
me still to this day."
19/2/09
The cable channel BIO premieres a one-hour episode Biography: Mötley
Crüe. The documentary features concert, tour and personal footage, music
videos and photographs and interviews with all of the band members as
well as featured commentators including the band's manager Allen Kovac,
Billboard Magazine's Christa Titus, author Neil Strauss, photographer
Neil Zlozower and concert promoter Ron Delsener.
20/2/09
While on the road with Mötley, Nikki works on the second Sixx: A.M.
album that will also be a concept album. He says, "I can't really tell
you what the concept is, because I think I'd just be kind of blowing
the surprise, like telling what you're getting for Christmas before
it comes. But it's gonna be a pretty powerful record. You know, sonically
it does fall in line with the Heroin Diaries record, but I think we're
stretching out in certain ways where we can take in other styles of
music and expand upon them."
25/2/09
Mötley Crüe announces they will hit the road again this summer with
some of rock's top touring acts for Crüe Fest 2: The White Trash Circus.
The Live Nation produced tour will visit thirty cities across North
America beginning July 19 in Camden, NJ through September 5 in Darien
Lake, NY. Full tour details, including the line up, will be revealed
at a major press conference broadcast from FUSE TV studios in New York
on March 16, before Mötley Crüe hits the stage at Madison Square Garden
that evening. Last summer's multi-artist inaugural Crüe Fest that played
for nearly half a million rock fans was the most successful touring
rock festival of the summer season. Crüe Fest was also the number ten
tour overall for the summer of 2008, according to Rolling Stone. Crüe
Fest attracted strategic partners including MTV's Rock Band Game, FUSE
Television, JVC Mobile Electronics, Clear Channel Radio, Best Buy and
Fender Guitars, which resulted in a nomination for a 2008 Billboard
Award for Concert Marketing & Promotion. Tommy says, "Last year at Crüe
Fest, we set out to have more fun than humans are allowed to have. We
succeeded beyond that. This year, we are going to top that and I guarantee
we will."
2/3/09
The celebrate this year's twentieth anniversary of the release of
Dr. Feelgood, Mötley plans to theme their Crüe Fest 2 tour with
imagery inspired by Dr. Feelgood. Nikki says, "On this summer's Crüe
Fest we really wanted to give the fans something they've never seen
before. And since it's the 20th anniversary of the release of Dr.
Feelgood, we figured what better way to celebrate than to play it
live TOP TO BOTTOM every night." Eleven Seven Music/Mötley Records
will re-release Dr. Feelgood later this spring. Originally released
on 1 September 1989, Dr. Feelgood reached #1 on the Billboard chart
and went on to sell more than 7 million copies worldwide, producing
5 Billboard Hot 100 hits. The title track reached #7 on the Hot 100
and earned the band its first two Grammy nominations.
After a successful run in downtown
West Palm Beach, Florida, Vince opens another Dr Feelgoods Rock Bar in
Miami Beach. The rock bar, located at 222 Espanola Way, hosts a
series of grand openings this week.
7/3/09
Erie, Pennsylvania Mayor Joseph Sinnott declares it 'Mötley Crüe
Day’ on stage during the band's sold-out performance at the Erie
Civic Center. Sinnott says he is a big Mötley Crüe fan, explaining
that his first concert was Mötley Crüe back in February 2006 at the
same venue. He thanks the band for including Erie on their tour
itinerary.
9/3/09
FOX announces that former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood has
recorded a remake of Mötley Crüe's Home Sweet Home to be played as a
farewell ballad to each finalist who is sent home during the
forthcoming season of American Idol commencing in two days’ times.
The single will be available exclusively on iTunes until March 16
before then being available through all online music retailers. A
portion of the sales proceeds from Home Sweet Home will benefit The
Humane Society of the United States, a cause near and dear to
Carrie's heart. "I've always loved this song, and besides being
fitting for 'Idol', to me, the title is also very fitting with
animal rescue and finding animals their own homes," she says. "So we
felt it was important to tie the release into an amazing animal
charity like the HSUS." A week later, Nikki says, “I spoke to
Carrie a while ago and she wanted to cover the song, and I was
actually going to fly down to Nashville and play bass on it, but it
was during the holidays, and I was just spending time with my
family. After she cut it we spoke, and she was excited about it. In
the end, the thing is, I think we both want to write songs together.
She writes pop songs and I think I’m a pop songwriter, however the
songs are performed.”
13/3/09
The Crüe's concert in Uncasville, Connecticut is filmed for
television broadcast on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show. They perform
new single White Trash Circus twice, back-to-back with lots of pyro,
along with Same Ol' Situation and Don't Go Away Mad. The single and
part of Don't Go Away Mad are aired on the show in a week's time.
16/3/09
Mötley Crüe stops lunch-hour traffic in New York City as the band
members arrive for their press conference at the Fuse TV studio on
7th Avenue in an old-school Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance,
accompanied by two emaciated Goth chicks wearing sexy nurse outfits.
Once inside, they announce the line-up for their second annual
Summer Festival tour Crüe Fest 2 will star Mötley Crüe with Godsmack,
Theory of a Deadman, and Drowning Pool plus introduce Charm City
Devils. The Crüe is joined on stage by Sully Erna of Godsmack, Tyler
Connolly of Theory of a Deadman, Ryan McCombs of Drowning Pool and
John Allen of Charm City Devils as they debut a new music video for
the White Trash Circus radio single version featuring members of all
five Crüe Fest 2 bands. As previously announced, the band is
celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their first number one
album by playing Dr. Feelgood from beginning to end every night of
Crüe Fest 2 commencing July 19 in New Jersey. Mötley will also play
hits from their entire catalogue through their latest hit, Saints of
Los Angeles. Nikki says, “We had talked about doing Dr. Feelgood in
its entirety… well, we had actually wrestled with that, Shout at the
Devil, Girls, Girls, Girls, and when we decided on Feelgood, it was
only after that that we realised it was twenty years. It looks like
a big master plan, but it wasn’t.” The tour is a bold move
considering other festivals and tours are scaling back due to the
recession, including Ozzfest, which will not be taking place at all
this year. In addition, the Crüe promises they'll start work on a
new record after this tour. Nikki also briefly intimates that the
band has been approached about a possible Mötley Crüe-themed Guitar
Hero. Fans across the U.S. celebrate the Crüe Fest line-up
announcement with launch parties at local venues airing the press
conference and in-theatre special screenings of Crüe Fest 1.
17/3/09
A Best
Buy-exclusive version of Static-X's new album Cult of Static
is released and includes a cover of Looks That Kill as one of two
bonus tracks.
18/3/09
Mötley ends the next leg of their Saints of Los Angeles tour in
Portland. Nikki tells the audience they chose to play the Cumberland
Civic Centre because it is the same venue that they played their
very first arena show back in 1984 as they supported Ozzy Osbourne,
and they have never forgotten it.
24/3/09
A two-disc
Crüe
Fest 2008 DVD is released by Eleven Seven Music. Filmed in Toronto at the Molson Amphitheater on
28 August 2008 by director P.R. Brown, this
event captures the decadence, energy, noise and sweat that was
Crüe Fest with a 15-camera high-definition shoot, mixed in 5.1
sound. The set contains the full
Mötley
concert along with select tracks from the other bands that
took part in the festival - Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and
Sixx: A.M. Crüe Fest was the most successful rock festival of
the summer and was nominated for a Billboard Touring Award.
Papa Roach releases their next album titled
Metamorphosis that features a guest appearance by Mick on
the track Into The Light.
26/3/09
Cineplex Entertainment presents the big-screen
premiere of Crüe Fest 2008 DVD in high definition on one night
only across U.S. movie theatres.
1/4/09
Mötley's Crüe Fest 2008 DVD sells 7,000 copies in its first
week of release to debut at position No.2 on Billboard's Top
Music Videos chart.
20/4/09
EMI and Eleven Seven Music agree to a European sales and
distribution deal that will see EMI provide digital and
physical distribution, sales and marketing services for the
label’s roster that includes Mötley Crüe. EMI will also
provide licensing and synchronisation services on a
non-exclusive basis to Eleven Seven’s artists.
Godsmack’s drummer Shannon Larkin says he flew out to see the
recent Mötley concert in Manchester, New Hampshire and ended
up backstage with Tommy and his Jägermeister machine. After a
few shots they started talking about Tommy joining him and
Sully on stage for their drum battle during Godsmack’s Crue
Fest 2 set. He says, “Tommy was like, ‘Yeah, let's do this
thing,’ so as far as I'm concerned, it's a very real thing
that probably will happen. Sully and I have already started
making a third part for the solo, so it's all on Tommy now. If
he wants to really be a part of it, we're prepared. We'll put
Tommy up there on a third drum kit, for sure! I can't speak
for him, I mean I was backstage doing shots of Jäger with the
guy and he seemed pretty serious. For what it's worth, I do
think it will happen. God, I hope it happens, you know? I love
the guy, I respect the guy and all he's done for the art of
drumming… and also, he's one hell of a nice guy. So, if he
just comes up and does the solo for only one or two shows, I'd
consider it a huge honour to have him up there. It'll be a
show-stopper, that's for sure!” Larkin is excited to be
playing on Crüe Fest, saying, “For us, it's like playing with
legends! I mean, I was that 15-year old kid who went out and
bought the Too Fast For Love album when it was still on
Leathur Records, before it was on a major label!”
28/4/09
With some time back home in Los Angeles between tours, Nikki
says, "The one difference on a creative level from touring is
having my creative workspace to build the impossible. I always
love when I can pull outta thin air a song, book, design, etc.
but mostly lately it's been all about my photography. I’ve
done about six full shoots and six smaller still-life shoots
as well. I've displayed some of it on my MySpace under Nikki
Sixx Photography, but it by no means comes even close to what
I have created or have plans for as a photographer." Nikki
adds, "The new songs for Sixx: A.M. are all so inspiring; it
feels like we may have topped ourselves on this album coming
up, and can’t wait for you to hear what it sounds like. Keep
an ear and an eyeball here and maybe a surprise might get
dropped in the next few months."
1/5/09
Vince hosts the thirteenth
annual Skylar Neil Memorial Gold Tournament at Lost Canyons
Gold Club, Simi Valley, California.
4/5/09
Tommy joins Static-X on stage at the House of Blues in
Hollywood to perform Looks That Kill.
14/5/09
Mötley Crüe makes a special
guest appearance on the season finale of the hit FOX TV show
Bones. Nikki, Vince,
Tommy and Mick perform Dr. Feelgood in The Lab nightclub
and interact with Brennan (Emily Deschanel), Booth (David
Boreanaz) and other cast members. Currently in its fourth
season, Bones has built an average audience of 11.3 million
viewers, ranks among the top programs for the 2008-09 season
in Adults 18-49 and all key demos and is one of the highest
ranked dramatic series on Thursday evenings.
28/5/09
Carrie Underwood re-enters the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart
at No. 79 with her remake of Mötley Crüe's Home Sweet Home.
Underwood performed the song on this week's season finale
show, and her recording was heard all through the season as a
goodbye song for finalists who were voted off the show. The
Crüe's original version peaked at No. 89, while their 1991
remix version reached No. 37 in its seventeen-week stay on the
chart.
1/6/09
Mötley Crüe holds a press conference in Moscow as they
kick-off their European tour. It's the band's first time back
in Russia since the Moscow Music Peace Festival twenty years
ago. Vince says the band will continue touring for the rest of
this year and into early next year. He then hopes to release
his next solo album and play some solo shows
late-summer/early-fall of 2010. The Crüe will then start
writing a new studio late in 2010 for a 2011 release. As well
as writing songs with other artists, Mick says he's recently
been working on his solo album and his book. Tommy says he
plays the Rock Band video game with his two boys all the time
and they beat him. His son Dylan takes cello and guitar
lessons. Eldest son Brandon plays piano and recently turned
thirteen. While celebrating his birthday with fifteen friends,
Tommy put them all in his home studio and recorded them for a
track he's working on.
Mötley Crüe's summer festival tour
Crüe Fest 2 announces a partnership with Monster Energy to add
an additional stage at this year's festival. The new Monster
Energy Stage doubles the entertainment value at Crüe Fest 2
with five extra bands showcasing the next generation of rock,
including one local band in each tour market, chosen by the
local presenting radio station. The performances on the
Monster Energy Stage will be staggered between main stage acts
creating a non-stop music event and adding to the overall
festival atmosphere with no change in ticket prices.
8/6/09
Tommy drums on the album
Cope by Freeland, the electronica
band of DJ Adam Freeland, which is released today.
14/6/09
After some festival performances and concerts in Scandinavia
with Hardcore Superstar, Mötley commences a run of shows
through Germany with Duff McKagan's Loaded and Backyard Babies
in support, as part the the Crüe's European tour.
18/6/09
Forty-four-year-old Dennis Joseph Tetso is picked up about 3pm
at his workplace and arrested by Baltimore County police,
charged with the murder of his thirty-two-year-old wife Tracey
Leigh Tetso, who has been missing since 6 March 2005 when she
failed to meet friends for a Mötley Crüe concert in
Washington. A grand jury indicted him three days earlier on a
charge of first-degree murder.
29/6/09
Mötley Crüe don't get to perform their first scheduled concert
in Greece when heavy rain forces the cancellation of day one
of this year's Rockwave festival at Terravibe Park in Malakasa.
The show was also set to be Tommy's first concert in the
country in which he was born. W.A.S.P., Arch Enemy, Monster
Magnet and Voivod were also set to be included on the day's
line-up. The Crüe has one final concert in Bulgaria to perform
on this European trek before heading back to the U.S. to
commence Crüe Fest 2.
9/7/09
Mötley Crüe’s summer festival tour Crüe Fest 2 announces a
partnership with Monster Energy to add an additional stage at
this year's festival. Rev Theory, Cavo, 16 Second Stare, and
Shram will perform on the Monster Energy Stage with one local
band chosen by the presenting radio station in each tour
market. The performances will be staggered between main stage
acts creating a non-stop music event. With no change in ticket
prices, rock fans are given the opportunity to see ten great
rock bands for the price of one. The Mötley band members say,
“It’s always been in our hearts to turn our fans onto new rock
music. A second stage seems to be just what the doctor ordered
for Crüe Fest 2 and gives loyal Crüe and rock fans more for
their hard-earned money. See ya there.”
14/7/09
James Michael says he wrote some amazing songs in the last
week for the new Sixx: A.M. album during some last minute
writing session before Nikki leaves for the Crüe Fest 2 tour.
17/7/09
After the third day of production rehearsals for the upcoming
Crüe Fest 2 tour, Nikki says, "The set is insane. All-new
stage. All-new lighting, pyro and video. Tons of new music.
Some of these songs have never been played live before so
we're still blowing off the cobwebs. To be honest, it sounds
pretty damn good. This is my fave set so far and feels so good
be doing something new production-wise. I can't wait to see
your faces when the show starts - it's pretty sick, beginning
to end. I have to say, this show really is a labour of love
for us but the real credit goes to all the crew. They have
been working around the clock for over a month on this. That
is the part fans don't see. It doesn't matter if it's a
Broadway play, a rock show or even a movie, sometimes the real
stars of the show are behind the curtain."
Mötley Crüe, its lead singer Vince
Neil, the band’s manager Allen Kovac and his management
company 10th Street Entertainment reach an out-of-court
settlement of pending litigation in Los Angeles, Nashville and
Las Vegas with Vince's long-time personal manager and prior
Mötley Crüe co-manager, Burt Stein and his management
companies, B Entertainment and Gold Mountain Entertainment
Nashville. All parties are pleased that the litigation has
been amicably resolved. The parties’ global settlement
provides for a complete resolution of the remaining business
matters that Mötley Crüe, Vince Neil and Allen Kovac had with
Burt Stein, and allows all parties to move forward
independently with their respective performing, entertainment
and management businesses. In his dismissal order, U.S.
District Judge William J. Haynes Jr. finds all parties have
reached a settlement "of all claims and counterclaims that
have been or could have been brought by each against the
other." The terms of the settlement are not disclosed.
18/7/09
Nikki is among the celebrities whose faces can be seen on
billboards around Los Angeles as part of the Los Angeles
Dodgers' outdoor messaging campaign centred around the tagline
"L.A. is my town." Others featured in the campaign include
Bret Michaels, Kim Kardashian, Oscar De La Hoya, Yoda from
Star wars, Tara Lapinski and extreme sports pro Clout.
19/7/09
The opening night of Crüe Fest 2 takes place in Camden, New
Jersey. Taking the main stage after Charm City Devils,
Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, and Godsmack, the Mötley
show commences with a wheelchair-bound patient brought to
centre stage by a sexy nurse, who theatrically injects the
patient with a huge syringe. As the curtain drops, the band
members play the song Dr. Feelgood from within a small, bright white
padded-cell themed set in the middle of the stage, before the asylum walls break
away to
reveal a massive green-tiled mental hospital set at the end of
the song. Backing
vocals are handled by two new Nasty Habits, decked out in
corsets and thigh-high boots. Microphone stands are set-up
like intravenous drip stands with bags of blood and fluids attached, while
roadies quickly cross the stage dressed in surgeon and nurse
outfits. The visual theme celebrates the twentieth anniversary
of the Crüe’s best-selling album Dr. Feelgood and the music
matches as the band continues to play every song from the
album in order, from Slice of Your Pie next (ending with a
portion of The Beatles’ classic She’s So Heavy) right through to the first-ever live
performance of Time For Change. The stage set is then reversed
to give a back-alley vibe as the band plays Wild Side, Saints
of Los Angeles, Live Wire, and Shout at the Devil. Nikki tells
the crowd that they chose to play Live Wire tonight, but this
song will change every concert. He invites a ten-year-old girl
in the crowd up on stage, and asks who her favourite band is,
to which she replies, “Mötley Crüe.” After an encore of Home
Sweet Home and Girls, Girls, Girls, the band members - sans
Mick - bow to the crowd to say thank you and goodnight.
20/7/09
Following the kick-off of Crüe Fest 2, Nikki says, "95% of
everything went off fantastic, and for a first show that's
amazing." Looking forward, he adds, "Now the circus begins,
the trucks are rolling, the show's begun. This tour lasts
until the beginning of September. After that, some shows in
Canada and maybe go back to Europe for selected arena dates,
but besides that, we're pulling off the road until summer of
2011."
29/7/09
Tommy says his Methods of Mayhem project has signed a
worldwide deal with the Roadrunner Records imprint Loud &
Proud Records to release the band's sophomore album early next
year. Tommy says, "I'm so fucking pumped! I've signed with my
friends at Roadrunner. What a perfect home for my second
Methods of Mayhem record. We're about to do what no team has
ever done before. Buckle up and hang on, kids!"
30/7/09
Vince shares some of his views on drugs and rehab, saying,
"Most people go to rehab just to dry out, not to actually stop
drinking or doing drugs. Usually they go there because they've
been given an ultimatum by their wife or boss. They're not
there for themselves; they're there because someone wants them
to be there. That's why it doesn't work. You have to go when
you want to go. I don't think I'll ever have my drug problems
licked. I still think about needles today. Thirty years later,
I'll still look at a needle and go, 'Fuck'. It's quite an
itch. But I haven't thought about actually doing drugs in
fifteen years. I kind of cringe at that idea. That was for the
old days. But I have a drink once in a while. That doesn't
hurt ya."
1/8/09
As Crüe Fest 2 rolls through Las Vegas, Vince visits his
tattoo parlour Vince Neil Ink at O'Shea's where he signs
autographs and mingles with fans before heading to sound-check
at The Joint. He returns to O'Shea's to help them celebrate
their twentieth anniversary by participating in on-air radio
interviews and an autograph signing session. Following
Mötley's show at The Joint, Vince hosts an after-party at his
new rock bar Feelgood's. After hanging out with friends and
other Crüe Fest musicians in the VIP for a while, Vince
performs Looks That Kill with his solo band and concludes the
surprise performance with Live Wire just before 2am. Tommy
hits the club Body English with Pamela Anderson before they
head back to Vince's Paradise Tower mega suite to continue
partying.
2/8/09
The official grand opening of Vince Neil's Feelgood's
Rock Bar and Grill takes place at 6750 West Sahara in Las
Vegas. The night's highlight is a
Rockandi reunion show with Vince on vocals, James Alverson
on guitar, Joe Marks on bass and Robert Stokes on drums. The
band plays covers of Smokin' in the Boys Room, Anarchy in the
UK and Cheap Trick's He's a Whore.
9/10/09
Three Mötley Crüe songs - Live Wire, Dr. Feelgood and
Kickstart My Heart - will be included on the heavy metal
soundtrack for the Brütal Legend video game, available on Xbox
360 and PlayStation on October 13 in North America and three
days later in Europe. Brütal Legend is a third-person action
game rich in combat, imagery and storytelling, delivering
lighter-flicking fun sure to melt your face off. It tells the
tale of the ultimate heavy metal roadie Eddie Riggs, played by
Jack Black.
10/8/09
Nikki says Mötley will be taking quite a bit of time off once
Crüe Fest 2 finishes early next month, "I feel like we're
ending being out for quite a long time, touring and Saints of
Los Angeles and the Carnival of Sins (tour) and Red, White &
Crüe... really going away on a big high to start working on
writing a new record and looking forward to the next Crüe
Fest, which will probably be in 2011. There have been offers
and suggestions of other bands that were interesting in going
out and doing Crüe Fest if we didn't do it. It's growing into
something. It's more of a community than just about Mötley
Crüe, which in the end is a really good feeling. There might
be a day we don't do it, a year we're working on something
else and somebody comes in and says 'We want to do it.' We've
heard there's interest. It might be a bit young and premature
to do that now, but it's nice to hear it."
Showtime licenses Girls, Girls, Girls for its new trailer for
season three of Californication The spot features series star
David Duchovny leering at pretty girls while the Crüe's
classic plays.
14/8/09
Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose plays with Mötley Crüe in
Cincinnati, Ohio after Tommy suffers a burn injury to his left
hand from a firecracker. Nikki says Tommy "messed up his hand
pretty bad" in an accident and following doctor's orders, he
has to sit out for a few shows but will be back behind the kit
as soon as possible. He adds, "Until then, he is at all the
shows, jumping around, helping out with vocals and playing
piano ever so lightly on Home Sweet Home. Now to the hero of
the day: Mr. Morgan Rose, the monstrous drummer from Sevendust.
Morgan flew out with only minutes to go before there were no
flights left from Atlanta. He came charging in like a knight
in shining armour, drum pedals and sticks in hand, stepping on
stage and pretty much nailing the show top to bottom first
time out. I think Morgan needs a standing ovation for his
dedication to kicking ass."
19/8/09
Morgan Rose plays his last show with Mötley Crüe in Mansfield,
Massachusetts after filling-in on the drums during the last
five concerts as Tommy's temporary replacement. Aerosmith
drummer Joey Kramer joins the Crüe on stage to perform the
erncore ballad Home Sweet Home.
Legendary rock photographer Neil
Zlozower releases a book titled
Mötley Crüe: A Visual History, 1983-2005 via Chronicle
Books. The 232-page hardcover book features a foreword from
Nikki.
21/8/09
Frank Zummo of Street Drum Corps is hired to fill-in for Tommy
during Mötley's next three concerts, in Virginia and North
Carolina. Zummo says, "The first concert I ever saw was Mötley
Crüe when I was a kid, and I've been a big fan ever since. It
is a huge honour for me to drum with one of the greatest rock
bands, and filling in for Tommy will be one of the most
amazing experiences of my life!"
22/8/09
Nikki says, "I have been immersed in books again lately. Some
needed reading. Some I'm just revisiting the classics. Just
another reminder of the greatness that was gifted to us before
we were here and will be passed on long after we have passed
away... Classics, important. My audio book of the week is the
1931 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. This classic is read by
the magical Michael York; I recommend it highly." With just
ten Crüe Fest 2 shows left he continues, "Trust me when I say
'I love what I do' out here, there and everywhere onstage, but
I am really excited about the moment I can open the doors to
Funny Farm Studios, so I can get out of my head what's been
brewing for months. The need for the madness to unfold is
exhausting."
29/8/09
With his hand healed enough to return to work, Tommy plays the
whole Mötley concert in Atlanta.
5/9/09
Mötley's Crüe Fest 2 comes to a close with its final show in
Darien Lake, New York. During the festival,
twenty-three-year-old John Michael Bieganski is stabbed in the
leg by a knife-wielding assailant. Bleeding profusely, he is
carried out of the moshpit by a friend, before being
hospitalised and receiving twenty eight stitches to close a
gaping four-inch long wound on his leg.
10/9/09
Tommy attends the 2nd Annual Sunset Strip Music Festival kick
off event - a Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at the House of Blues
in West Hollywood, California.
12/9/09
Vince performs a concert at the grand
opening celebration for Vince Neil Ink's newest location
inside Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Decorated with motorcycles
built by Counts Kustoms, along with leather couches and
granite counters, the spacious 2800 sq. ft. shop with four
large stations and a private booth is Vince’s second tattoo
studio. You can also browse Counts, Mötley and Vince Neil
memorabilia, plus buy new Vince Neil Ink merchandise.
21/9/09
Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood is
re-released as a deluxe version incorporating two CDs. The
original version of Dr. Feelgood on one CD, and a compilation
disc comprising four original demos from the Dr. Feelgood
sessions, four tracks recorded live when the band played the
Moscow Peace Festival in 1989, plus a remix of Get It For
Free.
29/9/09
John Corabi becomes the first one-time Mötley band member to
play a concert in India, when he rocks Dimapur's DSSC Stadium
in a band called Lost Angels, also featuring guitarist Eric
Dover (Slash's Snakepit, Sextus, Alice Cooper), bassist Muddy
Stardust (L.A. Guns, Gilby Clarke) and drummer Troy Patrick
Farrell (White Lion).
2/10/09
Tommy DJs at the grand
opening of The Biggest Tattoo Show on Earth at Mandalay Bay
Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
3/10/09
Celebrating his 47th birthday, Tommy is one of three judges
that picks Strat5 as the best corporate rock band in the Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands presented by NAMM, the
trade association of the international music products
industry, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Tommy
is be joined by noted musician and author Jeff Carlisi and
Making Music magazine editor-in-chief Antoinette Follett as
judges at the ninth annual event, taking place at the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
5/10/09
Public Mayhem commences, enabling fans to download Tommy's
isolated instrumental tracks from his new Methods of Mayhem
album so anyone with a great musical idea for the tracks can
upload their part and collaborate for a chance to be on the album and hit the stage with
Tommy at their record-release show. A wide range of formats
are available to work with, including RiffWorks, WAV, Logic,
GarageBand, Pro Tools and the Four Track 3.0 iPhone
application.
9/10/09
Vince drops the first puck at a pre-season Central Hockey
League game in Laredo, Texas between the Laredo Bucks and Rio
Grande Valley. The TAMIU AutMus Fest committee sell raffle
tickets at the game to win an autographed Vince Neil guitar
with all proceeds going to charity. Vince plays a solo show at
Laredo's 5th Annual Autmus Festival the following day.
15/10/09
Vince attends the grand opening of the new Hard Rock Café on
Las Vegas Boulevard and later joins actor Chazz Palminteri for
dinner.
24/10/09
Nikki auctions an autographed bass guitar to kick-off the 4th
Annual Denim and Diamonds fundraiser, benefiting children with
autism held in Hidden Hills, California.
Tommy DJs at the Pimp n
Ho Ball in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
26/10/09
Vince tells Revolver magazine that he's currently working on
straight ahead rock'n'roll songs for his next solo album. He
expects they'll probably have the music done in November, do
his vocals for it in December and have it complete by January.
29/10/09
Premiere Radio Networks announces it will launch "Sixx Sense
with Nikki Sixx" on rock/alternative music stations in January
2010. Hosted by Nikki, the program will air nationwide Monday
through Friday from 7pm to midnight local time. Each night,
Nikki will discuss music and lifestyle topics as he gives
listeners a backstage look at the world and mind of a rock
star. Delivered with his unique perspective and attitude,
Nikki will welcome celebrity guests, recording artists and
fascinating characters from all walks of life. All this and
more will be coupled with radio station playlists. In
addition, Nikki will host a two-hour original weekend program
titled "The Side Show Countdown with Nikki Sixx". Debuting in
January 2010, Nikki will air top-charting songs, showcase new
and emerging artists, and welcome guests from the worlds of
music and entertainment. The program will be available for air
Saturday or Sunday between 6am and midnight local time. Nikki
will broadcast both programs from Premiere's Los Angeles
studios. Nikki says, "Radio has been instrumental in almost
every successful endeavor of mine and it is the best way to
connect with a wide audience on a daily basis. I look forward
to being involved in every aspect of building 'Sixx Sense',
from the content of the show, to the web site, to the logo, to
the music beds, to, of course, hosting every day."
31/10/09
Tommy is Tabcorp's celebrity
guest DJ at Derby Day, part of the Spring Racing Carnival in
Melbourne Australia.
6/11/09
Nikki says, "Home has recharged the batteries and seamless
creativity is flowing again... I always love it when a friend
turns me onto a book, music or something I haven’t heard about
or seen before. There's some cool stuff out and about and I
thought you might like it too: I took Katherine to see
Nevermore - An Evening With Edgar Allen Poe at the Steve Allen
Theater in Hollywood. Jeffrey Combs delivers the arrow to the
heart in this one-man play. This is a must-see. We loved it!
As a teenager, I fell in love with Hieronymus Bosch. Recently
his work has re-struck a chord in me and I am admittedly on
the verge of being obsessed. If you're a fan of 1400s -1500s
European painters, you owe it to yourself to Google his work.
Audio books have taken over my life recently. Three audio
books I would like to recommend are: Tuesday With Morrie by
Mitch Albom, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, and The Mirror
Effect by Dr Drew." Nikki continues, "On a personal front, my
photography is challenging me to go to new heights. I
sometimes wonder if I'll ever get to the level I am striving
for. It can be so frustrating and challenging, as I said
before, maybe I should just give in and shoot 8 by 10. New
Sixx: A.M. music is coming along nicely but no deadline or
release dates to even consider. I will say it feels like the
next logical step musically for the band. James Michael used
the word 'important' in describing the new lyrics. Everything
is in full-on creative mode right now and that's when the
magic really happens."
Meanwhile Nikki's girlfriend Kat
Von D says of him, "I learn so much from him; this is the most
fruitful relationship I have ever had. We read a lot together
and we are really into self-help books and wisdom books and
it's cool; I am constantly learning from him."
