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also available in the book: Chronological Crue Vol.2 - The Nineties

14/1/97
The Crüe’s hits compilation album from 1991 titled Decade of Decadence
is certified double Platinum, having now sold in excess of two million
copies in the United States.
16/1/97
Nikki Sixx and Dave Darling enter contract negotiations with a major
label for a release of their 1958 project.
Vince Neil says the reunited
Crüe’s first show will probably be the huge Rock Am Ring festival in
Nurburgring, Germany on May 18 with Kiss and Aerosmith, followed by an
arena tour in North America.
Record companies show great
interest in a five-song demo from the new John Corabi and Bruce Kulick
collaboration. Some song titles are Walking in Your Sleep, October
Morning Wind and Tangerine.
20/1/97
As Tommy Lee appears with Denis Rodman on MTV in the USA, having his
eyebrow pierced during the pre-recorded segment, the Crüe prepares to
play a remixed version of Shout At The Devil, titled Shout ‘97, at the
American Music Awards in a week’s time. They decided to rework the song
after liking a version played to them backstage last tour, after it had
been altered on a fan’s computer.
Jimmy Cavalluzo works with
the band on the new version of Shout, electronically remixing it. The
work originated from the idea of the Crue creating an EP or greatest
hits album where every song is re-recorded in a different way.
23/1/97
Vince hosts the Skylar Neil Memorial Golf Tournament at the Malibu
Country Club, in memory of his daughter who died from cancer over a
year ago. Guests include Richie Sambora and Alice Cooper. Money raised
goes to benefit children’s hospitals via the T.J. Martell Foundation in
an effort to help other children with life threatening diseases. The
event was rescheduled from early last November as Mötley was still busy
in the studio.
27/1/97
They’re back! Vince once again fronts Mötley Crüe at the American Music
Awards in hometown Los Angeles, California, almost half a decade to the
day that they parted ways. Before they perform, the audience is warned
to use the earplugs provided in the program by Mötley Crüe. Introduced
by Tommy’s wife Pamela Anderson Lee, the Crüe pumps out the new Shout
‘97, which Nikki says is a likely inclusion on their forthcoming
Generation Swine album. Vince’s vocals are pre-recorded on a tape
produced by Dave Ogilvie, formerly of Skinny Puppy, who is also working
with them for some remixing of the new album. The rest of the band
plays live and they have a backing rhythm guitar track to help punch
out the sound on the PA, which is typical of awards shows where all
artists perform sharing the same PA. At the end of the song it rains
Generation Swine money; U.S. bills with a pig’s head instead of a
President. Vince hosts an after-party at Monte’s in Beverly Hills.
The Chronological Crue
website, presenting the complete online history of Mötley Crüe, is
launched live on the Internet to commemorate Crüe Day.
28/1/97
Vince opens a new rock strip club called Girls, Girls, Girls which is
located very close to Shibuya Station in Japan. He owns it for a short
time as a temporary arrangement, not having much time to invest in it.
U.S. radio station KROQ
start a campaign called Screw The Crüe, believing if the Crüe makes a
come back, then Winger, Poison, Warrant, and all the other glam
metal-type bands from the ‘80s will as well. Tommy and Nikki write them
in-depth letters on how they feel about the campaign before KROQ soon
return apologies in writing and on air.
1/2/97
Tommy is set to produce the debut album from Krunk, who is described as
Cheap Trick meets Green Day on a bad day. Krunk’s drummer is Tommy’s
sister Athena, while her husband James Kottak, former drummer of
Warrant, Kingdom Come, Ronnie Montrose, The Cult, and most recently
Scorpions, takes on lead vocals under the alias Jimmy Ratchet.
Guitarist Dave Whiston and bassist Tony Guarderas complete Krunk’s
line-up, who is building a loyal following on the Los Angeles club
circuit.
4/2/97
Ten songs have now been mixed for the new Mötley album, with the
remaining four to be finished in a matter of weeks. The Crüe is also
considering a CD-Extra for Generation Swine, consisting of additional
CD-ROM computer goodies. Nikki says there is only one slow song called
Confessions, which Tommy wrote and could probably be a single. Nikki’s
son Gunner has vocal parts on Find Myself that also features Nikki on
lead vocals while Tommy and Vince sing alternate choruses. Another
likely inclusion on the album is a one-minute song Rocket Ship, sung by
Nikki with lyrics written for wife Donna.
15/2/97
Nikki says fans can expect the band’s first single to be released on
April Fools’ Day. Generation Swine is now set for a May 6 release with
a performance four days later on TV show Saturday Night Live.
18/2/97
A new video for Los Angeles solo artist Beck called The New Pollution
debuts on MTV, with the singer-songwriter dressed as Vince during one
part of the video. As homage to Mötley Crüe’s Live Wire video, Beck is
seen in makeup, black leather trousers, and a blonde wig. The song is
taken from his Odelay album that was produced by The Dust Brothers, who
also produced Vince’s last solo album Carved in Stone.
18/2/97
A New York judge dismisses a concert-goer’s $7 million lawsuit against
Mötley Crüe for hearing loss suffered at one of their concerts.
22/2/97
The Crüe is set to play Livestock VII – the annual two day outdoor
concert near Tampa, Florida. They will play just a few songs as the
headlining act on Day One, April 5. Other bands to play on the bill
include Type O Negative, Helmet, Gravity Kills, Bloodhound Gang and
Jackyl. This one-off performance precedes the Generation Swine tour now
slated for mid-year, which will not include Marilyn Manson as the
previously touted support.
1/3/97
Nikki says the artwork for the new album, directed by Duke
Woolsoncroft, has now been approved as Generation Swine goes through
its last mixes. Mick Mars smashes a guitar at the end of the album’s
recording sessions. The track listing is announced by Tommy as being
the title track Generation Swine, followed by Find Myself, Afraid,
Beauty, Confessions, Anybody Out There?, Glitter (featuring Cheap Trick
members Robin Zander and Rick Nielson), Let Us Prey, Flush, Brandon, A
Rat Like Me, Shout At The Devil ‘97, Wildchild (previously titled
Birds), and Rocketship (which they have recorded eight different
versions of), with Planet Boom being the bonus track on the Japanese
release.
John Corabi is officially
told his involvement with Mötley Crüe is to cease, and the studio
assistance he has been providing is no longer necessary.
12/3/97
Mötley decides to delay the release of Generation Swine until June 5
(the first birthday of Tommy’s son Brandon), since first single Afraid
had to be remixed as they weren’t happy with the output. Now that the
album’s mixing and mastering is complete, Tommy takes a vacation in
Hawaii and Tahiti, where he has a tribal design tattooed on his left
thigh. He says Japan and South America will be included in this
summer’s touring.
John will be contributing
his vocals for a forthcoming Rod Stewart tribute album from DeRock
Records. Other artists scheduled to take part include Tommy’s
brother-in-law James Kottak, Sebastian Bach, Joey Allen, C.C. DeVille,
Jeff Pilson, Gilby Clarke, Eddie Money, Jani Lane and Eric Singer.
21/3/97
Nikki spends the day at the MTV Spring Break Beach Party with wife
Donna, as she hosts Glamarama. Nikki plays the new album to MTV VJ and
Crüe fan John Sciencios who ‘loses his cookies’ when he hears it. On
return, the Sixx family heads to Canada. Donna recently got inked with
her first tattoo; a heart and flower design with Nikki’s name in it, on
her behind.
John’s drummer for his new
project with Bruce Kulick will be Brent Fitz. Brent used to perform in
Top 40 cover band Shake Naked in Winnipeg with Lenita Erickson, with
whom Bruce has been touring with recently. He also used to play in the
Winnipeg band Skeleton Key.
24/3/97
Another delay in the release of Generation Swine is announced with the
band feeling they need more time for press and marketing of the album.
Some one-minute demo versions of four songs from the new album find
their way onto the Internet. Generation Swine is now set for a 26 May
release in Japan, followed by the U.S.A. on 24 June. Like the album,
the anticipated Saturday Night Live performance has also been pushed
back.
27/3/97
The first single Afraid from Mötley’s new album is first aired on radio
98KUPD in Tempe, Arizona as the Crüe rehearses new songs Generation
Swine, Shout ‘97 and Afraid, along with Primal Scream and Kickstart My
Heart, as likely inclusions for their upcoming hour-long performance at
Livestock VII.
4/4/97
As the Crüe prepares to play at Livestock in front of thirty-thousand
punters the following day, Nikki announces the band will perform a
couple of live tracks at a press conference in Japan in a few weeks.
From there, they plan to move onto Europe for six days of press and
live TV performances from May 10. June will see an innovative
eight-city U.S.A. Live Listening Party tour where the band will perform
the whole album live, and possibly a couple of older tracks, followed
by the video for the first single Afraid and then a press conference on
stage in the two-to-three-thousand-seat venues. The listening party
dates conclude in New York on June 24 when Generation Swine will hit
the streets. It is expected that a ‘big hall’ tour will be announced
soon after the album’s release.
5/4/97
Moments after 9pm, the Crüe hits the stage in Florida at Livestock VII
in front of a crowd of over 32,500 for their first concert in over two
years, and the first with Vince since 1991. The set opens with Shout
‘97 featuring lots of pyro, followed by Wild Side, the premiere of new
title track Generation Swine, Dr. Feelgood, forthcoming single Afraid,
and Live Wire. The Crüe then blasts through Primal Scream for the first
time live in the U.S.A. Find Myself with vocals from Nikki, and
Kickstart My Heart winds up the main set with Nikki throwing his bass
into the crowd and Vince shouting, “We’re Mötley Crüe” as the band
retreats into a lot of pyro and a fireworks display set off from behind
the stage. The encore of Home Sweet Home sees the piano parts replaced
by Mick with acoustic guitar, as the ten-song set concludes; twice the
expected number of songs. Pamela could be seen taking pictures of
husband Tommy from the side of the stage towards the end of the set.
Many feel the highlight of the evening is Vince and Nikki embracing in
a long, drawn out showing of genuine affection while still playing.
This was the first live rock concert for Nikki’s wife Donna, who’s name
is now tattooed on the back of his neck. Nikki tells fans backstage
after an MTV interview that “It’s nice to feel the brotherhood again”
as Tommy explains to Brian Johnson of AC/DC that it feels like he has
been reborn.
18/4/97
Donna and Nikki spend time in London, England on vacation, as Tommy and
Pam are heard on Howard Stern’s radio program back home in the U.S. The
show includes some tracks from Generation Swine, being part of Find
Myself, the beginning of Let Us Prey, a couple of seconds of Shout ‘97,
most of Glitter and Tommy’s song Brandon that features a string quartet
and the heartbeat of his son in Pam’s womb. Pam also says she recently
backed her car into Vince’s Rolls Royce convertible.
19/4/97
Tommy joins wife Pamela in two comedy skits on TV show Saturday Night
Live, which helps promote the new album to a large audience. Pam’s
shirt bears the new Generation Swine pig logo.
Vince recently has his
fiancée’s name Heidi tattooed on his left wrist in the style of an ID
bracelet. After Vince takes ten sketches to artist Greg James, he has a
memorial tattoo inked in the centre of his chest as an everlasting
tribute to his late daughter Skylar.
27/4/97
With Nikki and Donna back from London, and Tommy and Pam having caught
the opening show of U2’s Pop tour in Las Vegas the night before, the
Crüe catches a morning flight to Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan. The
week-long promotional trip kicks off with the first Generation Swine
Listening Party later that night. The album is already Gold in Japan
(160,000 units) two weeks before shipping and release.
29/4/97
In the morning during an interview, Mick says they need a pig for a
magazine photo session, so one is brought to the suite of their
high-class hotel in Tokyo in the afternoon, where it runs around the
room. In the evening, Tommy and Nikki make reservations to get some new
tattoos in Asakusa, but end up having the tattoo artist Horiwaka come
to their Four Seasons Hotel instead. Nikki has the centre of his chest
tattooed with the Japanese kanji Tamashii character meaning ‘spirit,
soul, desire, passion for life’ while Tommy watches. The next morning, Tommy has a
German Schutzstaffel (SS) military eagle design on his left bicep covered up with Japanese black work. They are tattooed
with traditional tools in the tebori technique while lying on the floor
with Yakuza members watching their artist friend.
30/4/97
Mötley Crüe appears on two different Japanese TV programs in the
morning before going to Yokohama for their appearance on the TVK
Bang-up Rock TV show with host Masa Ito.
1/5/97
Nikki and Tommy are guests for radio host Takahiro Matsumoto of the
band B’z, before going to Harajuku to buy souvenirs. Nikki buys the
band matching silver bracelets and has them engraved with Crüe in Old
English style letters, as a bond and promise to do it all again for
them and the fans. Vince and Mick then go to an FM radio station for a
live interview before Vince heads to Roppongi with a friend. Mick
returns to the hotel and asks to watch some zombie movies. He is soon
given ten movies and room service, before tattoo artist Horiwaka inks
him and Tommy in their hotel suite.
John and Bruce Kulick are
mixing the first half of their CD, hoping to have a release and tour
this year. Both John and Bruce have handled the bass parts to date, as
they get set for a new bass player to join them this month on the
remainder of the songs. As touted, new drummer Brent Fitz has now
replaced Curt Cuomo. Fitz was the former bass player with Canadian band
Street Heart, which wrote the song Dancin’ with Danger on the Frehley’s
Comet Second Sighting album.
3/5/97
After checking out of the hotel in the morning, the Crüe members head
to a TV studio to record their first live performance of the
promotional tour, on a program called Amonite. When they arrive, the
studio is not what Nikki had imagined and he says they won’t play.
After an hour of arguing between the band and studio staff, Mötley
finally decides to record the performance that is broadcast on TV Tokyo
twenty days later. At 5pm the band departs Narita Airport and heads
back to Los Angeles.
8/5/97
As first single Afraid starts getting airplay on American radio, Tommy
says he and Louis, the guitarist from Los Angeles band Boy Hits Car,
are commencing a non-profit program for kids called Loud Love 4 Kids.
With the view that every kid on the planet should have the opportunity
to play music if they want to, their plan is to have companies donate
musical instruments, while studios, including Tommy’s, will donate free
recording time and blank tape for those kids that can’t afford such
things.
9/5/97
As part of the F Music Fest (formerly known as Concrete Foundations
Forum) in Los Angeles, the Crüe holds a Listening Party in the Burbank
Hilton Hotel’s Convention Centre Foyer, which is attended by several
hundred people. The Crüe enters the room after an hour or so and are
immediately mobbed as the crowd forces their way closer in search of
autographs. The chaos is too much for Vince, who makes a quick exit
with his new red hair about twenty minutes after arriving. Tommy &
Pam, Nikki, and Mick sign for people for about another hour. John and
Bruce Kulick also attend F Fest, meeting and greeting fans, and talking
about their new music.
Nikki says Larry Flynt,
Hustler magazine publisher and subject of the recent Oscar-nominated
movie The People Vs. Larry Flynt starring Woody Harrelson and Courtney
Love, has agreed to appear with the Crüe in their video for first
single Afraid, being directed by Nancy Bardawil. Nikki phoned Larry to
ask him, and Larry wants to make a XXX version as well.
It appears the title of the
Crüe’s album will be changed to Generation Slime for the South East
Asian market due to pigs being sacred in that part of the world.
12/5/97 Skeleteens
Beverages in Pasadena, California becomes the first company
to market a soda based on a heavy metal band. Called Mötley Brüe, the
Crüe helped design the four versions of the bottle’s labeling that are
produced: 1) a generally-distributed black label version with Join The
Generation Swine on the front and random lyrics to a song from the
Generation Swine album on the back of the label (visible by shining a
flashlight into the back of the bottle), 2) a black label with
Generation Swine in reverse type on the front and a print of Vince’s
autograph with handwritten text reading "squeal like the pig you are"
on the back of the label, 3) a blue label with two yellow crossbones on
the front and a print of Nikki’s autograph with handwritten text
reading "not if I scrue you first" on the back of the label, and 4) a
yellow label with one blue crossbones on the front and a print of
Mick’s autograph with handwritten text reading "ya all are sick pigs
'97" on the back of the label. The drink, which includes ingredients
Corn Syrup, Ginger, American Ginseng, African Capsicum, Sage, Brazilian
Guarana, Dillweed, Blue #1, turns everything it touches blue on its way
in and out of your body. Soon available in coffee-houses, skate shops,
record stores, and other spots off the beaten path, it follows in the
tradition of other Skeleteens soft drink, such as Brain Wash, Black
Lemonade, and Love Potion #69.
Addressing
some queries from collectors many years later, the company said that
some of the Mötley Brüe labels were adhered upside down by accident,
but they said it was on purpose at the time. There is also a version of
the generally-available black label where the swine’s eye is printed
red. A red label version with purple soda was also made, as seen in
some promo photos with Tommy, and a light-green soda version of Mick’s
yellow label bottle also exists.
14/5/97
Afraid becomes the number-one most-added track on both active rock and
mainstream U.S. rock radio, ahead of new tracks from Megadeth, Faith No
More and John Fogerty.
15/5/97
Mötley Crüe’s Shout at the Devil album is certified four-times Platinum
in the U.S. It joins their Theatre of Pain and Girls, Girls, Girls
albums after they were certified four-times Platinum two years ago.
Tommy has a new nephew when
his sister Athena gives birth to a healthy baby boy named Matthew
James. It’s her third child.
19/5/97
Vince participates in the Third Annual Hard Rock Café Celebrity/Charity
Golf Tournament at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California
that raises $364,000 for the Casey Lee Ball Foundation and Pediatric
Kidney Research at UCLA Children’s Hospital. Other participants include
actors Bill Murray, Jack Nicholson, Joe Pesci, Robert Loggia, Miquel
Ferrare, Melrose Place’s Jack Wagner, Cheech Marin, Party of Five’s
Jeremy London; musicians Alice Cooper, Meat Loaf, Dweezil Zappa and T.
Bone Burnett.
20/5/97
At noon in front of several hundred people, Mötley Crüe is inducted
into West Hollywood’s Rockwalk, a sidewalk gallery dedicated to
honouring artists who have made a significant contribution to the
evolution of rock’n’roll as a universal art form. The Crüe places their
handprints and signatures in cement, residing alongside such
accomplished musicians and innovators as Jimmy Page, James Brown,
Aerosmith, Johnny Cash, The Ramones, Brian Wilson, KISS, Bonnie Raitt,
Ozzy Osbourne, BB King, Stevie Wonder, Van Halen, Alice Cooper and Dick
Dale. Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan sends a representative to
present the Crüe with commendations, while an Elektra Records
representative presents the group with a commemorative plaque in
recognition of more than thirty million records sold worldwide to date.
26/5/97
Mötley Crüe’s new album Generation Swine is released in Japan and
quickly moves to number six on the charts.
28/5/97
John and Bruce Kulick look to fans to suggest names for their new band
by offering a prize for the name used. They have recently completed
recording Maggie May for a Rod Stewart tribute CD.
2/6/97
The Record Industry Association of America announces Dr. Feelgood has
achieved sales in the USA over the six million mark. This six-times
Platinum award is Mötley’s highest certification to date.
5/6/97
As the Crüe rehearses for the Live Swine Listening Parties, tickets to
the shows sell-out in less than six minutes for every city. Renewed
interest in Mötley continues as Time Magazine plans to cover the Los
Angeles show, and Hustler magazine plans to put the Crüe on the cover
to coincide with a big arena tour in October.
6/6/97
The Crüe flies to New York and appears on air with Howard Stern in the
morning, taking calls from fans including Scott Braden, who says he
named his boys Brandon Lee and Skylar Neil.
9/6/97
Mötley’s video clip for Afraid airs for the first time on MTV, as
Gibson and Guitar Centre give away several limited-edition, ebony
Generation Swine Gibson SG guitars. They are enhanced with a Mötley
Crüe truss rod cover and transparent pick guard.
10/6/97
The Live Swine Tour begins at the Mayan Theatre in hometown Los
Angeles. Like the album, the show begins with the word “destroy” that
Nikki says was sampled from an old movie and may be Lon Chaney’s voice.
The opening song Find Myself sees Nikki sing the first verse with the
band hidden behind a translucent curtain and a spotlight effect to make
Nikki and Mick’s shadows appear ten-feet tall, similar to on their
American Music Awards performance. The curtain drops as Vince sings the
chorus sitting in a chandelier suspended from the roof. The Crüe rocks
through the whole album in order. Highlights include Vince playing
guitar on Afraid, and Tommy playing guitar on Rocketship as Nikki sings
it while sitting on a stool. A string section plays from the side of
the stage for Brandon, which completes the album tracks. To the crowd’s
delight, Mötley plays encore songs: Primal Scream, Wild Side, Dr.
Feelgood and Kickstart My Heart. A question and answer session finishes
the night, as the band picks a dozen or so fans to join them onstage to
ask questions, before taking questions from the audience. Profits from
the tour are donated to the Skylar Neil Foundation benefiting cancer
research.
13/6/97
Generation Swine is released throughout Europe, except in the U.K.
where it is to be released in three days.
16/6/97
The Crüe’s Afraid single is released in Australia, featuring the
original Rave Mix by Lenny DeRosa and the Swine Mix by Dave Ogilvie
that appears on the album. Vince’s cover of the Iggy Pop and David
Bowie-penned Lust For Life is also included, along with Tommy’s Welcome
To Planet Boom that he remixed for the Barb Wire soundtrack.
17/6/97
On the radio prior to Mötley’s Live Swine show in Philadelphia, Tommy
confirms wife Pamela Lee is about three-months pregnant.
18/6/97
Hundreds of fans queue for hours, hoping to meet the Crüe at an
in-store appearance in HMV downtown Toronto, Canada. The band signs
autographs for longer than scheduled as Generation Swine CD booklets
are handed out to the crowd, while the new album blasts all afternoon
outside on the street.
The second grandchild for
Mick is born as his daughter Stormy gives birth to a boy named Shayne.
19/6/97
In Canada at the Toronto Listening Party, Nikki says they will most
likely tour with Marilyn Manson, Pantera, Foo Fighters or Korn on their
forthcoming tour. The crowd in attendance gives the biggest cheers for
Marilyn Manson and Pantera. Those displaying their ticket stubs from
the listening parties are likely to get preferential seating for the
tour. The Crüe also says a live album looks to be the next release from
the Crüe, warranted by popular demand from the fans.
Vince
becomes an uncle again in the morning when his sister Valerie gives
birth to an 8lbs 2oz daughter named Skye. Her middle name is in tribute
to Vince’s late daughter Skylar, and Vince tearily gives his blessing
when his sister asks him permission. Val also has an eleven-year-old
son named Blake Michael.
23/6/97
As Generation Swine is released in Australia and the Afraid single is
released in Japan, the final show of the Live Swine Tour takes place at
the Roseland Ballroom in New York. It is broadcast live over the
Internet using Real Audio technology with refreshing live images, as
well as on one hundred and fifty radio stations across North America.
The band played live on Howard Stern’s show earlier in the day.
24/6/97
Today is dubbed ‘The Day of the Pig’ as Generation Swine is released in
the U.S.A. with a midnight in-store appearance at Tower Records in New
York City. In the afternoon, Mötley Crüe plays ten songs live on the
street outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre for The Late Show with David
Letterman, who broadcasts them playing Afraid to a TV audience of
millions. The night ends with the band and their partners dining in a
transvestite restaurant, complete with Planet Boom blasting on the
stereo, whipped cream smothered over Nikki, Donna and Vince, dancing on
the tables, and Mick hiding in the corner… smirking.
25/6/97
Mötley flies out from New York to Denmark as they prepare to play their
first European concert since the Monsters of Rock Tour in 1991.
28/6/97
Mötley Crüe performs live in front of ninety thousand people at the
sold-out, four-day Roskilde Festival in Denmark. Other bands on the
bill include the Smashing Pumpkins and Prodigy.
2/7/97
Generation Swine debuts in the Billboard charts at number four with
sales of more than eighty thousand, making it their sixth consecutive
top ten album since Theatre of Pain peaked in 1985. Two spots below the
Crüe in the charts is the album Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle. The
Nashville based singer recently made history by becoming the first
contemporary Christian artist to have a number one album on the
Billboard 200 chart. When Bob was a session singer in Los Angeles, he
performed backup vocals with Mötley Cruue.
A free Swine Sampler CD is
given away to anyone who test-drives a Gibson USA guitar at Guitar
Centers this month. The CD contains four tracks from the Generation
Swine release.
7/7/97
John files a lawsuit for damages and equitable relief in the Los
Angeles Superior Court, suing Nikki, Tommy and Mick for $1,085,000 for
two counts of breach of contract, dissolution of partnership, fraud,
slander, and unjust enrichment. In the suit, John claims that upon
joining the band, he was to receive a portion of the band’s new $25
million contract with Elektra Records. When Vince rejoined the band
last September, John claims the band told him there was still room for
him in Mötley Crüe, but he was officially fired in March and had
stopped receiving pay months before, leaving him nearly destitute and
living off loans. He is also suing Elektra Entertainment for $4 million
for interference with contract, claiming it was Elektra’s refusal to
release another album without Vince that led the Crüe members to fire
him. John also says he contributed or composed at least eighty percent
of the music on Generation Swine and claims he was promised
approximately $1 million and proper credit for his work on the album,
which he has not received. He is also pursuing an estimated $85,000
he’s owed for his work on the self-titled album from 1994, along with
claiming the band members bad-mouthed him after his departure, telling
interviewers he couldn’t handle the pressure of being in the band,
which he disputes.
13/7/97
The first public hearing of the new John Corabi and Bruce Kulick music
takes place at the Fourth Annual Detroit Kiss Expo in Michigan. While
signing autographs, Bruce plays a tape to fans of four songs, including
tracks Heavy D, Try and Around Again.
14/7/97
For the first time since Dr. Feelgood, Elektra Records says they will
inject large sums of money in their efforts to push Afraid to Top 40
Radio. An advertisement begins to air on U.S. television, commencing
with Vince saying, “Welcome to the Generation Swine” followed by the
opening of Let Us Prey as each band member is shown playing live along
with portions of the Afraid video.
Beauty is chosen as the
second single to follow Afraid into Active Rock radio stations’ play
lists. The band opts to invest in radio and touring rather than making
a video to promote the song, but reserve they will make one if MTV
wants to show it during highly-viewed hours.
18/7/97
Mötley performs their song Afraid live on The Tonight Show hosted by
Jay Leno.
2/8/97
After the recent announcement of this year’s North American tour dates
where the band will play for over two hours each show, the Crüe begins
a five-day rehearsal program for two shows in Tokyo, Japan in two weeks.
7/8/97
John adds his vocals to the track Shake a Leg for the forthcoming AC/DC
tribute album scheduled for a 1998 release. Billy Sheehan, Pat Torpey,
and Bob Kulick had previously recorded it, but there were no vocals
until John was asked if he’d like to contribute.
11/8/97
Tommy and Pam announce their second child, due around Christmas, will
be a boy they’ll name Dylan Jagger Lee. They say this will be their
last child as Tommy offers to have a vasectomy.
John and Bruce Kulick
announce they have commitment from a record label as they continue
writing more songs and jamming with an unnamed bass player. The name of
the band is still being decided upon with consideration given to the
thousand-or-so names submitted by fans on Bruce’s website. The Rod
Stewart tribute CD featuring John and Bruce is scheduled for release in
October, around the same time they’ll be in the studio to complete
recording, including updating songs already recorded. Their CD is
expected to be released very early next year.
16/8/97
As the next single Beauty is added to U.S. rock radio, Mötley’s World
Tour commences with two outdoor shows at the Ariake Rainbow Bridge in
Tokyo, Japan with Steve Vai and Zakk Wylde playing first. Plaques are
presented to the Crüe onstage for Platinum sales of Generation Swine in
Japan.
24/8/97
John attends the birthday party of Kiss bass player Gene Simmons at a
bowling alley, with members of his still unnamed band, Bruce Kulick,
Brent Fitz and new bass player James Hunting from Pasadena, California
who has previously worked with David Lee Roth. Metal Edge magazine
takes the first photos of the full line-up. Former Vince Neil Band
member Brent Woods also attends.
26/8/97
Conceptualisation of the stage set for Mötley’s upcoming North American
tour is almost finished and ready to be built. The show will be very
visual with lots of lasers and a theme of space and aliens. Their music
rehearsals are to begin in two weeks. Beauty is enjoying airplay on
U.S. Active Radio while U.S. Top 40 radio feels the track is too
aggressive and prefers to wait for next single Glitter. The band’s
latest album Generation Swine is certified Gold by the RIAA, having
sold half-a-million copies in the U.S.
29/8/97
Cheap Trick is announced as opening band for the forthcoming Mötley
tour. The Crüe believes they are one of the greatest bands of all time,
and have previously collaborated with them on songs and toured with
them.
9/9/97
Mötley flies in to Minneapolis on a private jet dubbed ‘Air Crüe’ to
begin nine separate press conferences in three days promoting the
forthcoming tour Mötley Crüe Vs The Earth. The tour is sponsored by
Apple Computers.
10/9/97
Mötley’s first Generation Swine U.S. press conference takes place at
8am in Minneapolis where hundreds of fans ask questions and obtain
autographs. They continue at the Hard Rock Café in Chicago at noon with
radio personality Mancow, followed by Detroit at 4pm. Tickets for the
tour will be available for purchase online two days before they go
on-sale anywhere else. Nikki announces the Crüe is setting up Swine
Interactive Network (SIN) through their official website. Fan Joseph J.
Bugajski will be traveling on the tour and uploading nightly real-time
concert footage and other imagery to the site from backstage under the
stage. The band is also encouraging fans to bootleg the shows by
allowing fans to bring video and audio recorders as well as cameras
into the venues. These recordings can be traded with other fans through
a trading post on S.I.N. Other features planned include Club Crüe where
DJ Larceny, real name Tommy Barger, will rock the arena with all kinds
of music and entertainment suspended from the ceiling in a round metal
cage, so fans can party while waiting for the bands to come on-stage. A
world-first, real-time Cyberjam is also planned where technology
permits, which will see a contest winner jamming with the Crüe from his
or her hometown, and projected on huge video screens during the show.
11/9/97
Press conferences continue at 8am in Cleveland, once again with a large
turnout of fans. The Hard Rock Café in New York City is next at noon,
where the first Cyberjam in history takes place. Rick Neilson and Tom
Peterson from Cheap Trick are beamed in from Kansas City and they jam
with Mick, demonstrating to the world’s press and TV some of the
cutting edge treats in store for fans this tour. The next press
conference is at the Boston Hard Rock Café at 5pm. A female banner
contest winner then flies Air Crüe with the Mötleys from Boston to
Philadelphia.
12/9/97
The final press conferences begin in Philadelphia at 8am, followed by
Cincinnati at noon and winding up with San Francisco later in the
afternoon.
Tommy’s lawyer Charles
English pleads innocent on behalf of Tommy to misdemeanour battery
following a confrontation with paparazzi cameraman Henry Trappler
almost a year ago on 29/9/96. Trappler is seeking unspecified damages,
claiming Tommy broke his hip when he threw him to the ground as he was
filming Tommy and Pam leaving the Viper Room nightclub. Tommy believes
the camera was two inches from his face and he was assaulted. Superior
Court Judge Elden Fox is told by Tommy’s lawyer that negotiations are
underway to settle civil and criminal claims. The jury trial is set to
start in October and will take on heightened visibility following the
death of Princess Diana, who was harassed by paparazzi prior to her
death a couple of weeks ago.
14/9/97
Tickets go on sale for the Mötley Crüe Vs The Earth tour with almost
every city selling upwards of fifty percent capacity in the first hour.
Promoters are keen to book more shows on the next leg of the tour, now
that all shows are expected to quickly sell-out. Nikki says the
percentage of tickets sold early through the Internet for the upcoming
tour was mind blowing.
The December issue of porn
magazine Hustler hits the streets in the U.S. with Mötley Crüe gracing
the cover.
22/9/97
Elektra’s lawyers meet with John, Nikki and Tommy in Los Angeles, to
discuss the lawsuit recently issued by John.
23/9/97
Tommy and Pam file a lawsuit in Los Angeles against Milton Ingley, whom
they claim is selling copies of one of their sex videos over the
Internet. Milton Ingley is the same man the Lees have long accused of
stealing the tape from their Malibu home two years ago while he was
doing construction work on the property. The lawsuit seeks unspecified
damages and criminal charges against Ingley.
24/9/97
A previously-unreleased collaboration of 2 Live Crew and Mötley Crüe
called Crew to Crüe is set to appear on a forthcoming compilation of
Two Live Crew’s soundtrack work called Goes To The Movies: A Decade Of
Hits. The song was recorded for the 1989 movie Hangin’ With The
Homeboys but a record company executive at Elektra Records wouldn’t let
Mötley Crüe put their name to it, so it was changed to Triple XXX.
26/9/97
Rehearsals in Los Angeles for the tour are now complete with promises
of the biggest show Mötley Crüe has ever done, without a doubt.
Resources for the tour travel by road to Cedar Rapids as the countdown
gets closer to the opening show in that town.
27/9/97
After Donna gives Nikki a family tree CD-ROM, he learns he has a
half-brother named Randy who is four years older than him. He tracks
him down at a vacation resort he runs in San Jose and learns that his
father died at Christmas in 1978. Nikki and Donna fly to San
Jose where they visit his grave, to help Nikki come to peace with his
father and the abandonment of him as a three-year-old boy. Donna videos
Nikki locating his tombstone in the cemetery and his barrage of abuse
he hurls at it to exorcise his resentment.
29/9/97
The Crüe flies to San Francisco to shoot some video footage for the
opening of the Mötley Crüe Vs The Earth tour. They also participate in
an America Online (AOL) live chat session with fans.
Vince’s new tiger stripes
tattoo is now complete, covering his whole back and neck. 1/10/97
A lawsuit is filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court by Vince’s former
attorneys Lavely & Singer Professional Corporation. The suit
against Vince, Nikki, Tommy, Mick, numerous Mötley Crüe business
entities, and their record label Elektra Entertainment Group over
monies due to the law firm, alleges they never received payment after
Vince hired them in 1992 to represent him after he was fired from the
band. According to the suit, the firm says that Vince agreed to pay
them the total sum of attorney’s fees and costs, which amounts to
$423,615.15, or one-third of the gross amount of the settlement or
judgment that Vince received from the lawsuit settled last year. After
the settlement, he was reinstated as the lead singer, and according to
the suit, the entities of Mötley Crüe agreed to pay his bill, but never
did.
3/10/97
Pamela takes Tommy to Mexico on a Lear jet for his birthday and they
spend three naked days together in a huge beach mansion before the
Mötley tour begins.
John’s new band has begun
pre-production for their debut album set for release by New York
independent label Mayhem Records early next year. Recording at Rumbo
Studios will begin in a couple of weeks with mixing scheduled for early
November. John, Bruce Kulick and Curt Cuomo are co-producing together.
Songs confirmed for the album to date include Old Man Wise, Try, Around
Again, Heavy D, October Morning Wind, Do You Think About Me and
Tangerine. Three more songs will be recorded for the album. Promotional
activities are set to begin shortly after the album’s completion,
including an extensive media tour that will take the band to twelve
U.S. cities. An extensive worldwide tour beginning shortly after the
album’s release is being planned that will include songs they have
written when in Mötley Crüe and Kiss, along with songs from John’s days
with The Scream.
10/10/97
The Crüe kick-starts their tour at the Five Seasons Centre in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa. Cheap Trick begins proceedings before a Crüe video intro
is shown on two forty-foot screens. The intro is footage from the 1956
black and white alien invasion movie Earth vs. the Flying Saucers mixed
with footage of the band, so it
appears the Crüe are piloting a flying saucer and blowing everything
up. Pyros blast as Find Myself opens the set. Nikki smashes his bass to
bits during his solo midway through the set, before flinging it skyward
where it explodes in a blaze of fireworks. His solo is inspired by his
recent learning of the passing of his father a decade ago, and features
video footage of him at his father’s grave with its headstone
inscription reading Frank S. Feranna. The solo’s backing soundscape was
constructed by Nikki on his computer with former Nine Inch Nails
drummer Chris Vrenna and tears well in his eyes as he performs it for
the first time.
The song Too Fast For Love
is played for the first time in about thirteen years. Tommy’s spaceman
magic act drum solo is unable to be performed due to early technical
glitches. The visual illusion act was developed by David Copperfield’s
people at MagicCraft and involves pre-recorded footage of Tommy
drumming along to Josh Wink’s dance track Higher State of Consciousness
that is projected onto a white curtain. Tommy takes photos of the crowd
from onstage with his digital camera for the official website and he
sings Brandon for the first encore, with a video montage shown behind
him. This gives time for Vince to prepare to be launched in a spaceship
for the singing of Home Sweet Home. He is lowered into the crowd during
the next song Anarchy in the U.K. where he is to be carried on the
shoulders of a security guard back to the stage for Helter Skelter,
sung to a video back drop of images of Charles Manson. Vince gets
mobbed and pushed into a ramp for the handicapped which sees him and
some fans tumble to the ground, where Vince has over
one-thousand-dollars-worth of jewelry ripped off him. A video scene
from the movie Pulp Fiction leads into Kickstart My Heart to end the
concert.
11/10/97
Keen to be at peak performance on the tour, Mötley makes a rule that
each time a band member is caught drunk or high they will be fined
$25,000. Random urine tests are administered to keep them in check and
Vince is soon busted.
15/10/97
The Mötley concert at the Rosemont in Chicago is cybercast live on the
Internet. A contest winning fan, Neil, located in a TV Station in
Detroit, performs the world’s first fan-based Cyberjam on stage with
the Crüe to Anarchy in the U.K. Vince chats to online fans backstage
after the show, as someone breaks into the tour bus and steals his
luggage. The thirty-eight-member crew and band travel on two tour
buses. Nikki’s wife Donna joins them on the bus for the first four
shows.
19/10/97
The decadence continues as a hardcore porn movie is aired on the large
video screens, showing a naked woman masturbating with a dildo and
performing fellatio on a guy, prior to Mötley hitting the stage at the
Pittsburgh Civic Arena. DJ Larceny leads the crowd in a chant for porn.
Before Nikki’s solo onstage, someone backstage says to him that they
are going to be arrested for its screening, so he leads the crowd in
chanting “Suck my ass - we’re Mötley Crüe, we can do what we want”.
Local police and the District Attorney say they will investigate and
file charges if evidence is found. Mötley’s management states it was an
unknown and unplanned showing likely to be a practical joke by someone.
20/10/97
John’s new band finally has a name: Union. Meanwhile, parents who
brought their kids to Mötley’s Pittsburgh show last night say they want
to press charges against the Crüe for showing a hardcore porn video,
and subsequently breaking Pennsylvanian law. Authorities are reviewing
the video screened to see whether charges may be filed.
26/10/97
Performing at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, Vince has an
altercation with a crowd member close to the front of the stage a few
songs into the set. Nikki swings his bass guitar at the guy. At the end
of the song, Vince challenges him to come up and settle it on stage.
Tommy leads the crowd in a chant of “wimp” when the guy declines. After
a few more songs, Vince dives at the guy in the crowd fists-first with
the microphone in his hand. He returns to stage after a few minutes
saying he’ll finish it later. The fan is then ejected from the venue.
28/10/97
In Greensboro, North Carolina, Vince walks off stage before the end of
Don’t Go Away Mad when a drink is thrown at him. He returns after a few
minutes to continue the set. Then after Home Sweet Home, the stage goes
dark with only a spotlight on Nikki who tells the crowd that was their
last song because security is treating fans unfairly. A huge, black
security guard had been asked to stop pushing fans but refused,
continuing to hit girls. A guy had been pulled by security from the
crowd and beaten by ten or so guards. Nikki enters into a verbal
barrage with the security guard, calling him a nigger and then
proceeding to tell the noisy crowd to kick the ass of the security
guards to see how they like it. After asking the crowd if they want to
hear more, the Crüe plays for another twenty minutes to complete their
set. Many vicious fights occur in the crowd during the night, leaving
the floor blood stained.
30/10/97
Nikki consults a sports doctor about damage to his knee from a jump on
stage in Charlotte the previous night. He can barely walk and it
becomes more painful, swollen and stiff overnight. X-rays show no
broken bones or torn ligaments, but it is feared he has a torn
cartilage. Fluid is drained and he is injected with cortisone to help
relieve the pain.
31/10/97
Prior to Mötley’s Halloween show in Tampa, Florida, Nikki has further
x-rays that reveal no tear to his knee cartilage but some bone damage.
He is told to take it easy onstage for a few weeks to prevent the bone
from dying, which would require surgery.
3/11/97
The Crüe has a day-off from touring in Orlando, Florida. Nikki spends
the day with his kids on a VIP Tour at Disney World. Tommy flies back
to Los Angeles to be with Pamela and Brandon, as Seattle-based company
Internet Entertainment Group, Inc. (IEG) says the complete home-video
tape of Tommy and Pam having sex will be available free of charge to
subscribers to its clublove.com and freelivesex.com interactive
websites starting in four days.
Mötley once again hits the
U.S. newsstands; this time in an eight-page feature in the January ‘98
issue of Tattoo Magazine.
6/11/97
A Californian judge refuses to grant Tommy and Pam their cease and
desist order in attempting to bar IEG from online broadcasting of their
stolen home-video, pending the outcome of the Lee’s lawsuit against IEG
for invasion of privacy and receiving stolen property.
7/11/97
IEG broadcasts the stolen Tommy and Pamela home-video online for about
five hours, before Tommy and Pam agree to binding arbitration by a
private judge of their lawsuit, to decide whether their rights are
being violated by the broadcast of the tape.
10/11/97
In Texas, where Tommy’s wife Pamela catches her first touring Crüe
show, Mötley helps an animal shelter called The Exotic Cat Refuge and
Wildlife Orphanage with $5,000, being a donation from every Texan
concert ticket sold. A jaguar called Czar from this refuge starred in
the filming of the Crüe’s video clip for their hit song Without You.
Nikki says he and wife
Donna, who recently ran some green dye through Nikki’s hair, are
planning to have a child together soon. Nikki also says he’s determined
to take Donna to Africa in January to get re-married for a third time.
15/11/97
In Carbondale, Illinois, over a hundred angry young blacks protest
outside the Crüe’s concert following Nikki’s nigger comments during the
band’s recent Greensboro show. Nikki takes a moment on stage to clarify
he is not a racist.
16/11/97
After completing the recording of their debut album, John and his band
Union fly to Toronto, Canada for a weekend Kiss Expo and acoustic radio
promo performance. They receive a great response from the crowd after
playing their songs Old Man Wise and Let It Flow.
17/11/97
Tommy and Nikki brainstorm ideas with their manager Allen Kovac on the
tour bus as they head for Columbus, Ohio. Outcomes of major meetings
held later in the day reveal recording of a new studio album will begin
when Mötley hits the road again for a two-month second leg, on the
first day of February next year. Recording is expected to be completed
by April Fools’ Day in readiness for a mid-year release followed by
more touring. Songs for the album are currently being written by the
band using Studio Vision software on their Mac laptops in between shows
on the tour.
Elektra Records dries up
their cash-flow payments to the Crüe as an attempt to drive them into
debt and hopefully break the band up, so they are owed $12 million.
Mötley do their best to make Elektra despise them, so they will pay
them out the $12 million left on their record contract instead.
18/11/97
In Columbus, Ohio, hundreds of fans rush the stage during Helter
Skelter after Nikki says he had a wish that the crowd would do anything
they want for the last two songs. They stay there until the end of the
following song Kickstart My Heart that winds-up the set. The band and
long-term music industry workers say they have never seen anything like
it before. The live footage in the video for Wild Side was shot in this
same venue ten years earlier.
19/11/97
Union returns to the studio to mix the final track Robin’s Song for
their upcoming album. The song is a letter to John’s ex-girlfriend who
married another man just four days after leaving him.
22/11/97
Cheap Trick plays their final show in support of Mötley Crüe for this
tour in Des Moines, Iowa. To the Crüe’s delight, their guitarist Rick
Nielson gives all the Mötley band members a skull sweater like the ones
he wears.
25/11/97
Mötley Crüe has the honour of playing the final concert at the Aladdin
Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada before its demolition. The night begins to
run out of control when women climb on stage and flash before Tommy’s
video camera, after he asks all the girls to, “Bust them out.” Chaos
erupts during Primal Scream and the stage is invaded by the crowd. A
guy runs at Mick from behind in an attempt to grab his top hat, but
knocks him to the ground, slamming his head against the stage. The show
is temporarily stopped while the offending crowd member is taken
backstage and the rest of the crowd dispersed from the stage. Vince is
also punched during the incident. Mick is reluctant to return to the
stage as a paramedic checks him out backstage. In later years, Mick
says it was his scariest encounter with a fan. Four people are sent to
hospital with relatively minor injuries and there are no resulting
arrests. The band is told the next day that every building in the
complex EXCEPT the theatre they played in is being demolished, so the
Crüe is hit with the huge cleanup bill for walls, seats, personal
injuries, etc.
28/11/97
A band called Feeb featuring Tommy’s brother-in-law Gerry Anderson
opens for Mötley Crüe in San Diego, California. Tommy’s sister Athena
performs next with her band Krunk before the Crüe takes the stage.
1/12/97
Mötley Crüe is flown to San Francisco for their show tomorrow in the
Gulfstream jet of a friend of Vince’s. He plans to take them to their
next concert in Boise, Idaho following their San Francisco and
Sacramento shows.
2/12/97
After the band’s show in San Francisco, Vince heads out for a drink at
a strip club before heading back to his hotel. Nikki calls his room
demanding he pays his fine of $25,000 after the taxi driver informed
him that Vince had been drinking the night before, and Vince tells him
to shove it. Tired of not being allowed to have fun in the way he wants
and not enjoying playing the new Swine songs live, Vince feels he would
be better on his own, so he tells Tommy and Mick in the hotel lobby as
they prepare to leave for Boise, Idaho that he will be finishing with
the band at the end of the tour in nine days. While Nikki stands with
wife Donna and his grandfather Tom at concierge, Vince tells him that
he will be quitting as he has had enough. When Nikki asks him if it is
because he can’t be honest, Vince tells him where to go and quits
Mötley on the spot. Nikki punches Vince with an uppercut to the face
before throwing him to the ground and digging his fingernails into
Vince’s neck saying that he will rip his vocal chords out. Tommy and
Mick initially don’t let anybody break it up, preferring to let them
get it out of their systems. When the fight breaks up, Vince walks out
of the hotel foyer and heads to the hotel of his pilot friend so he can
be taken back to Los Angeles.
When Vince arrives at the
airport, he walks past the rest of the band with his pilot friend and
tells them to wait. He gets on board and shuts the door before
proceeding to flip them the bird from behind his window. When Mötley’s
Tour Manager Nick Cua knocks on the door to see if the situation can be
resolved, Vince says he’s going home, which he does after he has some
drinks at the Peninsula Hotel first. The rest of Mötley waits for eight
hours at the airport before they can get on a commercial flight back to
Los Angeles.
Tommy also finds the current
tour to be too much for him as he recognises that the passion for the
Crüe’s music that he has always felt is no longer there. He has not
been comfortable with the direction of Mötley since Vince replaced John
in the band and this new incident only strengthens how he feels.
John and Bruce Kulick from
Union participate in an online chat at The Electric Village. They say
their album will probably be self-titled and include a bonus track or
two on releases in Europe and Japan. The first single is scheduled for
release next month, followed by the album on February 24, when they
will perform some acoustic radio promotions. The album’s final track
listing is: Old Man Wise, Around Again, Pain Behind Your Eyes, Love (I
Don’t Need It Anymore), Heavy D, Let It Flow, Empty Soul (previously
titled Try), October Morning Wind, Get Off My Cloud, Tangerine, and
Robin’s Song.
John sings the tracks
Gasoline Alley and Maggie May on the newly released Victor Records Rod
Stewart tribute album titled Forever Mod. Other artists appearing
include Steven Pearcy, Eddie Money, Robin McAuley, Paul Shortino, Jani
Lane, Spike, Jeff Pilson, Gilby Clarke, Eric Singer and Sebastian Bach
with The Last Hard Men.
3/12/97
Tommy and Pamela reluctantly reach an agreement with Internet
Entertainment Group before the arbitration process begins to decide
whether online public broadcast of their stolen home-video is legal,
and drop their attempt to bar its viewing on the Internet. The
agreement allows IEG a one-off broadcast online and no rights to do
anything else with the tape but return it. The legal battle adds
another strain to their marriage, along with raising a young son while
pregnant and their hectic career schedules, not to mention the constant
paparazzi pressure they are subject to.
5/12/97
Mötley cancels their show in Boise, Idaho, telling the public that
their private plane is unable to make it there due to bad weather.
After spending a couple of days doing what he feels like, Vince meets
with Nikki in their management’s offices. He gets a lot of issues off
his chest that have built-up inside since the first time he was out of
the band five years ago. He tells Nikki that he runs the band like a
dictator and is condescending to everyone, while Nikki tells Vince that
his lying about drinking only causes the band members to resent him
while they are working to help cover his debts. They compromise and
agree to listen to each other more, as they develop a greater
understanding of each other. Following this conversation, Nikki and
Vince become the closest they’ve been in the last seventeen years. The
Boise concert is rescheduled for two days time, after their show
tomorrow in Salt Lake City.
10/12/97
More rioting takes place at a Mötley Crüe concert when halfway during
the band’s show at America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, Tommy starts
cussing the heavy-handed security and tells them to leave the fans
alone; which they do. During the encore, security once again mistreats
fans, so Tommy runs to the front of the stage where he says to get the
security out of here. After an invitation, the crowd swamps the stage
causing $15,000 worth of damage to over three hundred chairs, plus
damage to a lot of stage equipment. Eighteen-year-old security guard
Kenneth Lee Chambers is allegedly hit in the back of the head by
Tommy’s forearm and then kicked by Nikki. About one hundred local
Maricopa County sheriffs arrive in full riot gear to restore order.
They handcuff Tommy, Nikki and Vince before placing them in the Police
Department’s cell at the arena. Tommy and Nikki are then taken to a
downtown Phoenix jail where they are booked on one count each of
misdemeanour assault and fingerprinted, before having mug shots taken.
They are released in the small hours of the morning after spending the
first few hours of Nikki’s thirty-ninth birthday together behind bars,
telling jokes and eating peanut butter sandwiches. Ten people suffer
minor injuries and are treated and released at the arena. TV news in
America shows their mug shots and footage of Nikki kicking. Tommy and
Nikki are expected back in Phoenix in January to face charges.
12/12/97
The Crüe plays their final show of the Mötley Crüe Vs The Earth tour in
Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have forty pounds of flour dropped on
Nikki as he sings the verse of the first song Find Myself. Later in the
show, a birthday cake in the shape of two giant tits is slammed into
his face.
The plan of a second leg of
the tour anticipated for next year is dropped in favour of hitting the
studio to record a new album. The next live Crüe shows are expected to
occur in the middle of next year.
Upon returning from the
tour, Vince checks into a Malibu rehab facility and quits drinking
again. Vince is also going through personal bankruptcy and needs to
come up with a large lump sum to keep his creditors at bay before they
foreclose on his assets, which includes some of those co-owned by
Mötley Crüe.
29/12/97
The second boy for Tommy and Pamela is born and named Dylan Jagger Lee,
aka DJ. Weighing 6lbs 14oz, he is born at 11:20am in their Malibu
bedroom, underwater in their bathtub with candles and soft music
playing. Dylan is named after musicians Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger.
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