Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil made headlines last week, when he played his first show since the pandemic began and had to end the event early. After 14 songs, with fatigue setting in, Neil told the crowd "Hey, guys… I'm sorry, you guys. It's been a long time playin'. My fuckin' voice is gone… Eh… We love you, and we'll hopefully see you next time, man. Take care." Naturally, for fans with expensive tickets to the band's 2022 reunion tour, it was cause for concern.
Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, who will be touring alongside Crue next summer, is not too concerned. Collen is somebody who has always been in tip-top shape, so his optimism is welcomed.
Collen gave Neil the benefit of the doubt in a recent interview with The Jeremy White Podcast. When Collen was asked if he had seen the footage, Collen responded
“I heard about it. Hey, look, he’s got a year [to get ready for ‘The Stadium Tour’]. There’s a lot at stake when you go out [on tour], and you wanna be your best. Hopefully we’ll be working out together and all that stuff. That’s the other thing — we do have a camaraderie, especially with Mötley Crüe. With Nikki [Sixx], we were talking just before the tour [was announced], like, ‘We’re gonna work out together. We’re gonna do all this stuff.’
“One of the things I learned from touring with KISS is that they really go a hundred percent about the show and every aspect of the show, [including when] different bands are touring together. Our crews would be working together on the KISS tour so the show would look great. And I do feel a thing with that. If the show is even better [for the other band], then it’s even better for all of us; you want that to happen.
“With Vince, he’s got a year to go. Hopefully everything is cool by then. I hope so. Fingers crossed.”
Neil went viral two years ago for a slurring Cameo video. When the Motley Crue reunion tour was announced a few years ago, it was rumored that the promoter's contract for this Crue reunion tour stated the Neil had to lose weight and enter rehab to get the guarantee that Live Nation was offering. Perhaps that rumor was true? Or even if it wasn't the band is taking their fitness seriously. And I would hope so! Neil has been mocked mercilessly for some less than stellar performances in recent years.
Motley Crue's longtime business manager Allen Kovac expanded on what Sixx was saying in an interview with Fox Business a few weeks ago, saying Vince will shut down the haters: “Some of them are working with a trainer, some of them are working with a nutritionist to make themselves the best they can be,” he adds. “The greatest insecurity for an artist is: Is anyone going to care about my music? Is anyone going to buy a ticket? We were in November when the discussions were happening, and these guys were already into regimens of how they get ready for a tour.”
Here are the scheduled dates:
6/16 – Atlanta, GA @ Suntrust Park [Tickets]
6/18 – Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium [Tickets]
6/19 – Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium [Tickets]
6/22 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park [Tickets]
6/24 – Queens, NY @ Citi Field [Tickets]
6/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park [Tickets]
6/28 – Charlotte, NC @ Bank Of America Stadium [Tickets]
6/30 – Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium [Tickets]
7/2 – Jacksonville, FL @ TIAA Bank Field [Tickets]
7/5 – St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium [Tickets]
7/8 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field [Tickets]
7/10 – Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park [Tickets]
7/12 – Hershey, PA @ Hershey Park Stadium [Tickets]
7/14 – Cleveland, OH @ First Energy Stadium [Tickets]
7/15 – Cincinnati, OH @ Great American Ballpark [Tickets]
7/17 – Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Field [Tickets]
7/19 – Kansas City, MO @ Kauffman Stadium [Tickets]
7/21 – Denver, CO @ Coors Field [Tickets]
8/5 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park [Tickets]
8/6 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Parl [Tickets]
8/10 – Buffalo, NY @ New Era Field [Tickets]
8/12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PNC Park [Tickets]
8/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium [Tickets]
8/19 – Houston, TX @ Minute Maid Park [Tickets]
8/21 – San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome [Tickets]
8/22 – Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Park [Tickets]
8/27 – Inglewood, CA @ Sofi Stadium [Tickets]
8/28 – San Diego, CA @ Petco Park [Tickets]
8/31 – Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park [Tickets]
9/7 – San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park [Tickets]
