In a recent interview with Ultimate Guitar, drum legend Carmine Appice discussed his relationship with Mick Mars and his exit from Mötley Crüe.
Appice shared his opinion on Mars‘ exit from Mötley Crüe, saying: “Well, I tell you what I’ve been talking to Mick, and he told me, ‘When I was on the Stadium Tour, I was not happy.’ Basically, everything was on tape; it was all planned out and ultimately a lot of crap. And Mick is a pretty good player, and so, to now let him loose and play the way he wants, that was never going to work for him.
“The truth is that everything has been weird for a while with Mötley Crüe, and Mick didn’t like that everything was on tape. Mick told me that people that came to see it could tell that it was all pre-recorded and that everything was on tape.
“When you play in a stadium like that, you can hear a lot of things come to the monitors or what doesn’t. And with Vince‘s vocals, bass, drums, guitars, and all the other stuff, it was obvious that it was all on tape. And Mick was pissed off and said, ‘I can play these things. I want to play them. I don’t want to make believe I’m playing them.’ So, I think that’s one of the reasons why he said, ‘I’m done.’ Sure, the disease that he has doesn’t help, and it doesn’t make life easy on tour, but Mick can play all the licks, and he was allowed to.”
“He had his own means of travel and would travel alone on a bus while the other guys flew everywhere. He said, ‘Man, these guys are pissing their money away, flying to every gig.’ They were all busy still trying to be rock stars, and Mick just wanted to play the music. Mick wasn’t interested in wasting time and money flying everywhere, so he traveled by bus.
“Their lifestyles are different than his, and so there were a lot of disagreements. I think he was just done. They were supposed to have done their last tour, and then they came back. Then they did the Stadium Tour, and that was apparently supposed to be the last. So, when they came back again, he said, ‘You can do it. I’m not going out with you for this.’
As previously reported, Mick Mars has officially retired from touring with Mötley Crüe due to worsening health issues. He will still remain a member of the band, but will not participate in any touring activities. John 5 has been named as his replacement.
After their American stadium tour in 2022, rock bands Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe will go on a worldwide tour in 2023.
The tour began on Saturday, February 18, 2023 at Mexico City’s Foro Sol and will make stops throughout Latin America before heading to Europe in May 2023. Some of the notable locations include Wembley Stadium on Saturday, July 1, 2023 as well as Glasgow’s Hampden Park on July 6, 2023. Additional shows for 2023 are expected to be announced soon.