Forty-five years into a career defined by excess, drama, and chart-topping anthems, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee says the bond between the band members has reached an all-time high. In a new interview with Bonnie Laufer, the rhythm keeper opened up about the band’s surprising longevity, their refusal to “phone it in,” and the energizing arrival of guitarist John 5.
When asked to identify the “secret” behind the band’s ability to survive for four and a half decades, Lee admitted that he is often just as baffled as the fans.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. I pinch myself on a daily basis. Truly,” Lee said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “The fact that we’re all still here doing this, and our fans are so awesome. They’ve stuck with us. We’re all very fortunate and blessed because this doesn’t happen very often. It just doesn’t.”
Lee explained that he actively pushes his bandmates to evolve their live delivery rather than resting on their past glory.
“I’m always looking for some way to update it. I would play it differently now than I did when we recorded it,” Lee noted. “So I’m always constantly pushing the band to, like, ‘Let’s do a new version of this,’ even though some people wanna hear the original version… we, as artists, we gotta keep it fresh too. There’s nothing worse than watching a band phone it in.”
The dynamic within the group shifted significantly following the departure of founding guitarist Mick Mars and the recruitment of John 5. According to Lee, this lineup change didn’t just fill a vacancy; it revitalized the entire unit.
“With all due respect to Mick Mars, when [John 5] came in, he lit a fire under everybody. It was just this new energy, new fire. So I can tell you that that’s been really inspirational. And we feed off that — we all feed off that.”
This injection of new blood has apparently healed old wounds and tightened the ranks. “We’re actually closer now than we’ve ever been,” Lee confirmed.
The band will need that camaraderie as they prepare for a massive summer. In 2026, Mötley Crüe will launch “The Return Of Carnival Of Sins” tour, a trek that celebrates both their 45th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of their spectacular 2005-2006 touring cycle.
Produced by Live Nation, the 33-city run kicks off on July 17, 2026, in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, at the Pavilion at Star Lake. Support for the tour will come from rock heavyweights Extreme and Tesla.
