Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil has fired back at guitarist Mick Mars over his claims that the band relies on backing tracks during live shows, asserting that Mars was the only member who needed them.
Mars, who retired from touring in October 2022 due to health issues, previously alleged that during the 2022 Stadium Tour, “Nikki [Sixx] didn’t play a single note on bass” and that portions of Neil’s vocals and Tommy Lee’s drumming were pre-recorded. The guitarist also filed a lawsuit in 2023, claiming his longtime bandmates attempted to diminish his role and strip him of his 25% ownership stake.
Neil told the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “No, we never did that, ever. It was Mick Mars who got pissed off, because we fired him, basically. But his whole thing was that I don’t sing any of the lyrics, Nikki doesn’t play his bass, and Tommy doesn’t play his drums. And we’re like, ‘What the f**k is he talking about? Because he was the only one on tape, because he kept f**king stuff up, so we had him on tape.’
“When he started going off on some weird tangent, our sound guy just turned him off and turned the tape on. The only thing about that was that it was all in Mick Mars’ head.”
The statement comes after Nikki Sixx also publicly responded to Mars, calling his claims a “crazy betrayal” in an X post: “Read this @latimes article and find out how Mick Mars lied to you to try and hurt the band. Why would he betray you and us? Money? Wow—read it and find out what happened to him and his dirty lawyers in arbitration. I’m actually ashamed of him. So should you be too—more to be revealed soon.”
This is a claim the Mötley Crüe camp has vehemently and consistently denied. The band’s attorney, Sasha Frid, recently stated that the claim was even refuted by Mars‘s own legal team. “Even Mars‘s expert witness in the litigation, who Mars hired and who reviewed hours of footage, agreed and said that the band played live while performing. He disputed Mars‘s own claims,” Frid said.
