Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx has strongly denied persistent rumors claiming that the veteran rock group relies on pre-recorded tracks instead of performing live on stage.
Addressing the controversy directly during a fan question-and-answer session on X (formerly Twitter), Nikki Sixx clarified how the band handles their live sound and why certain studio elements are integrated into their concerts.
When asked by a fan why Mötley Crüe utilizes backing tracks during their performances, Nikki Sixx responded:
“Since we saw Queen using some to help during the song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘ live, we understood that we could bring in elements that we could not do live like orchestras, saxophones, etc., etc. and sync them up with what we are playing and we do play 100% live. And it’s better for the fans and we enjoy being able to do what we did in the Studio live. It’s a win win for us.”
Addressing another fan who questioned why the band does not perform entirely live, the bassist shut down the claim completely, writing:
“We do. You were lied to. Sorry.”
Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 recently shut down rumors suggesting that members of the iconic rock band do not perform their parts live on stage.
Speaking recently on the “Thinking About Guitar” podcast, John said: “I’m so glad you brought that up, and people don’t wanna talk about it, but I’m so glad you brought it up, because here’s the thing. I’ve always said, ’cause there was this talk that was going on for so long, like, ‘Oh, this person’s not playing live,’ or, ‘That person’s not playing live.’ Everything — Nikki [Sixx] is playing every note up there, but it’s so funny that people don’t wanna accept that. They’ll be, like, ‘Oh, his hands aren’t even on the bass,’ and it’ll be up in the air. But it’s, like, he’s fretting a note, or it’s he’ll have this arm up, but he’s picking with this hand. But people don’t understand that. Nikki plays every single note on that stage. He messes up. You can hear mistakes. Tommy [Lee] plays everything. I play everything. Vince [Neil] is singing. And I think people just don’t wanna hear that. I don’t understand why people don’t want to accept that, but we work really hard, and the live tracks, they sound great. We play. I listen to these songs, these tracks back, and I’m, like, ‘This sounds really great.’ And that’s ’cause we work hard at it. And that’s it. Everybody plays everything.”
John openly acknowledged that the band utilizes specific pre-recorded elements to bolster the sonic scale of their massive stadium productions.
“Listen, there’s backups [backing vocals] that are on track. Of course, there’s backups pumped in, there’s sirens pumped in, there is intros pumped in, but all the music that we’re playing is being performed by us. And I’m up there singing backups, and Nikki‘s singing backups, and we do our best, and it’s probably… I’m not a singer. I’ve played with some of the greatest singers in the world, but I’m doing my best with backups. But, yeah, we play all of that stuff, and I’m proud of that. I’m proud of that. And everybody just works really hard.”
The controversy surrounding Mötley Crüe‘s live performance authenticity reached a boiling point following the retirement of founding guitarist Mick Mars from the road in October 2022 due to his progressive battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis. In an April 2023 lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County’s Superior Court over corporate business holdings, Mick Mars alleged that he was the only member playing 100 percent live during the band’s 2022 stadium tour, claiming that Nikki Sixx did not play a single live bass note.
In June 2023, Nikki Sixx strongly refuted those allegations in an interview with journalist of U.K.’s Metro Jen Thomas, calling the claims a legal fabrication.
“Imagine being in a rock’n’roll band for 42 years and some guy in a suit puts out that the band doesn’t play,” Nikki stated at the time. “The silliest thing is, because of the way a lot of media is these days, they don’t cross-check. They just run with headlines and we call it clickbait. I mean, that’s about as silly as it gets.”
The band’s long-time manager, Allen Kovac, also defended the group’s performance history, characterizing the lawsuit’s claims as a leverage-seeking smear campaign. Allen Kovac clarified that while pre-recorded studio-layered “gang vocals” are mixed in behind the touring backing vocalists—a standard practice for major stadium acts—the core instrumental parts remain entirely live. Conversely, Allen Kovac alleged that Mick Mars’s own performance reliability had declined due to his illness, occasionally forcing sound engineers to correct the live mix when errors occurred to keep the arrangement unified with co-headliners like Def Leppard.
Former Mötley Crüe frontman John Corabi, who fronted the band in the 1990s, also weighed in on the technological realities during an August 2023 chat with Cassius Morris. While John Corabi explained that he had not seen the band live in decades and could not speak directly to recent tours, he noted that the group did utilize pre-recorded audio enhancements during his era to replicate complex studio arrangements, such as the 53-piece orchestra required for the live rendition of the song “Misunderstood“. However, he maintained that the fundamental group instrumentation during his tenure was consistently executed live by the members on stage.
Larkin addressed the situation during a Facebook Live stream on June 29, saying he regretted singling Sixx out while making a broader point about click tracks and pre-recorded elements at live shows. According to Larkin, he never meant it as a personal shot or a play for attention.
The drummer explained how a general observation turned into a headline-grabbing spat.
“And so I put my two cents in it, and then where I messed up and started this f**king drama is I used Nikki Sixx as an example of someone that I’ve seen singing at a mic and then walking away from it and his vocal’s still going or whatever, or the bass thing, whatever it is,” he said at the time. “And I called him out, I guess, but I didn’t… Like I said, it was taken out of context because I was talking about the whole thing and then I kind of said, ‘Like Nikki Sixx does when he’s at the mic.’”
Larkin then spoke directly to the Mötley Crüe icon, framing his apology as an open letter.
“So I wanna make an open letter to Nikki Sixx,” he continued. “And I’m looking at Nikki Sixx, I’m looking at you, and I’m talking to you. You’ll probably never see this. And I didn’t think you’d ever even respond or hopefully wouldn’t see the thing, but I had nothing to do with that.”
He added: “That’s why I’m apologizing. I was not doing that to attack you. I had f**king your first record on Leathür Records [Mötley Crüe‘s original record label]. I have nothing but respect for you. You’re a legend, and you deserve all the accolades that you’ve gotten and every award and all those gold records, platinum records, all that s**t — you deserve all that.”
He continued: “I made the mistake, which I’m apologizing for, sincerely too. Look at my eyes talking to you, because I’m sorry. I used you as an example. I’m one of those guys that’s I’m on the… I don’t do the tracks, but I have nothing against bands that do. And f**k, 80% of bands probably run the tracks. I don’t give a f**k.”
The apology landed just days after Sixx hit back at Larkin on X (formerly Twitter), taking aim at musicians he said spend more time talking about Mötley Crüe than writing memorable songs of their own.
Nikki wrote: “Who’s this Shannon Larkin hater?
“It’s funny how so many B- and C-level bands seem to spend more time talking about us than writing songs people actually remember. Maybe it’s jealousy, maybe it’s insecurity, maybe ticket sales are a little slow. Either way, borrowing someone else’s spotlight has never been much of a long-term career strategy.”
“I genuinely feel for musicians who never figured out that the best publicity is writing great songs — over and over again, decade after decade for fans not critics.”
“It reminds me of the endless bimbo podcast crowd that builds an audience by talking about everyone else instead of creating something worth talking about.”
“Anyway, maybe he’s [sic] needs to take a nap before he does more press.”
The dust-up began during a June 19 livestream on Larkin‘s YouTube channel, where he defended Godsmack‘s decision to bring in ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini and explained why the band performs without click tracks. It was there that he pointed to Sixx and Mötley Crüe as an example.
Larkin was discussing how Godsmack‘s refusal to use click tracks or backing tracks shapes the feel of their live show when he turned his attention to Sixx.
“And so what I try to explain to people about tempo and when you’re not a band that’s a click-track, backing-track kind of band. So Godsmack uses no click tracks, no backing tracks. It’s a thing that a lot of other musicians talk about too, I notice now. I’m really noticing it. We’ve been saying it for years as we watched the advent of everybody started adding some, the rhythm guitar or something being played, but there isn’t a guy behind the amps playing it. It’s on a track. Oh, it’s a new thing, kinda. And backups, you see Nikki Sixx up there [with Mötley Crüe]. He’s not really singing, he looks away, but you still hear his voice. Well, it’s a track playing. But in order for those things to happen, the band has to be on a click track — and the band doesn’t have to. It’s just us, the drummer. We’re on a click, so it’s always the same every night. So it’s a homogenization of what used to be the dangerous feeling of a rock show — dangerous from the band’s aspect on stage too. You don’t know what’s gonna go on,” he said at the time.
While standing by his own preference for playing without tracks, Larkin stressed he holds nothing against bands that use them, and that he never wanted the moment blown up.
“I wasn’t trying to get publicity, and you’re so famous, though, that I mentioned you in a sentence just as an example, and I shouldn’t have done that ’cause people take the track thing negatively,” Larkin continued. “But I was being on the fence about the whole issue and just giving my opinion on what I felt. I feel it takes the danger out of it.”
Later in the stream, he made clear he wanted the whole thing over with.
“I don’t like beefs,” he said. “I don’t like that L.A. f**king, like how you guys all hate each other and s**t. And then — I don’t know. Beefs suck, and I don’t want to be in a beef. And I didn’t do this for f**king publicity. I don’t give a f**k.”
He closed with a final word to Sixx.
“I hope you see it and just f**king take me for real and know that I am sorry for saying it, for using you like that. But it wasn’t for what you think it was for, for this f**king press and attention… I was not starting s**t… And so, for what it’s worth, you don’t know who I am, but you can sleep at night knowing I do respect you, and I didn’t mean to call you out like that. That was bulls**t. Anyway, f**k it. I’m done. I’ve been talking to you, man, and I’m sorry. And that’s the truth,” he concluded.
