Heavy metal band Motley Crue were so dedicated to never tour together again after they finished their “final” tour in 2015 that they even signed a “cessation of touring” agreement. Now, the group is back with an explosive announcement, literally. They released a video showing the contract being blown up and announced a 2020 stadium tour with Poison and Def Leppard.
The video does not include any new footage of the band together, but it was narrated by Machine Gun Kelly, who played drummer Tommy Lee in The Dirt. Following footage of the 2014 press conference in which they signed the contract and a flurry of tweets begging them to reunite, the contract is seen being blown up and busting into flames.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Since playing Tommy Lee in The Dirt, so many of my fans have said how they wish they could’ve seen the real Mötley Crüe play live,” Machine Gun Kelly said in a statement. “I never thought I would see the day when this would become a reality. But the fans spoke and Mötley Crüe listened!”
Back in 2014, the group signed a “cessation of touring” agreement that supposedly banned them from ever touring together under the Motley Crue name ever again. Lee, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Vince Neil then headed out on the Motley Crue Final Tour, which included 158 shows and ended with an epic three-night stand at Los Angeles’ Staples Center in December 2015.
In 2014, Sixx made it very clear to Rolling Stone that the group would never do another tour. The only way one would happen is if all four original band members wanted to do it.
“If anybody ever — and I don’t believe anybody ever would — would call any other band members and say, ‘Hey, it’s been 10 years, let’s just do 10 shows. A million a pop,’ it could never happen unless all four band members agreed,” Sixx explained. “And if we did agree, the way we’ve set it up — including this conversation right now — we’d have so much egg on our face. We have so much pride that that alone would stop it.”
In a press release Monday, the group credited The Dirt with reinvigorating interest in their work. The biopic, which was released on Netflix in March, was based on The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band. Douglas Booth starred as Sixx, with Iwan Rheon as Mars and Daniel Webber as Neil. Although the film was lambasted by critics, it has a 95% fresh rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
The 2020 tour itinerary was not released. Def Leppard previously toured with the group in 2011, while Poison and Def Leppard toured in 2017.
Photo credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
