Motley Crue Announces First US Shows With John 5
Motley Crue and Def Leppard have announced a pair of comparatively intimate U.S. shows for February 2023 before they embark on their mammoth world tour.
The rockers will post up in Atlantic City, N.J., for two consecutive nights at the Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena on Feb. 10 and 11. The 7,000-capacity venue is much smaller than the stadiums they'll be visiting across Latin America and Europe, beginning on Feb. 18 in Mexico City and running through July 6 in Glasgow. Motley Crue and Def Leppard co-headlined the similarly huge Stadium Tour in 2022, storming North America with help from Poison, Joan Jett and Classless Act.
Presales for the Atlantic City dates begin on Tuesday, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday.
The Atlantic City shows are, for the time being, the only U.S. shows on Motley Crue and Def Leppard's 2023 itineraries. They'll also mark the first Motley Crue shows with new touring guitarist John 5, who will replace Mick Mars in light of the guitarist's retirement from the road.
Mars announced his retirement from touring last month, citing his decades-long battle with ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic, inflammatory form of arthritis that has gradually impaired his movement. "While change is never easy, we accept Mick's decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health," Motley Crue wrote in a statement. "No doubt will it take an absolutely outstanding musician to fill Mick's shoes, so we are grateful that our good friend John 5 has agreed to come on board and join us moving forward." The band clarified that "Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road."
Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx praised 5 on Twitter shortly after his enlistment was announced. "He checks all the boxes," Sixx wrote. "He's [an] insane player. Has respect for our music, is funny as fuck and has history with us and we've written some pretty big hits together."