Although initially signing a contract of sorts that they won’t ever tour again, Mötley Crüe announced a comeback tour in late 2019. The tour was, obviously, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but it’s planned to kick off this June. After two postponements, many were worried about whether the tour will even happen. But knowing that we’re already about halfway into the month of May, it’s safe to say that stars have indeed aligned and that Crüe will manage to pull off their tour with Def Leppard.
However, there’s another potential problem. No, it’s not another looming pandemic but rather Vince Neil’s shape. Like it or not, it’s no secret that countless rock fans have noticed that the Crüe singer isn’t exactly in the form that’s expected of a classic heavy metal singer. And it’s not just about his vocals, but his appearance, stage performance, and overall fitness levels.
During a recent interview on the KSHE 95 radio station, Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen was asked about Vince Neil’s shape. After all, Phil is in incredible shape, so he’s most certainly qualified to discuss the matter. When asked whether he’s concerned about Vince’s ability to perform, he said (transcript via Blabbermouth):
“No. I talk to Nikki Sixx all the time. We’re friends. And I’ve known Vince forever. He’s gonna be part of our team. The way I look at this whole thing… We wanna take this tour to the rest of the world — in Europe, Australia, Japan, all over the place, South America — so it’s really important that everyone is part of the team. And we’re inspired. Me and Joe [Elliott] — actually, all the guys — we’re on the phone, and we start rehearsing in about a week.”
“So, no. I think that Mötley Crüe are gonna be part of that team, as are [support acts] Poison and Joan Jett. We all stand as one.”
Collen also added:
“I can’t wait till we get out there. And hopefully, Vince will be working out. We’ve got a trainer coming out. Yeah, it’s gonna be really cool.”
Last year in May, Vince Neil got into the spotlight after he was unable to finish a live performance in Iowa. For this show, he focused on Mötley Crüe songs but completely lost his voice. You can check out a brief fan-filmed clip of the performance below:
Other reasons for fans’ concerns include a few other videos shared online, including an early 2020 Cameo clip shared by a fan.
Photo: Andreas Lawen, Fotandi (Vince Neil – Wacken Open Air 2018-1642), Kevin Nixon (Phil Collen performing live in 2018)
