Earlier this month, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett finally kicked off their much-anticipated joint tour. Now, we don’t know whether you’re a fan of Crüe or not, but their kick-off performance was kind of underwhelming. Aside from an expected performance quality from Vince Neil, drummer Tommy Lee had to sit out most of the show due to an injury. The show was the first time the band ever addressed the issue and Tommy Clufetos stepped in. That’s also what the band is doing at all of their shows.
In a recent chat with Eddie Trunk on Sirius XM (via Blabbermouth), Poison drummer Ricky Rockett addressed the issue, revealing that he had no idea about Tommy Lee’s injury prior to the kick-off show on June 16. He said:
“I didn’t know anything about it. I swear I didn’t. I went out and he wasn’t playing. And I’m, like, ‘What the heck is going on, guys?’ So I went back and got the lowdown.”
Of course, it wasn’t a surprise to have some of the fans reacting negatively to the whole thing. Both Tommy Lee and his band got some flack on social media. Reflecting on the matter, Ricky said:
“He’s taking a lot of heat, and I don’t think he should. Because I think what’s cool about what he’s doing is he’s coming out there and he’s going, ‘This is painful to do it, but I want the audience to know that I’m here. I’m here for the duration. I’m not wussing out on this.’ Instead of running home and sitting six weeks out while he recovers, he’s [out on the road and] he’s part of the team. I think that’s badass.”
During the band’s first show on June 16, Tommy Lee addressed the issue and told the audience (via UCR):
“The doctors told me, ‘No playing, bro. No playing.’ And I was like, ‘Are you fucking high, bro? We’ve got a fucking tour to do!’ So anyway, I ain’t sitting out for shit. My boy’s gonna help me out here and I’ll see you guys later. On with the goddamn show.”
Okay, bro.
The Stadium Tour continues as planned, with the currently planned dates going well into September. Kicking off on June 16 in Atlanta, Georgia, this US run of dates is planned to end on September 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Photo: joeltelling (Tommy Lee)
