Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx has defended the band’s decision to part ways with co-founding guitarist Mick Mars in 2022, calling Mars’ accusations that the group relies on backing tracks a “crazy betrayal.”
Mars announced his retirement from touring with Motley Crue in October 2022, shortly after the band completed its Stadium Tour comeback. In a statement at the time, the band cited Mars’ “ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.)” and described the split as amicable.
“[Mick] came to us and said, health-wise, he couldn’t fulfill his contract, and we let him out of the deal,” Sixx told the Los Angeles Times. “Then he sued us because he just said that he can’t tour. We were like, ‘Well, if you can’t tour, you can’t tour.’ I will probably come to that too someday.”
Following the Times article, Sixx criticized Mars on X, formerly Twitter. “Read this L.A. Times article and find out how Mick Mars lied to you to try and hurt the band,” Sixx wrote. “Why would he betray you and us? Money? Wow – Read it and find out what happened to him and his dirty lawyers in arbitration. I’m actually ashamed of him. So should you be too. More to be revealed soon.”
After Motley Crue announced John 5 as Mars’ replacement, Mars sued his bandmates, alleging financial mismanagement and claiming they sought to remove him from the group. Mars also alleged that Motley Crue used backing tracks during their 2022 tour, stating that Sixx “did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour.”
Sixx said the band has used audio enhancements in concerts since 1985, but insisted that all performances are live. “Anything we enhance the shows with, we actually played,” Sixx said. “If there are background vocals with my background vocals, and we have background singers to make it sound more like the record, that does not mean we’re not singing.”
Motley Crue attorney Sasha Frid also denied Mars’ claims in a statement to the Times. “The fact of the matter is that Motley always plays live,” Frid said. “Even Mars’ expert witness in the litigation, who Mars hired and who reviewed hours of footage, agreed and said that the band played live while performing. He disputed Mars’ own claims.”
Sixx called Mars’ accusations a “crazy betrayal,” especially given their shared history. “Saying he played in a band that didn’t play, it’s a betrayal to the band who saved his life,” Sixx said. “People say things like, ‘Well, if you guys are really playing, then I need isolated tracks from band rehearsal.’ … It’s ludicrous.”
Sixx Praises Vince Neil’s Recovery After Stroke
Motley Crue began a Las Vegas residency Friday at Dolby Live at Park MGM. The band had postponed the residency from March and April so lead singer Vince Neil could recover from a stroke he suffered around Christmas, which he discussed in an interview published Friday.
Sixx praised Neil’s efforts to return to performing. “You can tell he’s working up the stamina, and a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, man, he’s not kicking ass like he used to,’ but it takes a lot of courage to have a doctor tell you you will probably never go onstage again and to fight through that,” Sixx said. “If he’s got some imperfect moments here and there, they’re getting erased as the days go with rehearsal.”
