When it became clear that Mick Mars was no longer going to tour with Mötley Crüe, their decision on his replacement was an easy one. It was a man who had previously worked with some of rock’s biggest names: David Lee Roth, Rob Halford, Paul Stanley, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, etc. Well it’s John 5.
The group first rehearsed with the guitarist in late 2022 at an undisclosed location. During a recent interview with Lipps Service, John 5 recalled his memories regarding the first time he played alongside Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and Tommy Lee.
“Nikki gave me the list of songs to learn, and he goes, ‘Mick’s gonna retire,’ and all this stuff,” 5 said (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar).
“And he goes, ‘Here, just learn these.’ I knew them all. I didn’t have to practice, I’ve been playing them since I was 13.”
“But the first day of rehearsal, dude, it was so crazy. Because I was like, so excited. And I was so early. I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll go to Target, get some knick-knacks and whatnots and what have yous.”
John 5 then unveiled a shocking truth about one of rock’s most shocking bands: they’re quite punctual gentlemen.
“And I walk in, they’re all there. They’re like, ‘Dude, you’re late.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ And they’re like, ‘No, it’s at this time.’ I couldn’t believe I was late! But we went through the whole set, without stopping. Just, boom, amazing. Because I’ve been playing them as long as they have.”
John 5’s first show with Mötley Crüe would occur on February 10, 2023, at the Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as part of a co-headlining tour with another one of the ’80s top rock bands, Def Leppard.
