In a recent interview with Jeremy White, Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 talked about their recent small club shows. He was asked if these shows were meant to prove they’re not using backing tracks. John 5 said that wasn’t the main reason for the club performances.
He mentioned that Vince Neil might have suggested playing in smaller venues, but John 5 wasn’t sure. The band wanted to perform where they could show off their live sound without any distractions.
John 5 said he enjoys these close-up shows because they offer a great rock and roll experience. He’s proud of how the band sounds and loves the energy of playing in intimate settings where fans are right up close.
“It wasn’t the statement. We were like, ‘Let’s go.’ I actually think it was Vince’s idea or something like that, I’m not sure, but we’re like ‘Oh let’s go play at a club,’ because we rehearse and we practice and we are sounding great. When you see it in a club there’s no hiding, you’re feeling that air from those amps. It is a rock and roll band. I watch it online and stuff and it sounds killer. I’m very proud, I think it sounds incredible. I love playing those club shows. It’s like my favorite thing to do because you’re so close, you’re like squeezed in with everybody.”
Mötley Crüe has faced accusations of using backing tracks during their performances throughout their career. Recently, John 5 has also been criticized for his guitar playing, with some people suggesting he might be using backing tracks.
To address these comments, John 5 posted two videos on Instagram showing that he was playing live without any backing tracks. In the videos, he demonstrated playing the riff from “Wild Side” and a solo by Mick Mars. He explained that he was just focusing on a specific chord and mentioned that he uses this technique frequently during their shows.
“So I’m just hammering that sus chord on. Very simple. I’ll do this quite a bit throughout the show.”
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