Motley Crüe’s bassist Nikki Sixx has spoken out about the band’s split with longtime guitarist and co-founder Mick Mars, calling Mars’ recent claims of backing track use during live shows a “crazy betrayal.”
Mars announced his retirement from touring in October 2022, citing his painful battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.) shortly after the group wrapped its Stadium Tour comeback run. At the time, the band’s official statement painted the move as amicable, noting his health struggles. But behind the scenes, tensions quickly escalated.
“[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.”
Soon after guitarist John 5 was announced as Mars’ replacement, Mars filed a lawsuit against his bandmates. He accused the group of financially cheating him and attempting to push him out completely. He also claimed Motley Crüe leaned on backing tracks during their 2022 tour, going so far as to allege that Sixx “did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour.”
Sixx strongly rejected those accusations, telling the Times that Motley Crüe has used audio enhancements since the mid-1980s, but never as a replacement for live performance.
“Anything we enhance the shows with, we actually played,” Sixx explained. “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 Crüe’s attorney, Sasha Frid, also weighed in. “The fact of the matter is that Motley always plays live,” Frid wrote in a statement. “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 said Mars’ comments were particularly painful given the guitarist’s decades with the band. “Saying he played in a band that didn’t play, it’s a betrayal to the band who saved his life,” he said. “People say things like, ‘Well, if you guys are really playing, then I need isolated tracks from band rehearsal.’ … It’s ludicrous.”
The bassist also posted blunt remarks on X (formerly Twitter), directing fans to the Times piece. “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.”
For now, the rift remains unresolved. What was once presented as a peaceful departure has spiraled into one of the most public disputes in Motley Crüe’s history.
