Former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing and Journey’s Neal Schon support Mick Mars in legal dispute with Mötley Crüe

Judas Priest‘s former guitarist K.K. Downing sent an audio message to Blabbermouth last Saturday, sharing his thoughts on the legal dispute between Mars and Crüe, and spoke of how his own departure from Judas Priest was just as unfair.

In Downing’s words:

I do sympathize, because I’m going through exactly the same thing. And it’s pretty unsavory, to say the least. After spending a lifetime building the band’s name, reputation, popularity and value, in particular brand name, it should be all right for people to retire, especially through illness.

There was a whole set of circumstances for me not doing the final tour. And one of the main considerations: we were getting to be concerned about Rob [Halford] and we thought that he was gearing up, ready to leave [the band] again. Because in 2010, when all this was going on, the planning of the farewell tour and finishing the band, the justification was that Rob pretty much within 12 months in 2010 had released two studio albums with his own band and had done a world tour, including Ozzfest. And we were very much thinking that Rob, with his own manager, would go separate ways again. And that was another serious consideration. I really wanted to mention that because it really wasn’t the band I was leaving; it was just I decided not to do the farewell, final tour of the band, because that’s what we all agreed and that’s what was intended to happen. So essentially my decision was just not to do the final tour of the band. Of course I didn’t know that the band would continue, at that time, right up until today. Otherwise things and decisions may well have been different. But, as I said, I sympathize with Mick because the circumstances between the two of us seem to be pretty much… well, identical.

Journey‘s Neal Schon, on the other hand, weighed in on the matter on social media, also on Saturday. Responding to a tweet on whether he was #TeamMick or #TeamMotleyCrue, he tweeted “Mick”, and followed up with:

Given his health issues, and he obvious swagger, he gives to the band through his guitar playing. He didn’t deserve this.

Given his health issues, and he obvious swagger, he gives to the band through his guitar playing. He didn’t deserve this.

— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) April 8, 2023