Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
In a recent interview with the Zach Sang Show, drummer Tommy Lee from Mötley Crüe talked about their upcoming tour called “The Return Of Carnival Of Sins”, as per Blabbermouth. This tour marks 20 years since their revolutionary “Carnival Of Sins” tour from 2005-2006 and celebrates the band’s 45th anniversary. The tour, which consists of 33 cities and is produced by Live Nation, will start on July 17, 2026, in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, at the Pavilion at Star Lake, and will include opening acts Extreme and Tesla. When asked about getting ready for the tour, Tommy shared his thoughts.
We start rehearsing in — I don’t know — two weeks. So I’ll be playing every single day then.
In response to a question about the musical connection and teamwork between him and the other Mötley Crüe members when they gather to play, Tommy replied.
We’ve been playing these songs for so long, if anything, we’re just brushing up on some of the newer stuff. But we’ve played those songs so many times, we could all play them blindfolded, drunk and standing on your head. The vibe’s cool, man, as we’ve grown, the vibe as a band has really gotten closer, and you would think it wouldn’t. We’ve gotten closer. Everybody, I think, has had enough time to kind of step back and reflect on what we’ve done together, man, and we’re still doing. Count that on one hand. There’s not a whole lot of bands that are still doing it from when we started. So we all have a big gratification, a new love, and just — I don’t know — appreciation for a lot. And we’ve been very, very fortunate.
When questioned if Mötley Crüe is “bigger than any single person,” Tommy had this to say.
Yeah… When the four of us get together, each guy brings a certain something to the party, and only those four guys can do that. You can’t really assemble it. And it’s really hard to be objective talking about yourself. You’re, like, ‘Uh, I don’t know, quite know how to answer that.’ I’ll just tell you how I feel. But it’s a trip, dude.
When asked why he believes Mötley Crüe has been successful, Lee responded.
The reason? Oh my God, dude… Okay. Luck, talent, timing. There’s so many reasons. I don’t know if you can necessarily just be it’s one thing. It really is a combination of timing, luck, talent, just all this stuff that somehow the universe lined up for you to go and play with.
After host Zach Sang pointed out that there must have been several times Tommy could have walked away from Mötley Crüe, Lee replied.
Oh, for sure. Oh, yeah. I mean, I actually did quit Mötley for a couple years. I was creatively dying slowly as just my personal musicianship and craft and stuff, and I needed an outlet. So I actually quit for a couple years, and that’s when I started Methods Of Mayhem and started doing some solo stuff because I had to switch gears. I wasn’t able to creatively do anything outside of the Mötley format. And with my own stuff, it was a place for me — I call it the adult sandbox. Like, literally anything goes. No genres, no style — it doesn’t matter. We’re doing whatever I wanna do and just have fun with it. Creatively I needed that, ’cause I was at kind of a bad place in my life. And then I realized it sitting in jail”, referring to the time in 1998 when he served four months in jail for a spousal abuse charge on then wife Pamela Anderson. “I was, like, ‘I gotta change something, ’cause obviously I’m here. I gotta switch it up because I gotta get happy and get out of here.'”
Tommy added that he realized his unhappiness was tied to his creative expression.
100%, man, it’s such a big part of me. If you’re not happy creatively and you don’t feel like you’re able to constantly evolve and create and do that stuff, that’s dangerous.
When Sang inquired if Tommy feels he was “meant for this” and that it is a part of who he is, Tommy replied.
I think so, dude, because… I mean, I wouldn’t remember, but my parents tell me, as soon as I was tall enough to reach into the silverware drawer and pull out all the pots and pans, I was just constantly playing, constantly playing. That I don’t really remember, but a little later on in life, I remember just jumping up and down on my bed playing air guitar and knowing that ‘I’m doing this’. There was no other thing. I was, like, ‘I wanna do this.’ And I remember having some funny arguments with my parents, quitting school my senior year. They’re, like, ‘Dude, just graduate. Oh my God, you only have a couple of more months. What if this music thing doesn’t work out?’ I’m, like, ‘Oh, it’s gonna work out. It’s gonna work out. It’s gonna fucking work out. I got this.’ And then the time came where both of my parents come to the Forum [in Los Angeles] and watched us on tour with Ozzy Osbourne — sold out, 18,000 people. And my mom and dad are sitting out there. And they’re looking around. The house light, the blinders go on and it lights up the whole audience. From playing my drums, I can see my parents, and both of my parents are looking around, and they’re, like, ‘Fuck, he said he got it. He got it.’ ‘Cause I was, like, ‘No, I got this.’ And that look, that moment was, like, ‘Oh…’ What gets any better than that? You’re kind of going against your parents’ wishes, but you’re confident enough to know, like, ‘No, this is in me. I have to do this.’ And to be able to have them come and see that, and watching that from the stage, I’m, like… I almost started crying. I was, like, ‘This is what it’s all about. This is what it’s all about, man.’
“The Return Of The Carnival Of Sins” tour:
* Festival date
