The medical emergency forced the band to postpone their Las Vegas residency back in March
Back in March, Mötley Crüe postponed their Las Vegas Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM, originally scheduled for March 28 through April 19, 2025. They pushed the dates back to September. The band issued a statement, saying that due to a required medical procedure recently advised by vocalist Vince Neil’s doctors, they had to push the shows back a few months.
“To all the Crüeheads who were looking forward to see us this Spring, I’m truly sorry,” Vince said at the time. “My health is my top priority so I can bring you the awesome shows you deserve, and I can’t wait to return to the stage. Thank you for all the well wishes that keep reaching me. Your support means more than you know.”
Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee and John 5 of Mötley Crüe shared in a joint statement: “Please join us in wishing Vince a speedy recovery. We are looking forward for him to get well again and to take over Vegas together in September. We can’t wait to see you all out there, and thank you for your understanding and support in the meantime.”
Most recently, Vince Neil has been back on stage playing a few exclusive solo shows alongside some other legendary 80s frontmen – Bret Michaels of Poison and Stephen Pearcy of Ratt. The first gig took place at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston back in early August.
“Hey, thank you everybody, it’s good to be here,” Vince said to the crowd before singing the Crüe classic “Shout at the Devil.” “I haven’t been on stage in almost a year now. I had a medical thing that happened to me, and they said I wouldn’t be back in stage. And I said, ‘Fuck that, man.’ And I’m back and I’m with you guys tonight. And I’m really proud to be here man.”
Now, Vince has revealed that he suffered a stroke. He woke up on December 26, and couldn’t get out of bed. However, he said he felt fine before going to bed on Christmas night. In a new interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Mötley Crüe frontman gave more details into what exactly happened to him and what he went through to recover.
“I had a stroke,” Vince stated. “My whole left side went out.”
The “required medical procedure” he that the band alluded to in their statement postponing the Vegas residency was in fact his on-going physical rehabilitation.
“I had to learn how to walk again, and that was tough,” Vince continued. “Doctors said they didn’t think I’d be able to go back on stage again, and I said, ‘No, no, I’m gonna do it. Watch and see.”
Vince underwent physical therapy over the course of the next several months from his home in Nashville where he’s resided for the last decade with his longtime girlfriend, Rain Hannah.
“I went from people carrying me to the bathroom, because I couldn’t walk myself, finally to a wheelchair, “Neil said. “I graduated to a walker, and then I had a cane. Now I don’t need anything. But it’s like a full-time job getting back to where you feel good again.”
Mötley Crüe kick off their residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM tonight, Friday, September 12. Vince is rejoin his longtime bandmates Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee, alongside current guitarist John 5. Off the heels of the historic Höllywood Takeöver club shows at the iconic Whisky A Go Go, Roxy, and Troubadour in Los Angeles last Fall, the Crüe is excited to bring an unforgettable night and inimitable new show with many surprises to fans for the residency this Fall – From The Sunset Strip, To The Las Vegas Strip.
Nearly a year ago, Mötley Crüe released a new EP called Cancelled through their new label Big Machine. The three-track outing featured the hit single, “Dogs of War,” plus another new song called “Cancelled.” The band also threw in a cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Fight For Your Right.” The EP is available digitally, as well as on a limited edition 12-inch zoetrope picture disc.
The previously released “Dogs of War” was a Top 5 radio hit for the band. It was produced by Bob Rock, and also features special guest appearances by The Offspring’s Dexter Holland and Classless Act’s Derek Day on background vocals. Classless Act toured in support of Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard on their massive North American stadium tour back in 2022.
“It’s always great getting back in the studio with the guys in the band,” Nikki Sixx said. “We know you’re gonna like this one.”
Rock, who also helmed the band’s famed 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood, adds, “Working with the band on the new song was the easiest session I have ever had with them. The Crüe is the best they have ever been! And they have plenty of new stuff in store.”
While this marks John 5’s recording debut with the band, this is not he and Mötley’s first collaboration. Back in 2019, John 5 co-wrote the songs “The Dirt,” “Crash and Burn,” and “Ride with the Devil” for the soundtrack to Netflix’s Mötley Crüe biopic, The Dirt. On social media and in various interviews, the band has promised that more new music is on the way.
Big Machine Chairman and CEO Scott Borchetta says of the signing, “Mötley Crüe on Big Machine! Growing up in Southern California, I was in Hollywood when these new sheriffs showed up and took over the city. It was loud. It was powerful. It was game changing. Vince, Nikki, and Tommy, along with new guitarist John 5, have reignited the flame with ferocious new Crüe music. Fans will unite – SHOUT!”
“We are thrilled to announce the forthcoming release of our new music through Big Machine Records,” Mötley Crüe said at the time. “Scott’s been a friend and supporter of the band for a long time, and we loved collaborating on the Nashville Outlaws album in 2014. We’re very happy to know our new music will be in the best of hands with Scott and his exceptional team at Big Machine.”
Borchetta and Big Machine Records were behind the 2014 Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute to Mötley Crüe album that featured classic Crüe tracks covered by some of country music’s biggest stars, including Rascal Flatts, Florida Georgia Line, and Darius Rucker, among others. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200, No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, and featured the Top 30 hit, “Home Sweet Home,” performed by Justin Moore and Vince Neil. Big Machine also partnered with Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 for the release of his 2021 album, Sinner.
Mötley Crüe join fellow rockers Daughtry, Badflower, and The Struts on the Big Machine roster.
Mötley Crüe has accumulated worldwide album sales exceeding 100 million, seven platinum and multi-platinum albums, 22 Top 40 mainstream rock hits, six Top 20 pop singles, three GRAMMY® Award nominations, four New York Times best-sellers, and even landed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Mötley Crüe’s last studio album was 2008’s Saints of Los Angeles.