Yesterday (October 26th), Mötley Crüe confirmed long-speculated news: Mick Mars was retiring from touring. In their statement, the glam-metal stalwarts cited the guitarist's "ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.)," due to which he "can no longer handle the rigors of the road."
Today, another long-running rumor was confirmed: Mars' onstage replacement will be none other than John 5, best known for playing in Rob Zombie's band since 2005. The guitarist will join Crüe "moving forward," according to a post across the group's socials — including on their massive 2023 trek with Def Leppard, dubbed simply The World Tour. Mars, despite missing the run, will continue as a member of the band.
In early October, Metal Sludge first shared the rumor that John 5 would be replacing Mars on the road. But John 5 appeared to squash the idea when — as reported by MetalSucks — a fan, commenting on an old photo of Mars and John 5, asked the guitarist on social media if he was indeed joining Crüe and he responded, "No, just a rumor."
John 5 goes way back with the members of Crüe, and even has a band already with one of them. In May 2021, the guitarist announced a supergroup with Nikki Six, Rob Zombie and Tommy Clufetos called L.A. Rats. They've released only one recording so far, a cover of the country staple "I've Been Everywhere," on the soundtrack to the Liam Neeson film The Ice Road.
See Crüe's full statement below.
— Mötley Crüe (@MotleyCrue) October 27, 2022
