Chronological Crue - The History of Motley Crue in 2009

5/1/09
Tommy Lee is enforcing a new rule backstage at Mötley Crüe shows: those entering his dressing room must remove an item of clothing. He tells Playboy magazine, "You must remove one article of clothing - your pants, your top - or else you are not allowed in my dressing room. That gets the fucking party started so quick. Everyone's walking around topless."

6/1/09
Downtown Music Publishing announces they recently signed a worldwide publishing administration deal with Nikki Sixx for his complete song catalogue, plus exclusive synch rights to the original Mötley Crüe master recording catalogue. Downtown followed up with a master-use synch licensing agreement with Eleven Seven Music (of which Nikki is President). The deal allows it to aggressively pursue Crüe music placements in various media. Downtown Music president Justin Kalifowitz says, “Through this innovative partnership, Nikki’s publishing copyrights and Motley’s master recordings will now be marketed and promoted in lock-step. Combined with Eleven Seven’s premier roster, we can now offer the licensing community a destination for the best in both iconic and contemporary rock music.” Nikki adds, “In a time of industry consolidation, signing with a boutique publisher who can focus on thousands of songs instead of millions is just smart business.”

16/01/09
Tommy tells Billboard that he has started work on his second Methods of Mayhem album, following up his side project's platinum 1999 debut. DJ Aero and guitarist Kai Marcus are still on-board, and his producing partner Scott Humphrey "is starting to get involved" as the songs are formulating. Tommy says, "We're going to start tracking as soon as Motley is done (touring) at the end of March, and hopefully I'll have it ready by April/May and done by the top of June." Tommy also says he wouldn't mind having Methods of Mayhem on the Crüe Fest II tour, which is slated to begin in July. As for the rest of the Crüe Fest II lineup, Tommy says it's still being discussed. "There's offers going around all over the place. We actually talked about that a little. Rob Zombie's name came up. Godsmack. Alice Cooper. I'd like to switch it up, add a little bit more variety this year. I think it'd be fun to inject that."

17/1/09
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas hosts Vince Neil's 4th Annual Off The Strip Poker Tournament inside The Poker Lounge. Celebrities, Poker Pros and the adult entertainment industry's hottest stars join Vince for a No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament. All proceeds from the poker tournament and charity auctions benefit The Skylar Neil Memorial Foundation.

30/1/09
Mick partners with the celebrity services division of Paid, Inc. to launch a revised version of his MickMars.tv website. The new site is said to feature "an unparalleled level of fan interaction tied to Mars' music and guitar playing prowess." Mick plans to use his website to host online guitar playing clinics and provide interactive tablature for portions of his most popular and famous riffs and solos, along with video demonstrations of how he uses his own innovative techniques to create some of his trademark phrases and sound effects. "Being in Mötley Crüe has provided me a huge opportunity to personally reach out and connect with my fans. Now I am able to create this huge vision of a web platform filled with really cool, interactive features and a chance for people to dynamically connect with me and my music in a hands-on manner," says Mick.

31/1/09
Mötley Crüe plays White Trash Circus live for the first time during their tour warm-up concert at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

1/2/09
At around 10:45am, a helicopter carrying Tommy from Palm Springs, where he performed the night before, flies erratically and too close to a Los Angeles Police Department chopper over Glendale. The pilot Dave Martz then fails to follow directions given to him by the Van Nuys Airport flight tower, before eventually being forced to land at the airport. Once on the ground, the pilot reportedly tells police that he had been drinking, so he's taken to the LAPD's Van Nuys Station where he is later released without arrest after a field sobriety test and investigation. The pilot's matter now falls to the Federal Aviation Administration to decide on any further action once toxicology test results come back. A police spokesperson says, "Tommy Lee was a passenger aboard the helicopter, but he had nothing to do with the situation; so he was just released."

2/2/09
Mötley Crüe kicks off its North American arena tour in San Diego as the band continues to promote its Saints Of Los Angeles album. The bill also includes Hinder, Theory of a Deadman, and The Last Vegas. Nikki says of the band's setlist, "We're gonna change some songs around. It's exciting to go out and play new songs, break out some songs we haven't played in a while."

3/2/09
Former Mötley front man John Corabi is set to regularly perform in Monster Circus six nights a month on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in the legendary Las Vegas Hilton Theater from March 19. The all-star line-up also consists of Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio), Fred Coury (Cinderella), Bruce Kulick (Kiss), and Tony Montana (Great White). Various guest artists will join the circus and perform the hits they personally rock out to, creating an evolving set list. Monster Circus combines a high-octane live rock concert with sexy dancers, human circus acts, aerialists, freaks and of course, a tour bus full of platinum certified rock stars. An irreverent ringmaster along with Sicko The Clown, Monster Circus' mascot, will lead the audience along the 75-minute journey through the powerhouse rock and metal anthems of the '70s, '80s and '90s. A nightly after-show party will keep the circus going.

7/2/09
Mötley Crüe's Friday and Saturday night performances at The Joint in Las Vegas are the Hard Rock venue's final concerts after fourteen years of music events from the world's greatest artists. Paul McCartney will help inaugurate a new 4,000-capacity theater at the Hard Rock Hotel with a concert in April.

Vince says, "There was a tear in my eye when I sang Home Sweet Home at the end. All of us up on stage were a little teary eyed. We'd been told we were specially selected to close it down as the final act, and that felt very special. It was an honour, and as fast as we went through the show, it was suddenly the end. It felt strange that that was it. Before we went on stage, the Hard Rock executives gave each of us a guitar that they'd taken off the walls and mounted on plaques to commemorate the night. They also gave us photographs of all the times we'd played The Joint, so it was pretty sentimental." 

8/2/09
The Mars Volta wins the Grammy for the Best Hard Rock Performance category in the 51st Annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, beating out Mötley Crüe, Disturbed, Judas Priest, and Rob Zombie. Nikki says, "The Mars Volta is one of my fave bands and they do deserve it, 100%, so congrats from me to them."

9/2/09
Mick wins a $212,000 default judgment against his former girlfriend Robbie Mantooth, who he alleged violated the terms of their palimony settlement. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Edward A. Ferns signs off on the action that includes a requirement that Mantooth pay Mick nearly $80,000 in attorneys' fees and nearly $60 a day in additional interest until the judgment is paid in full. Mick filed the suit in November 2006 following settlement of previous litigation between him and Mantooth, in which he gave her a down-payment and agreed to pay an additional $5,070 a month on a balance of $300,000. He claimed Mantooth promised not to disclose any financial information about him to anyone in exchange for receiving the monthly payments, but she later gave information about his account at City National Bank to a collection agency in an attempt to use his funds to help pay off an $80,000 debt she owed and also told the collection agency that he misappropriated her money and agreed to pay her debts.

11/2/09
Vince says he's loving being back on the road with the Crüe. "We're now one year in with nine more to go on our ten-year world tour contract. I'm loving it. This is the fun part, and it all feels great," he says. "The whole second year is planned out. We've got American cities through the end of March. We have April off, which is when I'll return home to Vegas for the Dr. Feelgood [rock club restaurant] opening [in Las Vegas] and get the Rio tattoo shop underway. In May and June, we'll hopscotch Europe before starting the second Crüe Fest here at home for July, August and September. We get October off for vacation and then return to Europe in November for the missed cities and go back to Australia and Asia in December. It never stops, but we'll be back here for the holidays again. On top of that, I've got my solo record coming out in November."

15/2/09
Nikki invites Cheap Trick's Rick Neilson to the band's concert in Rockford, Illinois where he spends time with him backstage. Mick suggests he jams with Mötley on Jailhouse Rock, so the song is added to the set and they perform it live. Rick catches a ride home on Nikki's tour bus after the concert. Nikki says, "I haven't been by his house since 1985 or so, and let's just say, it's a rather foggy memory but this one is burnt into my memory banks with a branding iron. We ended up, for hours and hours, looking at his wonderful guitar collection, and what a collection it is: I played (well sort of, haha) Jailhouse Rock on Elvis's acoustic, strummed on John Lennon's and Jimi Hendrix's guitars and a few other insane classics that left me speechless. And last but not least, the many stories of legends long since gone; an amazing night. The heart of this man, the legacy of his music and his band’s influence touch me still to this day."

19/2/09
The cable channel BIO premieres a one-hour episode Biography: Mötley Crüe. The documentary features concert, tour and personal footage, music videos and photographs and interviews with all of the band members as well as featured commentators including the band's manager Allen Kovac, Billboard Magazine's Christa Titus, author Neil Strauss, photographer Neil Zlozower and concert promoter Ron Delsener.

20/2/09
While on the road with Mötley, Nikki works on the second Sixx: A.M. album that will also be a concept album. He says, "I can't really tell you what the concept is, because I think I'd just be kind of blowing the surprise, like telling what you're getting for Christmas before it comes. But it's gonna be a pretty powerful record. You know, sonically it does fall in line with the Heroin Diaries record, but I think we're stretching out in certain ways where we can take in other styles of music and expand upon them."

25/2/09
Mötley Crüe announces they will hit the road again this summer with some of rock's top touring acts for Crüe Fest 2: The White Trash Circus. The Live Nation produced tour will visit thirty cities across North America beginning July 19 in Camden, NJ through September 5 in Darien Lake, NY. Full tour details, including the line up, will be revealed at a major press conference broadcast from FUSE TV studios in New York on March 16, before Mötley Crüe hits the stage at Madison Square Garden that evening. Last summer's multi-artist inaugural Crüe Fest that played for nearly half a million rock fans was the most successful touring rock festival of the summer season. Crüe Fest was also the number ten tour overall for the summer of 2008, according to Rolling Stone. Crüe Fest attracted strategic partners including MTV's Rock Band Game, FUSE Television, JVC Mobile Electronics, Clear Channel Radio, Best Buy and Fender Guitars, which resulted in a nomination for a 2008 Billboard Award for Concert Marketing & Promotion. Tommy says, "Last year at Crüe Fest, we set out to have more fun than humans are allowed to have. We succeeded beyond that. This year, we are going to top that and I guarantee we will."

2/3/09
To celebrate this year's twentieth anniversary of the release of Dr. Feelgood, Mötley plans to theme their Crüe Fest 2 tour with imagery inspired by Dr. Feelgood. Nikki says, "On this summer's Crüe Fest we really wanted to give the fans something they've never seen before. And since it's the 20th anniversary of the release of Dr. Feelgood, we figured what better way to celebrate than to play it live TOP TO BOTTOM every night." Eleven Seven Music/Mötley Records will re-release Dr. Feelgood later this spring. Originally released on 1 September 1989, Dr. Feelgood reached #1 on the Billboard chart and went on to sell more than 7 million copies worldwide, producing 5 Billboard Hot 100 hits. The title track reached #7 on the Hot 100 and earned the band its first two Grammy nominations.

After a successful run in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida, Vince opens another Dr. Feelgood's Rock Bar in Miami Beach. The rock bar, located at 222 Espanola Way, hosts a series of grand openings this week.

7/3/09
Erie, Pennsylvania Mayor Joseph Sinnott declares it 'Mötley Crüe Day’ on stage during the band's sold-out performance at the Erie Civic Center. Sinnott says he is a big Mötley Crüe fan, explaining that his first concert was Mötley Crüe back in February 2006 at the same venue. He thanks the band for including Erie on their tour itinerary.

9/3/09
FOX announces that former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood has recorded a remake of Mötley Crüe's Home Sweet Home to be played as a farewell ballad to each finalist who is sent home during the forthcoming season of American Idol commencing in two days’ times. The single will be available exclusively on iTunes until March 16 before then being available through all online music retailers. A portion of the sales proceeds from Home Sweet Home will benefit The Humane Society of the United States, a cause near and dear to Carrie's heart. "I've always loved this song, and besides being fitting for 'Idol', to me, the title is also very fitting with animal rescue and finding animals their own homes," she says. "So we felt it was important to tie the release into an amazing animal charity like the HSUS."

A week later, Nikki says, “I spoke to Carrie a while ago and she wanted to cover the song, and I was actually going to fly down to Nashville and play bass on it, but it was during the holidays, and I was just spending time with my family. After she cut it we spoke, and she was excited about it. In the end, the thing is, I think we both want to write songs together. She writes pop songs and I think I’m a pop songwriter, however the songs are performed.”

13/3/09
The Crüe's concert in Uncasville, Connecticut is filmed for television broadcast on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show. They perform new single White Trash Circus twice, back-to-back with lots of pyro, along with Same Ol' Situation and Don't Go Away Mad. The single and part of Don't Go Away Mad are aired on the show in a week's time.

16/3/09
Mötley Crüe stops lunch-hour traffic in New York City as the band members arrive for their press conference at the Fuse TV studio on 7th Avenue in an old-school Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance, accompanied by two emaciated Goth chicks wearing sexy nurse outfits. Once inside, they announce the line-up for their second annual Summer Festival tour Crüe Fest 2 will star Mötley Crüe with Godsmack, Theory of a Deadman, and Drowning Pool plus introduce Charm City Devils. The Crüe is joined on stage by Sully Erna of Godsmack, Tyler Connolly of Theory of a Deadman, Ryan McCombs of Drowning Pool and John Allen of Charm City Devils as they debut a new music video for the White Trash Circus radio single version featuring members of all five Crüe Fest 2 bands. As previously announced, the band is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their first number one album by playing Dr. Feelgood from beginning to end every night of Crüe Fest 2 commencing July 19 in New Jersey. Mötley will also play hits from their entire catalogue through their latest hit, Saints of Los Angeles. Nikki says, “We had talked about doing Dr. Feelgood in its entirety… well, we had actually wrestled with that, Shout at the Devil, Girls, Girls, Girls, and when we decided on Feelgood, it was only after that that we realised it was twenty years. It looks like a big master plan, but it wasn’t.” The tour is a bold move considering other festivals and tours are scaling back due to the recession, including Ozzfest, which will not be taking place at all this year. In addition, the Crüe promises they'll start work on a new record after this tour. Nikki also briefly intimates that the band has been approached about a possible Mötley Crüe-themed Guitar Hero. Fans across the U.S. celebrate the Crüe Fest line-up announcement with launch parties at local venues airing the press conference and in-theatre special screenings of Crüe Fest 1.

17/3/09
A Best Buy-exclusive version of Static-X's new album Cult of Static is released and includes a cover of Looks That Kill as one of two bonus tracks.

18/3/09
Mötley ends the next leg of their Saints of Los Angeles tour in Portland. Nikki tells the audience they chose to play the Cumberland Civic Centre because it is the same venue that they played their very first arena show back in 1984 as they supported Ozzy Osbourne, and they have never forgotten it.

24/3/09
A two-disc Crüe Fest 2008 DVD is released by Eleven Seven Music. Filmed in Toronto at the Molson Amphitheater on 28 August 2008 by director P.R. Brown, this event captures the decadence, energy, noise and sweat that was Crüe Fest with a 15-camera high-definition shoot, mixed in 5.1 sound. The set contains the full Mötley concert along with select tracks from the other bands that took part in the festival - Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx: A.M. Crüe Fest was the most successful rock festival of the summer and was nominated for a Billboard Touring Award.

Papa Roach releases their next album titled Metamorphosis that features a guest appearance by Mick on the track Into The Light.

26/3/09
Cineplex Entertainment presents the big-screen premiere of Crüe Fest 2008 DVD in high definition on one night only across U.S. movie theatres.

1/4/09
Mötley's Crüe Fest 2008 DVD sells 7,000 copies in its first week of release to debut at position No.2 on Billboard's Top Music Videos chart.

14/04/09
Co-produced by Nikki, the third studio album from The Last Vegas titled Whatever Gets You Off is released. Nikki also co-writes the single I'm Bad and the ballad Apologize.

20/4/09
EMI and Eleven Seven Music agree to a European sales and distribution deal that will see EMI provide digital and physical distribution, sales and marketing services for the label’s roster that includes Mötley Crüe. EMI will also provide licensing and synchronisation services on a non-exclusive basis to Eleven Seven’s artists.

Godsmack’s drummer Shannon Larkin says he flew out to see the recent Mötley concert in Manchester, New Hampshire and ended up backstage with Tommy and his Jägermeister machine. After a few shots they started talking about Tommy joining him and Sully on stage for their drum battle during Godsmack’s Crue Fest 2 set. He says, “Tommy was like, ‘Yeah, let's do this thing,’ so as far as I'm concerned, it's a very real thing that probably will happen. Sully and I have already started making a third part for the solo, so it's all on Tommy now. If he wants to really be a part of it, we're prepared. We'll put Tommy up there on a third drum kit, for sure! I can't speak for him, I mean I was backstage doing shots of Jäger with the guy and he seemed pretty serious. For what it's worth, I do think it will happen. God, I hope it happens, you know? I love the guy, I respect the guy and all he's done for the art of drumming… and also, he's one hell of a nice guy. So, if he just comes up and does the solo for only one or two shows, I'd consider it a huge honour to have him up there. It'll be a show-stopper, that's for sure!” Larkin is excited to be playing on Crüe Fest, saying, “For us, it's like playing with legends! I mean, I was that 15-year old kid who went out and bought the Too Fast For Love album when it was still on Leathur Records, before it was on a major label!”

28/4/09
With some time back home in Los Angeles between tours, Nikki says, "The one difference on a creative level from touring is having my creative workspace to build the impossible. I always love when I can pull outta thin air a song, book, design, etc. but mostly lately it's been all about my photography. I’ve done about six full shoots and six smaller still-life shoots as well. I've displayed some of it on my MySpace under Nikki Sixx Photography, but it by no means comes even close to what I have created or have plans for as a photographer." Nikki adds, "The new songs for Sixx: A.M. are all so inspiring; it feels like we may have topped ourselves on this album coming up, and can’t wait for you to hear what it sounds like. Keep an ear and an eyeball here and maybe a surprise might get dropped in the next few months."

1/5/09
Vince hosts the thirteenth annual Skylar Neil Memorial Gold Tournament at Lost Canyons Gold Club, Simi Valley, California.

4/5/09
Tommy joins Static-X on stage at the House of Blues in Hollywood to perform Looks That Kill.

14/5/09
Mötley Crüe makes a special guest appearance on the season finale of the hit FOX TV show Bones. Nikki, Vince, Tommy and Mick perform Dr. Feelgood in The Lab nightclub and interact with Brennan (Emily Deschanel), Booth (David Boreanaz) and other cast members. Currently in its fourth season, Bones has built an average audience of 11.3 million viewers, ranks among the top programs for the 2008-09 season in Adults 18-49 and all key demos and is one of the highest ranked dramatic series on Thursday evenings.

28/5/09
Carrie Underwood re-enters the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at No. 79 with her remake of Mötley Crüe's Home Sweet Home. Underwood performed the song on this week's season finale show, and her recording was heard all through the season as a goodbye song for finalists who were voted off the show. The Crüe's original version peaked at No. 89, while their 1991 remix version reached No. 37 in its seventeen-week stay on the chart.

1/6/09
Mötley Crüe holds a press conference in Moscow as they kick-off their European tour. It's the band's first time back in Russia since the Moscow Music Peace Festival twenty years ago. Vince says the band will continue touring for the rest of this year and into early next year. He then hopes to release his next solo album and play some solo shows late-summer/early-fall of 2010. The Crüe will then start writing a new studio late in 2010 for a 2011 release. As well as writing songs with other artists, Mick says he's recently been working on his solo album and his book. Tommy says he plays the Rock Band video game with his two boys all the time and they beat him. His son Dylan takes cello and guitar lessons. Eldest son Brandon plays piano and recently turned thirteen. While celebrating his birthday with fifteen friends, Tommy put them all in his home studio and recorded them for a track he's working on.

8/6/09
Tommy drums on the album Cope by Freeland, the electronica band of DJ Adam Freeland, which is released today.

14/6/09
After some festival performances and concerts in Scandinavia with Hardcore Superstar, Mötley commences a run of shows through Germany with Duff McKagan's Loaded and Backyard Babies in support, as part of the Crüe's European tour.

18/6/09
Forty-four-year-old Dennis Joseph Tetso is picked up about 3pm at his workplace and arrested by Baltimore County police, charged with the murder of his thirty-two-year-old wife Tracey Leigh Tetso, who has been missing since 6 March 2005 when she failed to meet friends for a Mötley Crüe concert in Washington. A grand jury indicted him three days earlier on a charge of first-degree murder.

29/6/09
Mötley Crüe don't get to perform their first scheduled concert in Greece when heavy rain forces the cancellation of day one of this year's Rockwave festival at Terravibe Park in Malakasa. The show was also set to be Tommy's first concert in the country in which he was born. W.A.S.P., Arch Enemy, Monster Magnet and Voivod were also set to be included on the day's line-up. The Crüe has one final concert in Bulgaria to perform on this European trek before heading back to the U.S. to commence Crüe Fest 2.

9/7/09
Mötley Crüe’s summer festival tour Crüe Fest 2 announces a partnership with Monster Energy to add an additional stage at this year's festival. Rev Theory, Cavo, 16 Second Stare, and Shram will perform on the Monster Energy Stage with one local band chosen by the presenting radio station in each tour market. The performances will be staggered between main stage acts creating a non-stop music event. With no change in ticket prices, rock fans are given the opportunity to see ten great rock bands for the price of one. The Mötley band members say, “It’s always been in our hearts to turn our fans onto new rock music. A second stage seems to be just what the doctor ordered for Crüe Fest 2 and gives loyal Crüe and rock fans more for their hard-earned money. See ya there.”

14/7/09
James Michael says he wrote some amazing songs in the last week for the new Sixx: A.M. album during some last minute writing session before Nikki leaves for the Crüe Fest 2 tour.

17/7/09
After the third day of production rehearsals for the upcoming Crüe Fest 2 tour, Nikki says, "The set is insane. All-new stage. All-new lighting, pyro and video. Tons of new music. Some of these songs have never been played live before so we're still blowing off the cobwebs. To be honest, it sounds pretty damn good. This is my fave set so far and feels so good be doing something new production-wise. I can't wait to see your faces when the show starts - it's pretty sick, beginning to end. I have to say, this show really is a labour of love for us but the real credit goes to all the crew. They have been working around the clock for over a month on this. That is the part fans don't see. It doesn't matter if it's a Broadway play, a rock show or even a movie, sometimes the real stars of the show are behind the curtain."

Mötley Crüe, its lead singer Vince Neil, the band’s manager Allen Kovac and his management company 10th Street Entertainment reach an out-of-court settlement of pending litigation in Los Angeles, Nashville and Las Vegas with Vince's long-time personal manager and prior Mötley Crüe co-manager, Burt Stein and his management companies, B Entertainment and Gold Mountain Entertainment Nashville. All parties are pleased that the litigation has been amicably resolved. The parties’ global settlement provides for a complete resolution of the remaining business matters that Mötley Crüe, Vince Neil and Allen Kovac had with Burt Stein, and allows all parties to move forward independently with their respective performing, entertainment and management businesses. In his dismissal order, U.S. District Judge William J. Haynes Jr. finds all parties have reached a settlement "of all claims and counterclaims that have been or could have been brought by each against the other." The terms of the settlement are not disclosed.

18/7/09
Nikki is among the celebrities whose faces can be seen on billboards around Los Angeles as part of the Los Angeles Dodgers' outdoor messaging campaign centred around the tagline "L.A. is my town." Others featured in the campaign include Bret Michaels, Kim Kardashian, Oscar De La Hoya, Yoda from Star Wars, Tara Lapinski and extreme sports pro Clout.

19/7/09
The opening night of Crüe Fest 2 takes place in Camden, New Jersey. Taking the main stage after Charm City Devils, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, and Godsmack, the Mötley show commences with a wheelchair-bound patient brought to centre stage by a sexy nurse, who theatrically injects the patient with a huge syringe. As the curtain drops, the band members play the song Dr. Feelgood from within a small, bright white padded-cell themed set in the middle of the stage, before the asylum walls break away to reveal a massive green-tiled mental hospital set by the end of the song. Backing vocals are handled by two new Nasty Habits, decked out in corsets and thigh-high boots. Microphone stands are set-up like intravenous drip stands with bags of blood and fluids attached, while roadies quickly cross the stage dressed in surgeon and nurse outfits. The visual theme celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the Crüe’s best-selling album Dr. Feelgood and the music matches as the band continues to play every song from the album in order, from Slice of Your Pie next (ending with a portion of The Beatles’ classic She’s So Heavy) right through to the first-ever live performance of Time For Change. The stage set is then reversed to give a back-alley vibe as the band plays Wild Side, Saints of Los Angeles, Live Wire, and Shout at the Devil. Nikki tells the crowd that they chose to play Live Wire tonight, but this song will change every concert. He invites a ten-year-old girl in the crowd up on stage, and asks who her favourite band is, to which she replies, “Mötley Crüe.” After an encore of Home Sweet Home and Girls, Girls, Girls, the band members - sans Mick - bow to the crowd to say thank you and goodnight.

20/7/09
Following the kick-off of Crüe Fest 2, Nikki says, "95% of everything went off fantastic, and for a first show that's amazing." Looking forward, he adds, "Now the circus begins, the trucks are rolling, the show's begun. This tour lasts until the beginning of September. After that, some shows in Canada and maybe go back to Europe for selected arena dates, but besides that, we're pulling off the road until summer of 2011."

29/7/09
Tommy says his Methods of Mayhem project has signed a worldwide deal with the Roadrunner Records imprint Loud & Proud Records to release the band's sophomore album early next year. Tommy says, "I'm so fucking pumped! I've signed with my friends at Roadrunner. What a perfect home for my second Methods of Mayhem record. We're about to do what no team has ever done before. Buckle up and hang on, kids!"

30/7/09
Vince shares some of his views on drugs and rehab, saying, "Most people go to rehab just to dry out, not to actually stop drinking or doing drugs. Usually they go there because they've been given an ultimatum by their wife or boss. They're not there for themselves; they're there because someone wants them to be there. That's why it doesn't work. You have to go when you want to go. I don't think I'll ever have my drug problems licked. I still think about needles today. Thirty years later, I'll still look at a needle and go, 'Fuck'. It's quite an itch. But I haven't thought about actually doing drugs in fifteen years. I kind of cringe at that idea. That was for the old days. But I have a drink once in a while. That doesn't hurt ya."

1/8/09
As Crüe Fest 2 rolls through Las Vegas, Vince visits his tattoo parlour Vince Neil Ink at O'Shea's where he signs autographs and mingles with fans before heading to sound-check at The Joint. He returns to O'Shea's to help them celebrate their twentieth anniversary by participating in on-air radio interviews and an autograph signing session. Following Mötley's show at The Joint, Vince hosts an after-party at his new rock bar Feelgood's. After hanging out with friends and other Crüe Fest musicians in the VIP for a while, Vince performs Looks That Kill with his solo band and concludes the surprise performance with Live Wire just before 2am. Tommy hits the club Body English with Pamela Anderson before they head back to Vince's Paradise Tower mega suite to continue partying.

2/8/09
The official grand opening of Vince Neil's Feelgood's Rock Bar and Grill takes place at 6750 West Sahara in Las Vegas. The night's highlight is a Rockandi reunion show with Vince on vocals, James Alverson on guitar, Joe Marks on bass and Robert Stokes on drums. The band plays covers of Smokin' in the Boys Room, Anarchy in the UK and Cheap Trick's He's a Whore.

9/10/09
Three Mötley Crüe songs - Live Wire, Dr. Feelgood and Kickstart My Heart - will be included on the heavy metal soundtrack for the Brütal Legend video game, available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation on October 13 in North America and three days later in Europe. Brütal Legend is a third-person action game rich in combat, imagery and storytelling, delivering lighter-flicking fun sure to melt your face off. It tells the tale of the ultimate heavy metal roadie Eddie Riggs, played by Jack Black.

10/8/09
Nikki says Mötley will be taking quite a bit of time off once Crüe Fest 2 finishes early next month, "I feel like we're ending being out for quite a long time, touring and Saints of Los Angeles and the Carnival of Sins (tour) and Red, White & Crüe... really going away on a big high to start working on writing a new record and looking forward to the next Crüe Fest, which will probably be in 2011. There have been offers and suggestions of other bands that were interesting in going out and doing Crüe Fest if we didn't do it. It's growing into something. It's more of a community than just about Mötley Crüe, which in the end is a really good feeling. There might be a day we don't do it, a year we're working on something else and somebody comes in and says 'We want to do it.' We've heard there's interest. It might be a bit young and premature to do that now, but it's nice to hear it."

Showtime licenses Girls, Girls, Girls for its new trailer for season three of Californication The spot features series star David Duchovny leering at pretty girls while the Crüe's classic plays.

14/8/09
Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose plays with Mötley Crüe in Cincinnati, Ohio after Tommy suffers a burn injury to his left hand from a firecracker. Nikki says Tommy "messed up his hand pretty bad" in an accident and following doctor's orders, he has to sit out for a few shows but will be back behind the kit as soon as possible. He adds, "Until then, he is at all the shows, jumping around, helping out with vocals and playing piano ever so lightly on Home Sweet Home. Now to the hero of the day: Mr. Morgan Rose, the monstrous drummer from Sevendust. Morgan flew out with only minutes to go before there were no flights left from Atlanta. He came charging in like a knight in shining armour, drum pedals and sticks in hand, stepping on stage and pretty much nailing the show top to bottom first time out. I think Morgan needs a standing ovation for his dedication to kicking ass."

19/8/09
Morgan Rose plays his last show with Mötley Crüe in Mansfield, Massachusetts after filling-in on the drums during the last five concerts as Tommy's temporary replacement. Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer joins the Crüe on stage to perform the encore ballad Home Sweet Home.

Legendary rock photographer Neil Zlozower releases a book titled Möttley Crüe: A Visual History, 1983-2005 via Chronicle Books. The 232-page hardcover book features a foreword from Nikki.

21/8/09
Frank Zummo of Street Drum Corps is hired to fill-in for Tommy during Mötley's next three concerts, in Virginia and North Carolina. Zummo says, "The first concert I ever saw was Mötley Crüe when I was a kid, and I've been a big fan ever since. It is a huge honour for me to drum with one of the greatest rock bands, and filling in for Tommy will be one of the most amazing experiences of my life!"

22/8/09
Nikki says, "I have been immersed in books again lately. Some needed reading. Some I'm just revisiting the classics. Just another reminder of the greatness that was gifted to us before we were here and will be passed on long after we have passed away... Classics, important. My audio book of the week is the 1931 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. This classic is read by the magical Michael York; I recommend it highly." With just ten Crüe Fest 2 shows left he continues, "Trust me when I say 'I love what I do' out here, there and everywhere onstage, but I am really excited about the moment I can open the doors to Funny Farm Studios, so I can get out of my head what's been brewing for months. The need for the madness to unfold is exhausting."

29/8/09
With his hand healed enough to return to work, Tommy plays the whole Mötley concert in Atlanta.

5/9/09
Mötley's Crüe Fest 2 comes to a close with its final show in Darien Lake, New York. During the festival, twenty-three-year-old John Michael Bieganski is stabbed in the leg by a knife-wielding assailant. Bleeding profusely, he is carried out of the moshpit by a friend, before being hospitalised and receiving twenty eight stitches to close a gaping four-inch long wound on his leg.

10/9/09
Tommy attends the 2nd Annual Sunset Strip Music Festival kick off event - a Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. 

12/9/09
Vince performs a concert at the grand opening celebration for Vince Neil Ink's newest location inside Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Decorated with motorcycles built by Counts Kustoms, along with leather couches and granite counters, the spacious 2800 sq. ft. shop with four large stations and a private booth is Vince’s second tattoo studio. You can also browse Counts, Mötley and Vince Neil memorabilia, plus buy new Vince Neil Ink merchandise.

21/9/09
Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood is re-released as a deluxe version incorporating two CDs. The original version of Dr. Feelgood on one CD, and a compilation disc comprising four original demos from the Dr. Feelgood sessions, four tracks recorded live when the band played the Moscow Peace Festival in 1989, plus a remix of Get It For Free.

29/9/09
John Corabi becomes the first one-time Mötley band member to play a concert in India, when he rocks Dimapur's DSSC Stadium in a band called Lost Angels, also featuring guitarist Eric Dover (Slash's Snakepit, Sextus, Alice Cooper), bassist Muddy Stardust (L.A. Guns, Gilby Clarke) and drummer Troy Patrick Farrell (White Lion).

2/10/09
Tommy DJs at the grand opening of The Biggest Tattoo Show on Earth at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

3/10/09
Celebrating his 47th birthday, Tommy is one of three judges that picks Strat5 as the best corporate rock band in the Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands presented by NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Tommy is be joined by noted musician and author Jeff Carlisi and Making Music magazine editor-in-chief Antoinette Follett as judges at the ninth annual event, taking place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

5/10/09
Public Mayhem commences, enabling fans to download Tommy's isolated instrumental tracks from his new Methods of Mayhem album so anyone with a great musical idea for the tracks can upload their part and collaborate for a chance to be on the album and hit the stage with Tommy at their record-release show. A wide range of formats is available to work with, including RiffWorks, WAV, Logic, GarageBand, Pro Tools and the Four Track 3.0 iPhone application.

9/10/09
Vince drops the first puck at a pre-season Central Hockey League game in Laredo, Texas between the Laredo Bucks and Rio Grande Valley. The TAMIU AutMus Fest committee sells raffle tickets at the game to win an autographed Vince Neil guitar with all proceeds going to charity. Vince plays a solo show at Laredo's 5th Annual Autmus Festival the following day.

15/10/09
Vince attends the grand opening of the new Hard Rock Café on Las Vegas Boulevard and later joins actor Chazz Palminteri for dinner.

24/10/09
Nikki auctions an autographed bass guitar to kick-off the 4th Annual Denim and Diamonds fundraiser, benefiting children with autism held in Hidden Hills, California.

Tommy DJs at the Pimp 'n' Ho Ball in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

26/10/09
Vince tells Revolver magazine that he's currently working on straight ahead rock'n'roll songs for his next solo album. He expects they'll probably have the music done in November, do his vocals for it in December and have it complete by January.

29/10/09
Premiere Radio Networks announces it will launch "Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx" on rock/alternative music stations in January 2010. Hosted by Nikki, the program will air nationwide Monday through Friday from 7pm to midnight local time. Each night, Nikki will discuss music and lifestyle topics as he gives listeners a backstage look at the world and mind of a rock star. Delivered with his unique perspective and attitude, Nikki will welcome celebrity guests, recording artists and fascinating characters from all walks of life. All this and more will be coupled with radio station playlists.

In addition, Nikki will host a two-hour original weekend program titled "The Side Show Countdown with Nikki Sixx". Debuting in January 2010, Nikki will air top-charting songs, showcase new and emerging artists, and welcome guests from the worlds of music and entertainment. The program will be available for air Saturday or Sunday between 6am and midnight local time. Nikki will broadcast both programs from Premiere's Los Angeles studios. Nikki says, "Radio has been instrumental in almost every successful endeavour of mine and it is the best way to connect with a wide audience on a daily basis. I look forward to being involved in every aspect of building Sixx Sense, from the content of the show, to the web site, to the logo, to the music beds, to, of course, hosting every day."

31/10/09
Tommy is Tabcorp's celebrity guest DJ at Derby Day, part of the Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne, Australia.

6/11/09
Nikki says, "Home has recharged the batteries and seamless creativity is flowing again. I always love it when a friend turns me onto a book, music or something I haven’t heard about or seen before. There's some cool stuff out and about and I thought you might like it too: I took Katherine to see Nevermore - An Evening With Edgar Allen Poe at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood. Jeffrey Combs delivers the arrow to the heart in this one-man play. This is a must-see. We loved it! As a teenager, I fell in love with Hieronymus Bosch. Recently his work has re-struck a chord in me and I am admittedly on the verge of being obsessed. If you're a fan of 1400s -1500s European painters, you owe it to yourself to Google his work. Audio books have taken over my life recently. Three audio books I would like to recommend are: Tuesday With Morrie by Mitch Albom, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, and The Mirror Effect by Dr Drew." Nikki continues, "On a personal front, my photography is challenging me to go to new heights. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever get to the level I am striving for. It can be so frustrating and challenging, as I said before, maybe I should just give in and shoot 8 by 10. New Sixx: A.M. music is coming along nicely but no deadline or release dates to even consider. I will say it feels like the next logical step musically for the band. James Michael used the word 'important' in describing the new lyrics. Everything is in full-on creative mode right now and that's when the magic really happens."

Nikki's girlfriend Kat Von D says of him, "I learn so much from him; this is the most fruitful relationship I have ever had. We read a lot together and we are really into self-help books and wisdom books and it's cool; I am constantly learning from him." 

15/11/09
Fans have the opportunity for the first time ever in book publishing history to participate the online auction of book rights, whereby the winner will take ownership of a 30% share of royalties for the forthcoming re-issue of An Education in Rebellion: The Biography of Nikki Sixx.

16/11/09
Mötley announces tour dates for The Dead Of Winter Canadian tour commencing January 23 with The Joe Perry Project and Airbourne in support. Nikki says, "Canada has always been one of Mötley Crüe's most supportive markets. We look forward to going up there again and rocking people’s faces off."

Vince says his solo band is going into the studio in about three weeks to record a new solo album called Tattoos & Tequila. The title track will be released as a single in January before the album's anticipated release in March. Vince also says he is looking at a spot in Manhattan where he’s probably going to open another of his Feelgood’s bar within the next year. A Chicago establishment is also coming up as he plans to open fifteen of them next year, followed by another ten Feelgood’s in 2011.

Asked if Mötley Crüe is moving forward with the film adaptation of their best-selling autobiography The Dirt, Vince says, “Paramount Pictures bought the rights to that as soon as the book came out. That was up to them to make the film. They were going to make it and Director David Fincher was attached to it at one point. The President of Paramount, Sherry Lansing, left and it was her baby. Once she left, it kind of fell through the cracks. We are not movie-makers, so it’s been out of our hands and we have nothing to do about it or say about it. If it gets made, great! If it doesn’t get made, great! It’s sitting there on somebody’s desk in Hollywood.”

17/11/09
Mötley Crüe reissues their Greatest Hits CD via Eleven Seven Music/Mötley Records. It is also released as a double vinyl LP. The track listing is: 1. Too Fast for Love, 2. Shout at the Devil, 3. Looks that Kill, 4. Too Young to Fall in Love, 5. Smokin' in the Boys Room, 6. Home Sweet Home, 7. Wild Side, 8. Girls, Girls, Girls, 9. Dr. Feelgood, 10. Kickstart My Heart, 11. Same 'Ol Situation, 12. Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away), 13. Without You, 14. Primal Scream, 15. Sick Love Song, 16. Afraid, 17. If I Die Tomorrow, 18. Saints of Los Angeles, 19. The Animal In Me (Remix). The Best Buy version features a twenty-minute behind-the-scenes documentary filmed at Crüe Fest 2.

Dilana Robichaux releases her album InsideOut via Kablunk! Records, which features a solo by Mick.

27/11/09
NASA says the seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis have been playing Mötley's song Home Sweet Home on their return journey from the International Space Station to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

3/12/09
John Corabi plays the first of three shows in a row with his newly formed solo band, comprising Phil Shouse on lead guitar, Topher Nolen on bass and drummer Shawn Hughes. Playing tracks spanning his career with The Scream, Mötley Crüe, Union and Brides of Destruction, songs in the set include Hooligan's Holiday, I Don't Care, Outlaw, Til Death Do Us Part, Power To The Music, Uncle Jack, Love (I Don't Need It Anymore), Shine and Father, Mother, Son.

13/12/09
Nikki says he is excited to be off the road, home with his kids and girlfriend Katherine. On the music front, he says, "The new Sixx: A.M. music is slowly coming along. It's hard to talk up your music without sounding like you’re pre-selling it. I think it will be best for you to just hear it. It will be completely different yet very familiar to your ears… but honestly, I can't wait for you to hear it.” Regarding Mötley Crüe, he says, “We have a few shows here and there but nothing really 'til 2011 and that's just fine by me.”

Updating fans on his Running Wild In The Night charity, Nikki says, "The music room at Covenant House is up and running. Between the sales from The Heroin Diaries and your contributions, we have raised hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars and the money is really going to good use.” He says his forthcoming radio show Sixx Sense is “gonna blow your mind. I feel so at home on the radio and there are some major things coming your way. I cannot wait for you to hear (and see) it.”

Finally, Nikki says he’s been “knee-deep in chemicals in my studio darkroom, as I've been working with a wonderful photographer named Luther Garlach. He has been teaching me the magic of 'wet plate.' I have been shooting on glass and recently on tin, exposing through natural light or UV-intense artificial light at Funny Farm. So many chemicals, so much to learn… so exciting. Katherine says I have found what I've been looking for in photography. She is right, but that doesn't mean I have abandoned my digital or film approach… I actually feel like I am just getting started on multiple fronts. I am toying with some ideas but for now I am allowing them to brew in my brain and not announce anything.”

15/12/09
Vince is reportedly being sued for legal fees by the California-based law firm Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton. They claim he refused to pay $62,000 for four months of representation in negotiations over entertainment and corporate agreements in 2008.

Around this time, Vince meets the new author of his book Mike Sager at his Feelgood's Rock Bar & Grill in Las Vegas, arriving in his black two-seat Lambourghini Gallardo Spyder with yellow stitching on the black leather seats and vanity plates TATUUD, and they commence work on his autobiography.

The Last Vegas tops the iTunes critics' 2009 Rock Singles of the Year List with their hit single I'm Bad, which was co-written by Nikki.

18/12/09
Premiere Radio Networks announces that multimedia personality, producer and writer Kerri Kasem will join Nikki as co-host of two soon-to-be-launched nationally syndicated radio programs: Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx will broadcast Monday through Friday from 7pm to midnight local time. Joined by co-host Kerri Kasem, Nikki will provide his unique perspective and attitude as the duo welcomes celebrity guests, recording artists and fascinating characters from all walks of life. All this and more will be coupled with radio station playlists. The Side Show Countdown with Nikki Sixx is a two-hour original weekend program. Available for air Saturday or Sunday between 6am and midnight local time, Nikki and Kasem will air top-charting songs, showcase new and emerging artists, and welcome guests from the worlds of music and entertainment.

22/12/09
While recording new original songs at friend Danny "Count" Koker's Desert Moon Productions for his next solo album, Vince is also working on a cover version of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic Who'll Stop The Rain?

31/12/09
Closing out the decade, Tommy spends his New Year's Eve DJing at a club in Atlanta, Georgia.

On with the show