Chronological Crue - The History of Motley Crue in 2016

9/1/16
John Corabi spends time at WireWorld Studios mixing his band's forthcoming live album – a recent performance (with his son Ian Corabi on drums) of the self-titled Mötley Crüe album that was released in 1994. The studio is located just outside Nashville in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, and is owned by producer/engineer Michael Wagener, whose work with Mötley Crüe goes all the way back to the band's first album Too Fast For Love.

12/1/16
Taking in the news of David Bowie’s death, Mötley Crüe members reflect on his impact on them. As Tommy Lee ends his holiday at Gili Lankanfushi in the Maldives, he says, "The world loses another rockstar! Fuck! Goodbye Mr. Bowie; it was a pleasure to meet you!" At the end of his ten-day beach holiday in Mexico, Nikki Sixx says, "R.I.P. Thin White Duke. You inspired me to be more than a musician, you inspired me to be an artist my whole life." From a beach in Hawaii, Vince Neil says, "Sad to hear about my musical hero David Bowie's death. His music will live forever. Sad day." John Corabi says, "The Godfather of Glam, Pop, genius is gone; very sad day indeed! Ziggy Stardust was the soundtrack to my teens! R.I.P. David Bowie."

15/1/16
Mick Mars is currently recording songs with former Mötley singer John Corabi in Nashville's Blackbird Studio, owned by John McBride. Mick says, "What a great, great time I'm havin' creating new, fresh, greasy, loud ass, slamming music."

Vince performs his first solo concert post-Mötley Crüe – a corporate gig for Cisco in Maui, Hawaii.

17/1/16
Nikki says mixing of the new Sixx:A.M. music is almost complete, as the band's 2016 tour schedule continues to fill up with headline shows in between festival performances. Some of the new song titles are Riot in My Head, Prayers for the Damned, Belly of the Beast, and Helicopters.

23/1/16
Nikki spends the day at NAMM – the annual convention of the National Association of Music Merchants in Los Angeles – where he and his Sixx:A.M. band mates meet fans and sign items at the Shure microphones, Dean Markley strings and Schecter guitars booths.

24/1/16
Tommy guests and performs on the premiere episode of Sammy Hagar's Rock & Roll Road Trip on AXS TV.

26/1/16
Vince has reportedly signed-on as the first contestant for the next season of NBC's long-running business reality show The Celebrity Apprentice. To be hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the season is scheduled to premiere in September. Vince and the other contestants will compete to win money for their favorite charities, by taking part in business-driven tasks around New York City and working grueling hours on mentally challenging tasks that test their ability to work together.

28/1/16
Vince says he's working on recording some music for a new solo record this year, with the possibility of road testing some of those songs on his current tour. 

6/2/16
Vince says he had an awesome time last night writing songs in the recording studio with his friend Boy George, who is best known as Culture Club's lead singer.

11/2/16
Sixx:A.M. will release a new single Rise on March 1, as the first single from their forthcoming first volume of a double album that's due later this year. The band will premiere the single in Vegas this weekend at Radio Contraband.

With his eighteen-year-old son Dylan Lee recording songs, Tommy says, "There comes that day when your making music with your son in my studio; these feelings are unexplainable."

13/2/16
Mick releases snippets of two new solo songs called Gimme Blood and Shake The Cage, featuring John Corabi on vocals. The project is dubbed 1313: M is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, so the initials of Mick Mars (MM) equates to 1313. Mick has had this tattooed on his hand for many years. Mick thanks music fans for the awesome replies and likes for my teasers online, saying he, "Got an overwhelming amount of positive feedback. So happy that you are diggin' it!"

15/2/16
Nikki's former fiancée from the 1980s Denise Mathews aka Vanity dies in Fremont, California, due to kidney failure at fifty-seven years of age.

16/2/16
Nikki says he is headed to Europe this weekend to promote the upcoming Sixx:A.M. albums, before continuing press promotions in Canada and New York City.

28/2/16
Tommy races with Team Anime in the 30th Bud Light SCORE San Felipe 250 in San Felipe, Baja California Desert, Mexico. The team fails to finish after an engine fire halts their race.

1/3/16
Sixx:A.M. launches their single Rise on iHeartRadio and reveals it will be the first track on their upcoming fourth studio album, Volume 1 of Prayers For The Damned, which will be released on April 29 via Eleven Seven Music. The track list for the rest of the songs is You Have Come To The Right Place, I'm Sick, Prayers For The Damned, Better Man, Can't Stop, When We Were Gods, Belly Of The Beast, Everything Went To Hell, The Last Time (My Heart Will Hit The Ground), and Rise of the Melancholy Empire. Also announced are dates for a U.S. tour kicking off at the end of April, followed by European festival performances through to the end of June.

8/3/16
At the Nevada Boxing Hall Of Fame press conference in Las Vegas, Vince tells press, "Well, I've retired from Mötley Crüe; that's no more. But I've got seventy solo shows starting April 29th 'till the end of the year, so I'll be touring."

7/4/16
Vince is the subject of a criminal investigation in Las Vegas after allegedly attacking a woman in the Aria hotel around 5pm. While leaving after a long lunch, a woman approaches Vince's longtime friend and actor Nicolas Cage, asking him for an autograph. Vince then allegedly gets behind the woman, grabs her by the hair and pulls her to the ground. While Vince claims he only "pushed past” the autograph seeker, officers obtain surveillance video and conclude he did in fact pull the woman by her hair. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department receives a call from the hotel at 5:24pm that reports the incident, and Vince is cited for battery before being released at the scene. The woman says that she was left stunned, and suffered a sore neck as well as pain in her lower back and hip. Vince is scheduled to appear in court on June 17 for the alleged assault on the woman. TMZ posts a video of a further scene outside the hotel, which cops say Vince was trying to fight another individual, while Cage tried to play peacemaker. The clip is reportedly filmed after Vince was held for an hour by security and police had already ticketed him for battery.

11/4/16
Michael Jackson's daughter Paris gets the word Mötley tattooed on the inside of her bottom lip.

13/4/16
Tommy is selling his home in Calabasas, California, tweeting, "Selling your home may be the most stressful shit EVER!" The description of his house listed for $5.99 million with Rodeo Realty states: "Unique celebrity-owned view property with recording studio in a guard-gated community of Calabasas. This custom estate has panoramic jetliner views of the valley and is perched on its own hilltop in a cul-de-sac enclave with other custom homes. The main house is almost 10,000 square feet with a subterranean (approximately 3000 square feet) garage, of which approximately 2000 sq ft. now houses a state-of-the-art recording studio with control and two live rooms. This property features an Atrium in the middle of the home with retractable roof, and sprawling bamboo that sets the tone for a very serene zen-like feel to the open floor plan. Additional features of the home include indoor koi pond, indoor spa, wood-beamed ceilings, home theatre, wine room with second kitchen, separate bar area, five bedrooms, including stunning master retreat with views, six baths, library/office, two fireplaces, piano shaped swimming pool with spa. All this just up the street from Calabasas country club which features a championship golf course."

15/4/16
Nikki commences rehearsals with Sixx:A.M. for their Prayers For The Damned Tour, as the title track is released for fans to enjoy.

20/4/16
During an interview for a cover story in the latest issue of Sweden Rock Magazine, Nikki is asked for his thoughts on Mötley Crüe’s self titled album with John Corabi. He says, "I've gotta tell you, I think it was a very unfocused record. It was painful for me, because John Corabi can't write lyrics, and I had to do all that work. It was the first time I ever had to work with somebody that wanted to participate in the lyrics. And my standard is so high that it was just… It was so hard, it took months... Usually, I write a set of lyrics in an hour. And it's all about having pent-up information and aggression and just [letting it out]. And it was just hard, because he was… a nice enough guy, but he just didn't have that fire, and it was hard for me. And I just felt like Bob Rock really got us… 'Cause we just really wanted to get the riffs going and stuff, and he captured that. But in general, there's like… Hooligan's Holiday is a good song. Poison Apples, I think, was a good song. But in general, it felt like a great-sounding record, but a little bit unfocused. That's just me. Like, the choruses weren't big enough. But it was just hard."

21/4/16
From Nashville where he's recording the next album with The Dead Daisies, John Corabi addresses Nikki's comments published yesterday by saying, "As my email, texts, and phone is blowing up over this, I'd like to publicly retort to this. Thank you to Mötley Crüe for the five years we had together. I'm extremely proud of the record we recorded TOGETHER! And your phone call to me asking to join your band has honestly helped my career immensely. I have done everything since, MY WAY, under MY TERMS, and I'm happy knowing I haven't followed any trends, caved to any record label, and just basically been myself. I am who I am, I write the way I write, and I'm beyond happy being the person I am... I have nothing but mad respect for Mötley, including Mr. Sixx... And wish them ALL the best with their future endeavours.”

25/4/16
Nikki and Sixx:A.M. launch a campaign to get YouTube to 'Do The Right Thing' regarding music royalties, calling for the Google-owned site to pay more to musicians for using their videos. "We chose today to speak up about how YouTube unfairly pays artists and labels an estimated 1/6 of what its competitors, Spotify and Apple pay and why this must be addressed. We support technology and its ability to bring music to more people around the globe. All we ask, is for ALL artists to receive fair pay."

26/4/16
Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown are partnering to co-headline an arena rock tour with Sixx:A.M. as special guests that kicks off on October 18 this year in Little Rock, Arkansas and crisscrosses North America through December.

29/4/16
Sixx:A.M.'s fourth studio album Prayers for The Damned Vol. 1 is released on Eleven Seven music today. It quickly rises to #2 on the iTunes Rock Chart. The album is said to be likely to sell between 16,000 and 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

8/5/16
As their headlining Prayers of The Damned headlining tour gets into full swing, Sixx:A.M. performs a surprise ’Hit and Run’ acoustic performance outside their tour bus for their fans.

10/5/16
Fathom Events, Eagle Rock Entertainment and 10th Street Entertainment announce Mötley Crüe: The End will feature on the big screen for an incredible one-night event on Tuesday, June 14. Produced and distributed by Live Alliance, Christian Lamb directed the concert portion of the film recorded on New Year's Eve at Los Angeles Staples Centre, while Jeff Tremaine, creator of the Jackass series, directed the documentary segment. Following the big-screen premiere, the film will be made available on pay-per-view in all cable/satellite/digital formats, with a DVD to be released later on. In addition to the live-concert film, the band is planning to release a major box-set of music down the line, as well as The Dirt feature film based on the band's best-selling 2001 autobiography, also to be directed by Tremaine, in the near future.

15/5/16
Tommy participates in the third annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure concert benefiting the Pediatric Cancer Program at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, held at The Fillmore in San Francisco. The night features musicians like Melissa Etheridge, Sammy Hagar, James Hetfield, John Mayer and Joe Satriani performing acoustic sets with true once-in-a-lifetime musical moments and collaborations.

17/5/16
After Gene Simmons says the death of musician Prince, allegedly from a drug overdose, is "pathetic", Nikki gets involved by tweeting, Gene's “recent heartless and uneducated remarks about Prince's death shows why he's not my hero anymore or anybody's" and he further elaborates on his radio show Sixx Sense by saying, “I think that he is an overrated, lucky guy that dresses like a clown. He wrote some good songs, but hasn't in a long time, and loves to brag about himself." Gene's Kiss band mate Paul Stanley responds on his Facebook page to address Nikki's comments, writing, “Jesus Christ, Nikki Sixx! Would you please shut up, find another way to be in the news and get off your self-inflated pedestal? Regardless of some things Gene Simmons has said that I may take issue with, his influence on musicians (you included) is undeniable and will continue. More importantly, his work, generosity and monetary contributions to numerous causes and charities for those less fortunate makes your ongoing rant, in the scheme of things, the unimportant but annoying squeak it truly is. Move on."

21/5/16
Nikki tells an Ohio radio station that his memoir The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star is closer to being turned into a Broadway play. He says it is, “almost complete. And most of the music is from Sixx:A.M. There's a couple of Mötley Crüe songs in there, because it is my life. But the Broadway play is really written. Yes, it's based on The Heroin Diaries book, and the music plays to that, because it was the soundtrack to the book, but it's a little wider scope than that. It will probably tell some version of your story, or my story. There's a lot of issues within it, that if you broke down psychologically what The Heroin Diaries is about, there's a lot of issues with abandonment, family issues and survival. So it's a really interesting play, and it's actually quite hopeful." Asked if fans can expect to see The Heroin Diaries shortly, Nikki responds, “Anything to do with Broadway or the movies, you can never say ‘shortly,' but we are getting closer to the ‘let's pull the trigger' line."

24/5/16
Speaking with Rolling Stone about Mötley's final concert, Tommy says the band's preshow ritual was no different for the last-ever concert: “We just see each other up onstage and let it rip." He adds, “It's kind of strange, man. We're a fucking weird band. Even stranger, after the final night, we had a big party backstage on New Year's Eve, and I never saw the other guys. We never even said ‘goodbye.' Fucking strange as hell, dude. I mean, what the fuck? Asked why nobody would say goodbye to him, Tommy says, “I really don't know. I mean, if you're getting divorced, you still give your ex a hug, or flip her off or something. You either get a kiss or a slap, or ... something. Give me a sign! Let me know you're alive."

Tommy also confirms that he hasn't spoken to Nikki or Vince since the New Year's Eve show. “I think fucking Nikki un-followed me on fucking Twitter, like, the next day," Tommy said. “I was like, ‘Wow. Okay, dude.'" Pressed on whether there was an issue with Nikki leading up to that, Tommy said: “There's always been issues."

31/5/16
In an interview with Billboard.com, Tommy again speaks of his disappointment over the way things ended between him and his Mötley band-mates at the conclusion of the group's final show. “We had a super, super crazy after-party, but none of the other guys came to it. It was interesting. I asked around, like, ‘Hey, where are the guys at?' and they're like, ‘Oh, they left.' ‘Whoa! Okay...' Very disappointed, but in the same breath I kinda knew that was gonna happen, so I was prepared for it, y'know? And after a nearly two-year-long tour, I didn't blame them for wanting to just get the fuckin' out of there and go home. It's all good." 

1/6/16
Sixx:A.M. performs a surprise acoustic version of the Mötley Crüe classic Live Wire during their appearance on the La Bande Originale de Nagui radio show, hosted by French TV superstar Nagui and broadcasted on French national station France Inter. Last year, Nikki said Sixx:A.M. will “never will play Mötley Crüe music. The day Mötley Crüe plays its last show, I will never play another Mötley Crüe song again … even if it's one I wrote." He echoed those sentiments last August in an interview, saying, “For me, it's very cut and dry. When Mötley Crüe is done, it will be the greatest experience of my life, but it's the closing of that chapter. I will never play Mötley Crüe music in Sixx:A.M. That is Mötley Crüe's music. Even if I wrote them, I won't play them, because I don't believe I should do that in another band." Nikki justifies the decision to now play a Mötley Crüe song by tweeting, “The band had a great idea to do a haunting version just for French radio. We are not living off of it."

4/6/16
Nikki accuses the music press of focusing on the “drama" behind Mötley Crüe's final tour and not celebrating the “beauty" of the band's last-ever performance, as captured in the group's new concert movie. He says, “The press has obviously seen a screener of our last show, The End, and is only using the parts of interviews that push drama for them and aren't concerned with the millions of fans and the beauty of our last show together. You can't wrap up a 35-year career with a couple sound-bites to get attention for your websites and programming. The End is a combination of everybody's hard from production people, crews, managers, agents and the band but the most important aspect is the fans. There is a whole story here to be told through music and lyrics. Can't wait for it to come out so we can get back to the music and show."

11/6/16
Nikki joins Megadeth on stage at the U.K.'s Download festival, performing a cover version of the Sex Pistols' classic Anarchy In The U.K. Front man Dave Mustaine introduces Nikki to the stage by saying, “Back when Megadeth were starting out, we lived in L.A., and there was a lot of rivalry between the big bands. With this guest, it's a coming in together of both sides." The performance prompts Mustaine to quip about the unlikely collaboration: “Well, hell has frozen over, hasn't it?!" Megadeth covered the song on their 1988 release So Far, So Good... So What!, while Mötleyalso released a version in 1991 as part of their Decade Of Decadence album.

14/6/16
The Mötley Crüe: The End concert movie screens in theaters across the U.S. The 140-minute film includes footage from the Crüe's farewell show at the Staples Center along with exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of the last week of the tour.

16/6/16
Nikki joins Korn on stage at Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland to perform their classic song Blind with them. 

18/6/16
Nikki and his Sixx:A.M. band mates join Disturbed on stage at Hellfest in Clisson, France to perform a cover version of Mötley Crüe's classic Shout At The Devil.

23/6/16
Mick joins Kenny Olsen on stage at the Ernie Ball Music Man Pickers' Paradise party at Mercy Lounge in Nashville, Tennessee as part of the summer NAMM show. He performs a couple of rock classics with Olsen and band: Led Zeppelin's Rock And Roll and Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix.

28/6/16
John Corabi says he thinks someone in the Mötley Crüe camp is “a little bit pissy" about him having recently spent time in the studio singing on songs with Mick Mars. When asked about the two new songs Gimme Blood and Shake The Cage that Mick released snippets of, Corabi says, “The last time I talked with [Mick], the other thing I'm kind of concerned with is… I don't wanna… I'm just guesstimating here, but there's still some things that they have to get situated in the Mötley camp. And I know that they all signed an agreement, and from what I've been led to believe is that part of that camp is a little bit pissy with me working with Mick. I don't know [why that is]. They had to sign something that none of the members would ever work together again. So somehow… I don't know. It's, like, whatever. I don't really care. If Mick needs help, I told him I'd help him. But I just said, ‘I think you need to make sure and sort all that out, so that all your stuff is in order."

30/6/16
John Corabi says in a Facebook posting, “OMG!!!!!! I officially have NOTHING to say about any member of Mötley Crüe ever again I was asked a question a few days ago about why Nikki dogged the Mötley record, and I said I have no idea why...blah, blah, blah...This isn't news kids! I don't really care. Never did, never will! Mötley has retired. Mötley IS NIKKI, TOMMY, MICK, and VINCE! And it's been that way since 1997, as it should be... I'm not backing this BULLSHIT stirring that is happening to start a feud... It ain't going to happen here. If you want to know about The CRÜE, ask the CRÜE!"

6/7/16
Vince is charged with misdemeanor battery and faces a maximum six months jail time, stemming from a post-lunch incident with actor Nicolas Cage earlier this year at the Aria hotel in Las Vegas. Vince allegedly went off on an autograph seeker, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her to the ground, but he claims the woman got aggressive with him and all he did was push past her. A law enforcement source says they have surveillance video showing he manhandled her.

14/7/16
After previously serving as the administrator of Nikki’s song copyrights, Downtown Music Publishing acquires Nikki's complete Mötley Crüe publishing catalog. As part of the agreement, Downtown will also represent Nikki’s Neighbouring Rights and will continue to administer his non-Mötleycompositions, including those of Sixx:A.M. Having worked with Nikki since 2009, Downtown has helped elevate his song catalog through key brand partnerships and sync licenses with the likes of Coldwell Bankers, Dodge, Yahoo! and Sprint, as well as a major Superbowl campaign for KIA that featured the band as on-screen talent.

15/7/16
Vince is sued by a single mother Kelly Guerrero who claims he assaulted her at the Aria hotel in during April. According to the lawsuit, his attack resulted in "substantial medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and emotional distress." She is seeking $75,000 in compensatory damages, in addition to $75,000 in punitive damages and legal fees. Guerrero says her 14-year-old son witnessed Neil's assault and battery upon her and that hotel security called police. Vince was charged with misdemeanor assault and has a July 27 court date in Las Vegas Justice Court. "After the assault and battery, Kelly went to her hotel room at the New York, New York and stayed there for the remainder of the evening until the next day when she awoke with neck pain, low back and buttock pain," the complaint continues. "She and her son went to Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas where she was seen in the ER and diagnosed with a 'back sprain or strain; neck sprain or strain and sacral contusion due to physical assault.' The doctor at the ER sent her home with pain medication and muscle relaxers with instructions to follow up with her primary care physician in Santa Cruz, California. She has been diagnosed with a fracture coccyx and a severe left hip injury. Since then she has received further medical care and psychotherapy due to the severe trauma Vince Neil inflicted on her."

16/7/16
A month-long on-demand access to the movie Mötley Crüe: The End is available through leading cable, fiber and satellite television providers in the U.S. and Canada. Fans around the world will also be able to watch the show via a digital PPV stream through the band’s website.

26/7/16
A range of official Mötley Crüe sex toys by Lovehoney will ship to retail stores this September. In a deal brokered by Global Merchandising Services, the Official Mötley Crüe Collection is made up of eight mini and midi-sized vibrators featuring the band’s typography and artwork as featured on albums such as Girls, Girls, Girls and Too Fast For Love.

27/7/16
Absent from court, Vince has his attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld enter a not guilty plea on his behalf in connection with his misdemeanor battery charge. A September 19 trial date is set by Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Cynthia Cruz. "We're going to do our own investigation, which we've already started," Chesnoff says. "As always, I ask people not to prejudge situations until all the facts come in and we understand the totality of the circumstances."

31/7/16
Vince appears as himself in Sharknado: The 4th Awakens movie on the cable network Syfy.

5/8/16
The new album from The Dead Daisies titled Make Some Noise is released by SPV records, with John Corabi on vocals.

6/9/16
Photographers Neil Zlozower and Barry Levine sue the Crüe over photographs they each took of the band in the Eighties, claiming Mötley never got their permission to use their photos on merchandise for the band's final tour. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York states, "In the 1980s, Zlozower and Levine photographed the members of the Mötley Crüe band at Zlozower and Levine's respective studios in Los Angeles. Zlozower and Levine used their own cameras, lighting equipment, film, batteries, backdrops, and accessories. Zlozower and Levine directed the band members as to where to stand, how to pose, and where to position. In January 2014, Mötley announced that they will be touring for the very last time before their retirement during their Final Tour. The Final Tour started on July 2, 2014 and ended on December 31, 2015. On the information and belief, The Final Tour consisted of one hundred and thirty concerts around the United States, sixteen shows in Europe, five shows in Asia, six shows in Australia region, and one in South America. The Final Tour grossed approximately eight-six million dollars. Upon information and belief, in 2014, Mötley, Mötley Touring, Global Inc., Global Ltd., Live Worldwide, Live Concerts, Live Entertainment, and Live Merchandise copied the Zlozower Photographs and Levine Photographs and placed them on merchandise to sell to the public. Upon information and belief, the merchandise was sold on their websites, at concert venues, and third-party merchandise websites. Defendants infringed Plaintiff's copyright in the Photographs by reproducing, publicly displaying, and selling the Photographs on merchandise. Defendants are not, and have never been, licensed or otherwise authorized to reproduce, publicly display, distribute, sell and/or use the Photographs on merchandise." The photographers are seeking profits from the sale of the merchandise featuring their photographs, as well as damages and attorney's fees.

4/10/16
Tommy turns to the stars of reality TV show Counting Cars to help him fix up his broken bike, after it was recently rear-ended by a car while his friend Scott was sitting on it at a red light.

13/10/16
The concert documentary movie Mötley Crüe: The End is shown in cinemas across Europe, Australia, Japan and South America for one night only.

18/10/16
Sixx:A.M. releases a new video for their song We Will Not Go Quietly", taken from their new album Vol. 2, Prayers For The Blessed that is being released on November 18.

19/10/16
Vince's lawyers David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld appear in court for him and plead guilty to misdemeanor battery, effectively striking a deal to avoid jail time for his part in a Las Vegas incident where he allegedly assaulted an autograph seeker. Vince will have to pay $1,000 and spend six months on informal probation, plus undergo impulse control counseling.

6/11/16
Mötley Crüe is sued for thirty million dollars in a suit filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court by Logan and Roger Raskin of the New York City group The Raskins, who claim their "once in a lifetime" chance to open for the Mötley during their 2014 tour was sabotaged. At a show in Connecticut, crew members ran out on stage in monkey masks and sprayed the Raskins "with water guns filled with urine," the brothers claim in their lawsuit. They also claim they were forced to play short sets in mostly empty venues after managers often refused to open the doors for shows; the public address system was turned off or interfered with during their shows; they weren't allowed to sell merchandise or give them dressing rooms; and they were hit with heavy equipment. The Raskins paid one million dollars to join the tour and had a contract negotiated by Artist Group International, but it wasn't honoured. The lawsuit also names Tenth Street Entertainment, AGI and other production companies.

16/11/16
Mötley Crüe's farewell tour concert film DVD release titled The End: Live In Los Angeles debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Music Video Sales charts. Directed by Christian Lamb, the project presents the band's final live performance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles this past New Year's Eve. The DVD also includes interviews and behind the scenes material shot by Jackass creator Jeff Tremaine.

18/11/16
Sixx:A.M. releases a new studio album titled Prayers of the Blessed Vol. 2 - their second studio album release this year. Among the twelve tracks is a cover of the Badfinger song Without You, made famous by Nikki's last friend Harry Nilsson.

After Billboard publishes an article saying Vince will perform at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration in January, Vince says he has been "uninvited" from the event, explaining that "there's more politics involved in the bands playing than I really thought there was." Vince told Billboard that he was asked to play at the Washington D.C. event "months ago", well before he declined an invitation to attend the third presidential debate in Neil's now-native Las Vegas. Vince says, “I was asked to do the inauguration, like, two months ago, no matter who won. We had no idea, obviously, who was gonna win. And we said, 'Absolutely,' so I wanted to play the inauguration. We gave all of our passports - of the band and crew - to Secret Service, [and] they went through everything. And so, as far as I knew from that, we were playing. We were invited, and then, it turns out, when the Republicans won, we were uninvited. I didn't know about the Democratic part of asking us to play. I assumed what it was was it doesn't matter who won, it's still a big party, right? But I guess it's not. I guess there's more politics involved in the bands playing than I really thought there was. I just found out about this today when all this stuff kind of came out that we were playing. I said, 'What happened?' I asked my guys. And they said, 'Well, no.' Once Trump won, it's all politics. And I don't know who's playing Trump's party, but God bless 'em."

25/11/16
Mötley Crüe: The End box set is released containing six LPs (Too Fast for Love, Shout at the Devil, Girls, Girls, Girls, Theatre of Pain, Dr. Feelgood and Saints of Los Angeles) as well as CDs of each album, a hardcover photo book and a live DVD and CD of the band's final performance in their hometown of L.A. dubbed The End. In addition to this, four exclusive, autographed lithograph photo prints of the band, four exclusive Mick Mars guitar picks and a commemorative ‘Final Tour’ VIP laminate pass are also included.

30/11/16
Nikki's fifteen-year-old daughter Frankie gives birth to a baby boy named Jesse Evan Easterson, who sadly passes away shortly after. Baby Jesse was the first grandchild for Nikki and his former wife Donna D'Errico, who says her daughter is "in the worst pain of her life," along with Frankie’s fiancé Eaton.

7/12/16
Providing an update on Mötley Crüe’s movie, Nikki says, "It’s now being moved around. Some different companies are really interested. But it’s a slow-moving process. It’s beyond [being] in development. We’re changing partners. It’s a slow-moving thing. I don’t wanna really be involved in something that’s just piece-mealed together just to say, ‘We did it!’ You know, one of those VH1 rock movies you see like on Meat Loaf. It’s not what we wanted. We think that the story’s actually more important than… more important than, actually, the band. It’s a really interesting story. It’s not really just about girls pulling their pants down in the bathroom and us snorting blow off their asses; there’s a bigger story to it. You’re gonna get less of that. You’re gonna see that, because that happened, but there’s a really beautiful story, and it’s really about a gang that climbed the mountain together and pulled each other up to the top of the mountain when everybody else didn’t believe in them, and then imploded at the top.”

11/12/16
In a final message on Facebook, Nikki posts, "Goodbye Facebook. I wanna get back to what’s real: writing music, lyrics, books, photography, etc, etc. If ya wanna follow me I post photos on Instagram, otherwise see you live next time I go on tour. Much love.” He also deletes his Twitter account, while writing on Instagram, "Finally showered and finally heading home for a long break. Love to everybody who supported and believed in Sixx:A.M. Big thanks to all the bands who let us support them and to the many crowds who let us give our all for you.”

On with the show