CHAD KROEGER Has Heard JOHN 5 'Flawlessly' Play 'Every Single MÖTLEY CRÜE Riff That's Ever Been Written And Recorded'

MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee celebrated his 60th birthday last month with a special party in Punta Mita, the ultra-luxurious, 1,500-acre resort and residential community located on a private peninsula in Mexico's Riviera Nayarit. Among the friends and fellow musicians who attended the bash were Lee's CRÜE bandmates Nikki Sixx and Vince Neil, former MARILYN MANSON and ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5, NICKELBACK frontman Chad Kroeger and actor John Travolta.

Speaking to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Kroeger stated about the experience (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We all got to go down to this spot that Tommy's got this love for. It's about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta. It's called Punta Mita. And there were tons of us there. It's really strange, though, being friends with Tommy, and Nikki shows up. So there's Tommy and Nikki there. And, like, the 13-year-old fanboy in me, I'm trying to suppress that, push it down [laughs] — push it down. [Laughs] 'Don't fan out, dude. Don't.'"

Chad also talked about John 5, who recently revealed he will step in for guitarist Mick Mars on the upcoming MÖTLEY CRÜE tour after Mars, who is 71, decide to retire from the road due to his battle with the debilitating disease ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine joints and ligaments and can lead to stiffness over time, according to the National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases.

"John's incredible," Kroeger said. "He brought his guitar [with him to Mexico]. 'Cause we were there for — I think we were there for, like, five days. So on one of the nights, John brought a guitar out. And a lot of people were heading to bed. And it was just, like, John and Tommy and myself. I think Deadmau5 [Canadian electronic music producer and DJ] might have stayed up with us that night as well. John just played… 'Cause now I'm allowed to say that he's gonna be filling in for Mick for the rest of the tour. And so he just sat there and played every single MÖTLEY CRÜE riff that's ever been written and recorded — flawlessly. Flawlessly. You don't need to put on music when you've got that kind of talent just sitting right there. I mean, he was just running the gamut, and it was fantastic."

John 5 is one of the credited co-writers on the three original songs on CRÜE's "The Dirt" soundtrack. John 5 has also collaborated with Sixx and Desmond Child on Meat Loaf's "The Monster Is Loose". Last year, Sixx and John 5 launched the L.A. RATS supergroup in which they were joied by Rob Zombie and drummer Tommy Clufetos.

The 71-year-old Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

A day after Mick announced his retirement from touring, remaining members Sixx, singer Vince Neil and drummer Tommy Lee vowed to "continue the legacy." In a statement, they said: "While change is never easy, we accept Mick's decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health. We have watched Mick manage his Ankylosing Spondylitis for decades and he has always managed it with utmost courage and grace. To say 'enough is enough' is the ultimate act of courage. Mick's sound helped define MÖTLEY CRÜE from the minute he plugged in his guitar at our very first rehearsal together. The rest, as they say, is history. We'll continue to honor his musical legacy."

The statement continued: "We will carry out Mick's wish and continue to tour the world as planned in 2023. No doubt will it take an absolutely outstanding musician to fill Mick's shoes so we are grateful that our good friend, John 5 has agreed to come on board and join us moving forward. We'll see all you Crueheads out on the road!”

John 5 said: "I'm honored to carry on Mick's legacy and am looking forward to playing these songs."

In his statement, Mick said that he had decided to step back from live shows due to his "ongoing painful struggle" with ankylosing spondylitis and while he will continue to be a member of the band, he cannot "handle the rigors" of touring life.

The statement read: "Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band MÖTLEY CRÜE for the past 41 years, has announced today that due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis, he will no longer be able to tour with the band. Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road. A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine."

John 5's involvement with MÖTLEY CRÜE as the band's new guitarist was first reported as a rumor by the Metal Sludge web site on October 7.

Speculation about John 5 replacing Mars gained strength after the longtime ROB ZOMBIE guitarist failed to appear with the shock rocker at this year's Aftershock festival in Sacramento. Rob was instead joined on stage by returning guitarist Mike Riggs for the first time since 2006.

John 5 has performed MÖTLEY CRÜE songs a number of times in the past. Back in 2018, John 5 was joined by Sixx along with ANTHRAX's Scott Ian and his wife Pearl Aday at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California to play a cover of "Shout At The Devil". Earlier this year, the guitarist ran through renditions of both "Home Sweet Home" and "Kickstart My Heart" at various shows on his U.S. tour.

Last month, it was announced that MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD will go global in 2023 with their co-headline "The World Tour". Produced by Live Nation, the trek will kick off on February 18, 2023 at Foro Sol in Mexico City and include stops throughout Latin America before heading to Europe in May 2023.