DEF LEPPARD's RICK SAVAGE: MÖTLEY CRÜE's NIKKI SIXX Is 'One Of The Nicest' And 'Funniest People I've Ever Met'

DEF LEPPARD bassist Rick Savage spoke to Made In Metal about what it has been like touring with another veteran rock act, MÖTLEY CRÜE, on the 2022 "The Stadium Tour" and the 2023 "The World Tour". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was great. [I] absolutely loved it. We'd known MÖTLEY CRÜE over the years — well, obviously for 30 years — but we never knew them really well as friends. But we'd met each other in different circles. And I have to say, they turned out to be some of the nicest people that we've ever, ever worked with — just really, really great. Contrary to popular belief, they were very professional, they were always on time, they were very friendly. They were even friendly with each other, which some people tend to think that they're not. Well, they were perfect to be with — absolutely perfect."

He continued: "The whole thing just worked out — [it] actually exceeded my expectations. 'Cause when you get paired with a band that you don't really know, you're never sure how the relationship is gonna work. But literally from day one, the relationship between DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE was very, very tight, very, very close. [CRÜE bassist] Nikki Sixx is one of the nicest men I've ever met, one of the funniest people I've ever met, apart from David Bryan from BON JOVI. But [they're] just good, good people. And like I say, it just made for a really, really enjoyable tour."

Back in May 2023, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen told Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda about touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE: "I knew Tommy [Lee, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer] and all of the guys, actually, from the '80s. And they used to hang out and they used to get crazy. So we've known each other. We've all gone through all these different things.

"Me and Nikki Sixx both have five children. Our birthdays are a year apart but only four days apart as well — both in December. So we have a lot in common.

"I think when you can come out the other side and you're still alive and everything's great, there's so much to celebrate and you don't have to get wasted to do it," Phil added. "We celebrate by being on tour. And together we get on so well with the band. It's just two different versions of rock music. They're a different style than us, but it works. It kind of makes the audience… They get more than if they just saw two bands with the same kind of style. So it's better than it could be. We're loving it, and so are they. It's great."

In April 2023, Collen weighed in on MÖTLEY CRÜE's decision to hire John 5 to replace Mick Mars, the group's founding guitarist, who announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues. Phil told Barbara Caserta of Linea Rock: "The thing with MÖTLEY CRÜE, Mick Mars was really in pain. We'd done the American tour with him, and he has physical issues. So it was great that John 5 had come out. John 5 is just a wonderful human being and plays great and everything, so he fits in. And he really helped the band out, because Mick couldn't really do that. Traveling is the problem; he was having trouble [with all the travel]. It just was painful. It worked out great."

In February 2023, DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen spoke about Mars's retirement from touring during an appearance on the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast. He said: "It was Mick's decision to really move on and just get to the next part of his life. And we all know that Mick has suffered terribly, terribly with pain; you see it on his face all the time. And I think the only time I ever saw him truly in his element [was] when he was up on stage playing with the band. It was more his decision. That must have been a super hard decision. I mean, it would have been different if the guy was being thrown out of the band, but it wasn't like that at all. It was a personal choice that he made. And you can't say that that's wrong. It was right for him at the time.

"Over the months — well, actually years — that I've known him, I really started to talk to him," Rick continued. "So unassuming. Such a soft, gentle soul. And when I first met him years ago, I was actually quite afraid, you know. [Laughs] But he's the exact opposite of that — just a really sweet, generous person. So it must have been a very difficult decision for everybody to have to go through that."

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, in April 2023 the now-72-year-old musician filed a lawsuit against CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting.

Mars suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS),a chronic and inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. After years of performing through the pain, he informed the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE in the summer of 2022 that he could no longer tour with them but would still be open to recording new music or performing at residencies that did not require much travel.

Nikki Sixx photo credit: Ross Halfin