SHANNON LARKIN Apologizes To NIKKI SIXX Over 'Backing Tracks' Comment: 'I Was Not Doing That To Attack You'

Former GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin has apologized to MÖTLEY CRÜE's Nikki Sixx for calling CRÜE out over the latter band's alleged reliance on pre-recorded tapes for backing vocals during live shows.

Larkin brought up CRÜE's use of backing tracks while defending GODSMACK's decision to hire former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Mangini to sit behind the kit for the Sully Erna-fronted outfit's current North American tour.

In a June 19, 2026 livestream on his YouTube channel, Larkin weighed in on GODSMACK's decision to briefly hire drummer Wade Murff for a run of dates in May, before replacing him with Mangini. Shannon said at the time in part: "The only thing I could see in any kind of criticism towards Wade Murff, as I watched videos back through the shows — every show's online — was the interaction of tempo push and pull wasn't as smooth perhaps, but Sully and I have been on the same page for over two decades playing live shows and making records together. And so what I try to explain to people about tempo and when you're not a band that's a click-track, backing-track kind of band."

He continued: "GODSMACK uses no click tracks, no backing tracks. It's a thing that a lot of other musicians talk about too, I notice now. I'm really noticing it. We've been saying it for years as we watched the advent of everybody started adding some, the rhythm guitar or something being played, but there isn't a guy behind the amps playing it. It's on a track. Oh, it's a new thing, kinda. And backups, you see Nikki Sixx up there [with MÖTLEY CRÜE]. He's not really singing, he looks away, but you still hear his voice. Well, it's a track playing. But in order for those things to happen, the band has to be on a click track — and the band doesn't have to. It's just us, the drummer. We're on a click, so it's always the same every night. So it's a homogenization of what used to be the dangerous feeling of a rock show — dangerous from the band's aspect on stage too. You don't know what's gonna go on."

More than a week after Larkin's comments were initially reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET and later picked up by other media outlets, Sixx took to his account on X (formerly Twitter) to write: "Who's this Shannon Larkin hater?

"It's funny how so many B- and C-level bands seem to spend more time talking about us than writing songs people actually remember. Maybe it's jealousy, maybe it's insecurity, maybe ticket sales are a little slow. Either way, borrowing someone else's spotlight has never been much of a long-term career strategy.

"I genuinely feel for musicians who never figured out that the best publicity is writing great songs — over and over again, decade after decade for fans not critics.

"It reminds me of the endless bimbo podcast crowd that builds an audience by talking about everyone else instead of creating something worth talking about.

"Anyway, maybe he's [sic] needs to take a nap before he does more press."

In response to Sixx's comments, Larkin went on his Facebook Live on June 29 and issued a rambling apology to the bassist, explaining that he "made a mistake" by calling out MÖTLEY CRÜE and insisting that he "was not starting shit" by using Sixx as an "example" of someone who was relying on pre-recorded tracks during live shows.

Larkin said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "On my previous stream — it's a show about music, and I play some music, I talk about the music I wanna release, which is independent. I don't have some label to do that for me, so I can talk about my bands on the show or whatever And I pull up music news from Metal.net or Blabbermouth or whatever, and I'll read some news. And for the last couple weeks, there's been different people, rock stars or whatever, on these rock places like Blabbermouth, and they are opining, giving their opinion, they're putting their two cents in about the, oh, click tracks and live tracks and what they're playing live, what's actually on tape that the audience is seeing. And everybody's throwing in their two cents: 'Oh, I, I don't mind. It makes the band sound better,' or, 'Oh, I hate that. It makes everything homogenized.' But everybody has their own opinion on it in this world that I live in. And so I had just read it, and I read whatever I saw. I can't remember who was talking about it at that one. And I read it. And so I put in my two cents. But I talked for a while about my two cents on the subject, which was I'm not really for it. That said, you can see the show — it's on my channel or whatever — and rewatch it because I have nothing against people that do use it… I don't like to use it. GODSMACK didn't use it. AMEN didn't use it. UGLY KID JOE didn't use it. WRATHCHILD didn't use it. All the bands I've ever been in, we just never used a click track live, and therefore if you run tracks, you have to use a click track. So to me, it takes the danger out of it, and I have this whole weird thing. And so I put my two cents in it, and then where I messed up and started this fucking drama is I used Nikki Sixx as an example of someone that I've seen singing at a mic and then walking away from it and his vocal's still going or whatever, or the bass thing, whatever it is. And I called him out, I guess, but I didn't... Like I said, it was taken out of context because I was talking about the whole thing and then I kind of said, 'Like Nikki Sixx does when he's at the mic.'

"So I wanna make an open letter to Nikki Sixx," Shannon continued. "And I'm looking at Nikki Sixx, I'm looking at you, and I'm talking to you. You'll probably never see this. And I didn't think you'd ever even respond or hopefully wouldn't see the thing, but I had nothing to do with that.

"That's why I'm apologizing. I was not doing that to attack you. I had fucking your first record on Leathür Records [MÖTLEY CRÜE's original record label]. I have nothing but respect for you. You're a legend, and you've deserve all the accolades that you've gotten and every award and all those gold records, platinum records, all that shit — you deserve all that.

"I made the mistake, which I'm apologizing for, sincerely too. Look at my eyes talking to you, because I'm sorry. I used you as an example. I'm one of those guys that's I'm on the… I don't do the tracks, but I have nothing against bands that do. And fuck, 80% of bands probably run the tracks. I don't give a fuck.

"On the show, on my show, I read the news or whatever, and I'd seen people talk about it, so I put my two cents in, and then I did — I fucking used you as an example, and for that, I'm sorry. But it popped in my head 'cause I was talking about it.

"I wasn't trying to get publicity, and you're so famous, though, that I mentioned you in a sentence just as an example, and I shouldn't have done that 'cause people take the track thing negatively," Larkin added. "But I was being on the fence about the whole issue and just giving my opinion on what I felt. I feel it takes the danger out of it. I don't like playing with a click unless I'm in the studio, and then it's my friend, and I love playing with a click, man. And I did, and I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to use you as an example. That's all I'm saying. And there's nothing wrong with running tracks, man. And fuck it. You still sing great and you're Nikki Sixx. You can do what you fucking want. And you got as many haters as you got lovers 'cause you're so famous, but who gives a fuck, right? You're Nikki Sixx.

"I don't like beefs," Shannon said. "I don't like that L.A. fucking, like how you guys all hate each other and shit. And then — I don't know. Beefs suck, and I don't want to be in a beef. And I didn't do this for fucking publicity. I don't give a fuck. I walked away from this shit.

"Man, you're probably right exactly where you want to be, and you deserve it. And I'm sorry that I used you as an example because I was on the other side of the fence on the tracks thing. But I never even said that — fuck, some of my best friends are in bands that are fucking rock stars right now, headlining stages, and they're running tracks. And I don't give a fuck. I don't say anything about it in public. Like I said, I shouldn't have used you as an example. I did. Sorry.

"I'm sincere when I say I have utmost respect for you, and you deserve everything that you have and got… It just popped in my head because it was just an obvious example. I'm sorry for that, but it is. And it doesn't fucking matter. You're Nikki Sixx. Doesn't matter. And you're one of the coolest cats, and everybody knows it, and everybody knows you.

"I hope you see it and just fucking take me for real and know that I am sorry for saying it, for using you like that. But it wasn't for what you think it was for, for this fucking press and attention… I was not starting shit… And so, for what it's worth, you don't know who I am, but you can sleep at night knowing I do respect you, and I didn't mean to call you out like that. That was bullshit. Anyway, fuck it. I'm done. I've been talking to you, man, and I'm sorry. And that's the truth."

Erna reportedly wrote the GODSMACK song "Cryin' Like A Bitch" about Sixx after the two musicians clashed during the 2009 "Crüe Fest 2" tour, on which GODSMACK was a support act and CRÜE was the headliner.

In a 2011 interview with Tricia Weight (a.k.a. A Geek Girl) of "Interviews From The Edge", Larkin stated about the inspiration for "Cryin' Like A Bitch": "Several things actually happened [during that tour], honestly. You know, the rest of the band... we get along great with [other MÖTLEY CRÜE members] Mick Mars, Tommy Lee. I got along great with Nikki Sixx. In fact, he had called me over to catering one time and said would I like to play with his SIXX: A.M. [side project], on the record. And I was like, 'Yeah!' But then this was, like, three weeks into the tour, and then four weeks later, him and Sully had this clash. And it stemmed from [MÖTLEY CRÜE's] security, I think, more than Nikki, but you know, Nikki is the leader of the band. Basically, [it had to do with their] security throwing us off the stage... whatever... It was a bunch of ego shit that none of us really got into. But MÖTLEY CRÜE kind of acted like... Well, their security, in any event... they were real weird with our guests getting backstage, like our guests might want to look at MÖTLEY CRÜE. Our guests were there to see us and they didn't care a shit about MÖTLEY CRÜE. And MÖTLEY CRÜE is a legendary band that we all respect. When I was 17, I had 'Shout At The Devil' and all that, hell yeah! But it just kind of fronted us a little that they would think that our guests would be star-struck over them. And half the time these were people I've known for 30 years [and they] can't even get backstage because MÖTLEY CRÜE doesn't want people back or whatever. So that's where the bad blood came from. And then Sully runs his mouth, Nikki runs his mouth. They're both big rock stars. Next thing you know, it's a battle in the press."

When asked directly if the track was written about Sixx, Erna told Albany, New York's Q103 radio station, "It's very difficult for me to restrain myself from answering that question because as honest as I'd like to be, the other side of me doesn't want to give anybody the extra exposure, even if it's negative. So, I'm just gonna plead the fifth."

Back in May 2011, Sixx had the following to say regarding Erna's complaints about how GODSMACK was treated on the "Crüe Fest 2" tour: "Every person from road crew, fans and even all the bands on the tour (including [Sully's] band) was so happy, but [Erna] just seems to be crying like a bitch. Funny, even his manager told me he's an asshole... Maybe the problem is just in HIS head... I got no problem with him."

Erna admitted in a webisode for the band's fifth studio album, "The Oracle", that "Cryin' Like A Bitch" was inspired by events of "Crüe Fest 2". Sully told Artisan News Service at the time: "There's definitely been some rock-star garbage on this tour that we just have never seen in our career . . . this was the first time that I felt like, 'You know what?! If there's gonna be some people that are gonna treat other people a certain way, then I'm gonna go out there every night and . . . make sure that we make you look old and fat, and go home with a nice big fat paycheck."

Samples of some of the lyrics on "Cryin' Like A Bitch" include lines like: "Strut on by like a king/Telling everybody they know nothing/Long lived what you thought you were/Time ain't on your side anymore".

In a May 2026 interview with the Thinking About Guitar podcast, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5, who has been in the band for more than three years, addressed one of the most debated topics in MÖTLEY CRÜE's live shows, namely the group's aforementioned use of backing tracks. He said: "I'm so glad you brought that up, and people don't wanna talk about it, but I'm so glad you brought it up, because here's the thing. I've always said, 'cause there was this talk that was going on for so long, like, 'Oh, this person's not playing live,' or, 'That person's not playing live.' Everything — Nikki is playing every note up there, but it's so funny that people don't wanna accept that. They'll be, like, 'Oh, his hands aren't even on the bass,' and it'll be up in the air. But it's, like, he's fretting a note, or it's he'll have this arm up, but he's picking with this hand. But people don't understand that. Nikki plays every single note on that stage. He messes up. You can hear mistakes. Tommy [Lee, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer] plays everything. I play everything. Vince [Neil, MÖTLEY CRÜE vocalist] is singing. And I think people just don't wanna hear that. I don't understand why people don't want to accept that, but we work really hard, and the live tracks, they sound great. We play. I listen to these songs, these tracks back, and I'm, like, 'This sounds really great.' And that's 'cause we work hard at it. And that's it. Everybody plays everything."

John 5 continued: "Listen, there's backups [backing vocals] that are on track. Of course, there's backups pumped in, there's sirens pumped in, there is intros pumped in, but all the music that we're playing is being performed by us. And I'm up there singing backups, and Nikki's singing backups, and we do our best, and it's probably… I'm not a singer. I've played with some of the greatest singers in the world, but I'm doing my best with backups. But, yeah, we play all of that stuff, and I'm proud of that. I'm proud of that. And everybody just works really hard."

In August 2023, ex-MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman John Corabi, who joined the band in 1992 as the replacement for original singer Vince Neil, was asked by Cassius Morris if he thought there was any truth to Mick Mars's claim that he was the only bandmember to play 100 percent live on CRÜE's 2022 stadium tour, claiming Sixx "did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour." Corabi responded: "Nowadays recording on Pro Tools, 'cause I released a couple of [solo] songs a little bit ago, if you said to me, 'Hey, can you just give me the rhythm guitar track?' I could literally just go online, highlight that track and e-mail you just that track. So as far as the drums go or any of that stuff nowadays with computers and all that shit? Yeah, it's possible. Is it happening? I don't know. I haven't toured with MÖTLEY for 27 years, 28 years."

Asked if MÖTLEY used any backing tracks while he was in the band, Corabi said: "No. I mean, we did use tracks. I'll say that right now. We were using some backing vocal tracks, and we used, for the song 'Misunderstood', there was a 53-piece orchestra on that track, so we just used the orchestra tracks to enhance what we were doing live on stage. But then Nikki was playing bass, Tommy was playing drums, Mick was playing guitar, I was playing guitar and I was singing. Now whether or not they've elaborated since — I couldn't tell you. I haven't seen MÖTLEY live since… I saw them one time in my entire life, and that was a tour they did in, like, 2003 or [200]4 with… they toured with AEROSMITH. And I saw them that one time, and I haven't seen them since. So I don't know about Mick's claims. Mick has never really been a bullshitter in the past, so if he says they were using tracks, then, you know, maybe they were. I don't know."

In June 2023, Nikki told Jen Thomas, the entertainment writer at U.K.'s Metro that "the silliest thing" he has ever read about himself and the rest of CRÜE "was from Mick Mars's attorneys," referencing the recent lawsuit filed against MÖTLEY by the band's founding guitarist. "I'm just really sad at what's happened... They put out that the band doesn't play live. We're, like, who is playing the bass then? It's literally one of the funniest things.

"Imagine being in a rock'n'roll band for 42 years and some guy in a suit puts out that the band doesn't play," Nikki continued. "The silliest thing is, because of the way a lot of media is these days, they don't cross-check. They just run with headlines and we call it clickbait. I mean, that's about as silly as it gets."

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, in his lawsuit, which was filed in April 2023 in Los Angeles County's Superior Court, the now-75-year-old musician said 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.

In response to Mars's lawsuit, CRÜE's manager of more than three decades, Allen Kovac, told Variety that Mars is coming out with a list of allegations "to gain leverage in a smear campaign on MÖTLEY. He's attacked the band, and he's done it in a slanderous way, with false accusations and misrepresenting the facts to the fans. Mick is not the victim. The victims are MÖTLEY CRÜE and the brand, which Mick is so prideful of." But, he added, "What's upsetting to me is not Mick, but his representatives, who have guided Mick to say and do harmful things to the brand he cares about so much, MÖTLEY CRÜE. He has a degenerative disease and people are taking advantage of him. It's called elder abuse."

Kovac continued: "Mick's representatives have no idea what they've created, but I've stopped the band from speaking about this, so they're not gonna turn the fans against Mick. But I am going to make sure that people understand that Mick hasn't been treated badly. In fact, he was treated better than anyone else in the band, and they carried him and they saved his life."

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.

Regarding Mick's claim that he was the only CRÜE member to play 100 percent live on their most recent tour, Kovac told Variety: "Everything is live with Nikki's bass playing and Tommy's drum playing. When they've used loops, they're still playing. There are augmented vocals, which were (recorded) in the studio and are backgrounds behind the two ladies who are singing and (other background vocals by) John 5 and Nikki Sixx, and before that Mick and Nikki." He described the pre-recorded vocal layering as where "you multi-track and you do gang vocals with, like, 20 people, just like all the other bands do with background vocals. They've got background vocals in the mix. That's the truth.

"But Nikki played his bass and always has," Kovac continued. "Vince was singing better than he was before (on the latest tour). That was in reviews. Now, John 5 is playing like who John 5 is. I've heard John 5 perform and I heard Mick perform. Both are great guitar players. Unfortunately, Mick is not the same. He hasn't been the same for a long time. Which was in reviews! You see that the professionals knew. DEF LEPPARD (which alternated headlining spots on tour) knew. And (Mars) caused a train wreck up there, because he would play the wrong songs and the wrong parts, even with the guide tracks. When he played the wrong song, it wasn't Nikki Sixx that had a tape; it was the soundman bringing it into the mix so the audience could hear a song, even though the guitar player was playing a different song." He says audiences "would hear it at first, but (sound engineers) would fix it so that we could keep the song going. I heard it. I'd go to the soundboard."