According to Nikki Sixx in his 2021 book The First 21, The Stadium Tour came about after his agent took him to a Dodgers game. Sixx snarkily asked why Mötley Crüe had never performed at Dodger Stadium and was reminded that he broke up the band. Before he knew it, the Crüe was booked in 30 venues designed for major league sports teams and the masses that follow them.
The bassist then had to brainstorm a rationale for breaking the 2014 contract he signed with Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee that guaranteed their subsequent live tour would be their last. He found it after the success of 2019 band biopic The Dirt maximized Mötley Crüe’s potential for a successful reunion, and all four members were in playing shape.
Sixx’s other issue was choosing a co-headliner and support acts. Def Leppard were friends of the Crüe, spent the pandemic working on a new album and were raring to celebrate the May release of Diamond Star Halos in style. The title is band slang inspired by a lyric from T. Rex’s “Get It On,” and loosely translates as songs that bang Def Leppard’s rock ’n’ roll gong.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts banged Sixx’s rock ’n’ roll gong. Jett’s “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” opened the door for rock to rule on ’80s pop charts, a door that Motley Crüe kicked off the hinges with the release of 1983 album Shout at the Devil. Sixx wasn’t sure about booking a band that came through that door after them, but nearly four decades after Poison took Crüe’s glam-era style and high-altitude hair to new heights, fans made it clear Bret Michaels and company would complete a well-rounded lineup.
The response was so overwhelming, five dates were added to the tour, including a final show at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, a concert made possible thanks to Nikki Sixx, the Dodgers and a wisecrack.
Allegiant Stadium, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 9, starts at $59.50 plus tax and fee. ticketmaster.com
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