Mötley Crüe Drummer Tommy Lee Replaced After 5 Songs of Stadium Tour Opener

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Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe performs onstage during The Stadium Tour at Truist Park on June 16, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)

Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee had to quit just five songs into the band’s opening night set of their long-delayed stadium tour. The headliners, on tour with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett, were on stage at Atlanta’s Truist Park when Lee told the crowd that he couldn’t continue, explaining that he had broken several ribs two weeks earlier.

Lee had gutted it out as the band opened with “Wild Side,” “Shout at the Devil,” “Too Fast For Love,” “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” and “Saints of Los Angeles.” Watch him perform below.

But five songs in, he had had enough. Lee was apparently performing against doctor’s orders. It was the band’s first concert since Dec. 31, 2015.

“We did it!” Lee yelled to the crowd. “You did it!” After dropping a few F-bombs, Lee continued. “Anyway, about fourteen days ago, I broke not one, not two, not three, but four f**king ribs. Anyway, I hope you guys have a f**king great time with my boy Tommy Clufetos back here. He’s gonna get me through this, because the doctors told me, ‘No playin’, bro.’ And I was like, ‘Are you f**king high, bro? We’ve got a f**king tour to do. I’ll see you guys later… on with the god damn show.” And with that, he exited the stage as the audience cheered.

Watch Lee’s speech

As Lee noted, he was replaced on drums by Tommy Clufetos as the band performed “Live Wire.” He continued for the remainder of the set. Clufetos is a bandmate of Crüe’s Nikki Sixx in a heavy metal supergroup called L.A. Rats that also includes Rob Zombie. Lee has also been the drummer for Ozzy Osbourne’s recent band.

Watch the band open the concert with “Wild Side” with Lee behind the kit

Crüe’s set included such favorites as “Home Sweet Home,” “Dr. Feelgood,” and “Girls Girls Girls,” as well as a medley featuring Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll, Pt. 2,” Brownsville Station’s “Smokin’ in the Boys Room,” The Tubes’ “White Punks on Dope,” The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” and the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.”

Watch them close the show with “Kickstart My Heart”

The massive tour was originally scheduled to begin on June 18, 2020, but on June 1 of that year it was postponed to 2021. Then on May 14, 2021, the group announced that it was moving to 2022.

The next concert is scheduled for Saturday, June 18, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Tickets for the tour are available here and here.

After 35 years together on stage, and 30 years since the release of Dr. Feelgood, the members of Mötley Crüe parted ways without speaking to each other after their final show on December 31, 2015. Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee didn’t come together again until 2018

Watch the original official tour trailer