Motley Crue and Def Leppard announced a pair of intimate U.S. shows for February 2023 prior to their huge world tour. They will be in Atlantic City, N.J., for two consecutive nights at the Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena on February 10th and 11th. The venue only holds 7,000 and so far, the Atlantic City shows are the only U.S. shows for Motley Crue and Def Leppard for 2023.The shows will also mark the first Motley Crue shows using new touring guitarist John 5, who is replacing Mick Mars due to his retirement from the road. The Atlantic City dates will go on sale to the general public on Friday.
Mick Mars announced his retirement from touring just last month, saying that his decades long battle with ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic, inflammatory form of arthritis that has slowly impaired his movement. Motley Crue stated, “While change is never easy, we accept Mick’s decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health, 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.” The band clarified that “Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road.”
Motley Crue’s bassist Nikki Sixx gave 5 praise via Twitter after he was enlisted to the band, saying, “He checks all the boxes, He’s [an] insane player. Has respect for our music, is funny as fuck and has history with us and we’ve written some pretty big hits together.”
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