Motley Crue Marks 45 Years with North American Tour and Reflections on Band Origins

Motley Crue just announced a massive 33-city trek across North America. The tour honors two milestones: 45 years since the band started and two decades since their Carnival of Sins tour.

The first show will launch on Jul. 17 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, at The Pavilion at Star Lake. Fans can catch them through Sept. 26.

Bassist Nikki Sixx got nostalgic on Jan. 17, thinking back to 1981 when everything began. On Instagram, he remembered a rundown house just off Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. "That was the house where I showed a 17-year-old Tommy Lee a pile of songs that would later end up on our debut album," Sixx wrote. "It's where we first met Mick Mars. It's where we dreamed, jammed, argued, laughed, and tried to turn noise, attitude, and fun into something you could actually explain."

They practiced in that cramped space, cycling through singers until Vince Neil walked in. Sixx described the four as "broke, ratty kids with nothing but ideas and nerve." The name Motley Crue was born there 45 years ago.

"Proud to be part of this band," Sixx wrote. "Thank you to Vince, Tommy, and Mick for decades of loud, dangerous, honest music."

Motley Crue released Too Fast for Love in 1981, Shout at the Devil in 1983, and Girls, Girls, Girls in 1987. Then came Dr. Feelgood in 1989.

Live Nation will produce the tour. Extreme and Tesla will open. Cities on the schedule include Buffalo, Toronto, Tampa, Charlotte, Dallas, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. The final show will happen in Ridgefield, Washington.