Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 discussed the band’s recently completed “The Return Of Carnival Of Sins” tour. He revealed the real reason the members travel in different planes despite having no issues with one another. He made his comments during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”.
The guitarist first reflected on the overall atmosphere of the tour and the camaraderie among the bands on the bill.
“It was incredible. I’m telling you, everybody had so much fun. We all had a blast with Tesla and Extreme. Literally everybody had so much fun. It was like heavy metal summer camp. And the last day was, like, ‘Oh, okay.’ And because everybody had so much fun,” John 5 said.
He then explained the logistics behind the band’s separate travel arrangements on the West Coast.
“I’ll tell you one really cool rock and roll — it’s so rock, this story. So at the end of the tour, we were on the West Coast, and so when you’re on the West Coast, the drives are pretty long. So Nikki [Sixx, Mötley Crüe bassist] had a plane, so he was going back and forth ’cause he was going to see his family, and Vince [Neil, Mötley Crüe singer] sometimes had a plane, but so on the West Coast he had a plane,” he continued.
“And so our tour manager was, like, ‘Well, it might be smarter if you and Tommy [Lee, Mötley Crüe drummer] fly.’ And we’re, like, ‘Okay,'” he added.
The guitarist then described the scene at the airport as each member boarded his own aircraft.
“So at one point, at the airport, these private airports, it was me and Tommy, Nikki and Vince all in different planes, and we’re all going to the same destination. And we were laughing about it, ’cause we all get along great and we have so much fun, and it was just so funny to see each guy taking off. ‘Cause one guy’s going to see his family or the other guy’s going to a different place or something like that. But it was so rock… It was really, really fun.”
The separate-planes story makes more sense given the scale of the run. “The Return Of Carnival Of Sins” was a 33-date North American trek with long drives between cities. Stops included Toronto, Dallas, Phoenix, Tampa and Salt Lake City. The run ended on September 26 at the Cascades Amphitheater in Ridgefield, Washington. That helps explain the long West Coast stretches John 5 described.
The outing also carried historical weight for the band. It celebrated the 20th anniversary of Mötley Crüe’s 2005-2006 “Carnival Of Sins” tour and the group’s 45th anniversary. The show was reimagined for the occasion and featured an updated setlist. Tesla and Extreme joined as special guests on every date.
Flying is nothing new for John 5 with this band. He took over guitar duties from Mick Mars and got a taste of life in the air during the 2023 co-headline world tour with Def Leppard. On that run, the two bands and their crews traveled together on a massive charter plane through South America. He has also recalled a couple of scary flying incidents from that period.
Touring remains a priority for the guitarist. “I really love being on the road,” John 5 has said.
His schedule stays full after the Crüe run. He is heading out on solo dates this fall in England, Scotland and Mexico. Further updates on Mötley Crüe’s plans may follow.
