Mötley Crüe Shows Up But Tommy Lee Gets Replaced At Long-Awaited Stadium Tour Kickoff in Atlanta

After being postponed for two years, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard finally kicked off their summer stadium tour last night (June 16) in Atlanta, Georgia. The tour also features Joan Jett and Poison, the ladder marking their first show in four years as the long-awaited Stadium Tour took over Truist Park. 

Poison’s return to live performance was a mark of celebration. The legendary glam rock crew played a 12-song set that pulled from the band’s biggest albums. Starting off with their first 1986 debut ‘Look What The Cat Dragged In” before going into classics from the following two albums. The band wasn’t afraid to reach outside of their discography as well, playing covers like “Eruption” by Van Halen and “Your Mama Don’t Dance” by Loggins and Messina. 

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts were consistently playing shows leading up to “The Stadium Tour” and they did something interesting with their time on stage. They kicked off the night by paying homage to Jett’s days in The Runaways by performing hits like “Cherry Bomb” and “You Drive Me Wild”. The Blackhearts also went on to play mostly covers, performing tracks from Sly and The Family Stone, The Arrows, and Bruce Springsteen. They capped the night off with hits of their own like “Bad Reputation” and “I Hate Myself For Loving You”. 

This tour also marks Mötley Crüe return to live shows after their farewell tour back in 2015. Completely ignoring the legally binding contract the whole band signed after that tour, the one that said they were never allowed to tour again. Well, they’re back touring again and they’re off to a weird start. Only 5 songs into their set Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee removed himself from his drum kit and was replaced with Tommy Clufetos, citing four broken ribs as the issue. 

Regardless, Mötley Crüe set was nicely put together, performing fist-pumping songs like “Piece of Your Action”, first being performed live since 2013, and other “classics” from their discography. The band also brought out Machine Gun Kelly, who played Tommy Lee in a biopic on the band, to perform their song “Dirt (Est. 1981)”. 

Def Leppard had a night of firsts as well. The band played an 18-song set that primarily pulled songs from their 1987 album Hysteria. The band also played two songs from their 2022 album Diamond Star Halos, “Fire It Up” and “My Guitar” both got played for the first time live. 

Check out both full set lists and videos from last night’s performance below: