Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 recently addressed rumors of a feud within the band regarding their separate travel arrangements during their recent tour, sharing his perspective on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk.
The guitarist explained that the band members traveled in different planes due to practical reasons and personal schedules rather than any personal conflicts. He described the tour as a highly enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
“It was incredible,” John 5 said. “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.”
He went on to share a specific story from the end of the tour on the West Coast, explaining how the separate flights came about.
“I’ll tell you one really cool rock and roll — it’s so rock, this story,” he continued. “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. 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.'”
John 5 recalled the moment they all realized they were taking off in separate aircraft to the same destination, noting that they found the situation amusing.
“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,” he added. “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 band recently completed ‘The Return Of Carnival Of Sins’ tour.
Those comments arrive as the dust settles on that run, which was one of the band’s biggest outings in years. The 2026 North American trek was built around 33 dates, a reimagined stage show, and an updated setlist, all celebrating the 20th anniversary of the original ‘Carnival Of Sins’ production alongside the group’s 45th anniversary.
The tour ran from July through late September and paired the band with two special guests, Tesla and Extreme. The group joined Mötley Crüe for “33 shows with The Crüe and Tesla next summer,” while the Live Nation–produced run continued across the United States and Canada with Tesla and Extreme serving as special guests.
The lineup itself carries its own history. John 5 stepped in after Mick Mars retired from touring in 2022 due to his long battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a form of arthritis that can cause bones in the spine to fuse over time. Mars announced his departure as a touring member in October 2022, with a representative citing the guitarist’s health struggles as the reason.
That transition soon turned contentious. Mars filed a lawsuit against the band months after announcing his retirement from the road, claiming the rest of the group tried to strip him of his stake in the band’s business holdings — a dispute that has kept feud speculation alive among fans ever since.
Against that backdrop, John 5 has consistently framed the current lineup as a harmonious one, even as outside observers kept reading into the group’s travel logistics. He noted in the same interview that at one point the touring setup had “me and Tommy, Nikki and Vince all in different planes,” but stressed the band was laughing about it because, in his words, “we all get along great and we have so much fun.”
