Watch: Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil Performs Another Show, Still Sounds Awful
Why bother to get in shape and sound great for your fans when you can simply show up and get paid no matter what? No reason at all! So goes the Vince Neil motto. And it was the same ol’ situation in Oswego, IL on Saturday, August 28, where the Mötley Crüe singer performed with his solo band and sounded off from the get-go.
Neil’s performance with his solo band back in May, his first since the pandemic began, was so disastrous it went viral. Telling the crowd, “Hey, guys… I’m sorry, you guys. It’s been a long time playin’. My fuckin’ voice is gone… Uh… We love you, and we’ll hopefully see you next time, man. Take care,” Neil walked off stage during Crue’s “Dr. Feelgood” and let his band finish the song before the set ended. Neil then canceled his next performance, nearly a month later, without giving a reason.
Neil was slightly better at three subsequent shows in the Midwest and Austin, TX last month in that he actually finished all three sets. But he was still up to the same shenanigans (and invisible backup singers) he’s been employing for the past couple of decades, including pointing the mic towards the audience to sing key lines, skipping words, and sounding generally out of breath.
Which brings us to Saturday’s show in Oswego, about an hour west of Chicago. The show, VetFest, was a benefit for former members of the military, a noble cause to be sure. Neil even issued a statement in advance of the fest boasting his support. So you’d think he’d maybe, ya know, go the extra mile to sound, like, good or something, right? Nope.
Watching fan-filmed footage of the set opener, “Dr. Feelgood,” it’s clear Neil isn’t up to par from the start, completely off key, skipping words, and somehow already out of breath despite just beginning his performance. It’s embarrassing to watch.
Compare that to “Girls, Girls, Girls,” the set’s second-to-last song, and I’ll at least give Neil this: he hasn’t gotten noticeably worse, keeping his level of suck consistent throughout.
It’s also worth noting he’s shortened his setlist from 14 songs to 11. While that could be related to the specifics of this particular festival — they only had a certain time slot, for example — it’s worth noting given how badly his voiced crapped out at May’s 14-song endeavor.
You can have a look at footage of both “Dr. Feelgood” and “Girls, Girls, Girls” below.
Mötley Crüe and Neil had been in the press a whole bunch leading up to their planned 2020 stadium tour with Def Leppard, addressing the issue head-on by saying Neil was practicing and getting in shape. That tour was rescheduled to 2021, of course, and now 2022, giving Neil more time to get up to speed vocally, which he clearly hasn’t utilized yet.
Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen recently pointed out that Neil has a year to go before the two bands’ co-headline tour, saying about the Crüe singer, “Hopefully everything is cool by then. I hope so. Fingers crossed.”
Neil was recently announced as a headliner at the inaugural DrinksGiving celebration and free concert in Las Vegas this coming November, an event that also features “soon-to-be announced drink specials, pub crawls, drinking games and more.” Neil has famously struggled with alcohol addiction in the past. In 2016, he was charged with misdemeanor battery for drunkenly assaulting a fan. Just last year, a Cameo video he was hired to make for a fan’s birthday went viral because Neil is very clearly intoxicated in the clip.
Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts tour dates for 2022:
6/16 – Atlanta, GA @ Suntrust Park [tickets]
6/18 – Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium [tickets]
6/19 – Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium [tickets]
6/22 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park [tickets]
6/24 – Queens, NY @ Citi Field [tickets]
6/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park [tickets]
6/28 – Charlotte, NC @ Bank Of America Stadium [tickets]
6/30 – Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium [tickets]
7/2 – Jacksonville, FL @ TIAA Bank Field [tickets]
7/5 – St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium [tickets]
7/8 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field [tickets]
7/10 – Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park [tickets]
7/12 – Hershey, PA @ Hershey Park Stadium [tickets]
7/14 – Cleveland, OH @ First Energy Stadium [tickets]
7/15 – Cincinnati, OH @ Great American Ballpark [tickets]
7/17 – Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Field [tickets]
7/19 – Kansas City, MO @ Kauffman Stadium [tickets]
7/21 – Denver, CO @ Coors Field [tickets]
8/5 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park [tickets]
8/6 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park [tickets]
8/10 – Buffalo, NY @ New Era Field [tickets]
8/12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PNC Park [tickets]
8/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium [tickets]
8/19 – Houston, TX @ Minute Maid Park [tickets]
8/21 – San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome [tickets]
8/22 – Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Park [tickets]
8/27 – Inglewood, CA @ Sofi Stadium [tickets]
8/28 – San Diego, CA @ Petco Park [tickets]
8/31 – Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park [tickets]
9/7 – San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park [tickets]
