Vince Neil Has Covid, Backs Out of Festival Performance

Vince Neil has been forced to back out of an upcoming festival performance after testing positive for Covid.

The Motley Crue frontman was booked for RokIsland Fest, which was set to take place January 17-21 in Key West, Fla. In a statement, Neil said, "I am sad to report that yesterday I was diagnosed with Covid. I am okay but this thing is really kickin’ my ass. All that being said, I am unable to perform at RokIsland Fest next week."

He added, "I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to the RokIsland Fest organizers and most of all my friends and fans. I am disappointed to say the least. I was so looking forward to this show."

Neil concluded, "I am hopeful that I will have the opportunity to make this up in 2024. In closing, I wish all the attendees of RokIsland Fest 2023 a fun and exciting time with all the other amazing acts."

Neil is hopefully on the mend, especially since Motley Crue has an ever-growing tour schedule for 2023. The band has a number of dates with Def Leppard this year. Those shows are a continuation on their super-successful "Stadium Tour" last year. Their 2023 shows kick off with back-to-back nights on February 10 and 11 at the Mark G Etess Arena in Atlantic City, N.J. A full list of upcoming Crue shows can be found at Motley.com.

Motley Crue, through all of the obstacles (and there have been plenty), has managed to survive for four decades. It's an overwhelming thought when you think about it.

Just reading or watching The Dirt gave fans an idea of the absolutely insane things the band has gone through. From drugs to horrific tragedies and everywhere in between, The Crue has seemingly seen or done it all.

The latest chapter in the band involves the exit of Mick Mars. The guitarist retiring from touring with Mötley Crüe in October 2022 seemed to come out of nowhere. Apparently, the band thought the same.

Nikki Sixx told Guitar World, "We never saw it coming that Mick wasn’t going to be able to tour and was going to have to quit the band."

At the time, Mötley Crüe was about to hit the road again with Def Leppard following the success of The Stadium Tour. Sixx expressed that after Mars' retirement, the band didn't want to let fans, Def Leppard or tour promoter Live Nation down. This then led them to bring in guitarist John 5 to fill in for Mars. Sixx referred to the substitution as "a no-brainer in a horrible situation -- something we did not ask for or want.

Of course, a lot has played out in the press in the aftermath of Mars' retirement. To begin with, Mars filed a lawsuit against Mötley Crüe alleging his percentage of band profits was cut from 25 percent to 5 percent.

He claimed in his lawsuit the band held a meeting to "unilaterally" remove him from Mötley Crüe. He was also allegedly removed from many of the band's various corporations and LLCs. Additionally, Mars claims bassist Nikki Sixx repeatedly "gaslighted" the guitarist. Sixx told Mars he consistently forgot chords and fans were complaining about his playing. (Mars claimed in the lawsuit Sixx "did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour" and accused him of using backing tracks and pantomiming.)

While this issue is still ongoing, let us not forget they've provided rock fans with quite the catalog of songs, with a number of those tunes now considered rock/metal classics.

From the classics to the deeper cuts, here are the 40 best songs of Motley Crue, ranked.