“I just wanna clarify and clear things up here. There was a false news story saying I was using backing tracks, and I find it very comical. So, check it out, and here is an example very simple technique.”
A news article online suggested that the guitarist wasn’t playing live because his hand wasn’t on the guitar. John explained that many songs could be played with one hand thanks to hammer-on and pull-off techniques.
Mötley Crüe faced backing track accusations from Mick Mars, Carmine Appice, and some fans in recent years. Appice even alleged that Sixx’s parts in the band’s records were played by someone else.
John 5 defended his bandmate against the backlash last year as follows:
“If you listen to these concerts that I do with [Nikki], you hear bum notes. Do you really think that we would put a mistake on a track? No! It’s so crazy, but a hundred percent he plays every single note on there. Just listen to the shows before you make these statements because you’ll hear mess-ups. And that’s what rock and roll is.”
He noted:
“Yes, we do rely on technology for backup vocals, intros, outros, sirens, and horn hits. Of course, they’ve been doing that since ‘Dr. Feelgood.’ I’m not saying we don’t rely on technology for things that we can’t replicate ourselves, but me, Nikki, Tommy, and Vince; we’re all live up there.“
Photo: Getty Images North America