“Man, ya’ll ain’t gonna believe this sh-t [but] I broke [four] f-cking ribs!” Tommy Lee posted to social media before the kickoff of Mötley Crüe’s Stadium Tour. The long-delayed and highly-anticipated tour finally started on June 16 at Atlanta, Georgia’s Truist Park, and Tommy, 59, said he wasn’t going to miss it. “I’ve been resting and healing, and even though the doctor tells me I shouldn’t play at all, you know I’m stubborn, and I’ll beast through the pain every show for as many songs as I can.” It turned out that the number of songs was 5, per Classic Rock. Tommy made it through “Wild Side,” “Shout at the Devil,” “Too Fast for Love,” “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away),” and “Saints of Los Angeles” before giving up his drum stool.
Breaking News: Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee takes the stage at The Stadium Tour but mid-set goes to the mic and says after 2 and a half years of waiting for this show he broke a few ribs recently and the doctors told him not to play. He promised to perform anyway #TheStadiumTour pic.twitter.com/VjKj9bVQMs
— Greg DeBrosse (@GregDeBrosse) June 17, 2022
His replacement was Tommy Clufetos, who drummed on Black Sabbath’s final tour and is a member of Nikki Sixx‘s L.A. Rats. Lee’s social media post said that Clufetos would be there to “help me out until I’m back at 100%.” HollywoodLife has reached out for clarification if Tommy Lee will continue on the Stadium Tour – which features Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and Classless Act. The Atlanta show also featured a surprise cameo from Machine Gun Kelly, who performed the 2019 song, “The Dirt (Est. 1981),” from the Crüe biopic The Dirt, per Stereogum.
When the Crüe got on stage, Tommy told the audience about his condition. “We did it! You did it. We did it, we’re fucking here! Okay, anyway, what I’ve got to tell you is about 14 days ago, I fuckin’ broke not one, not two, not three, but four f-ckin’ ribs right here,” he said, per Ultimate Classic Rock. “I wish I had a fuckin’ badass story like me and Connor McGregor fuckin’ scrapping out in some f-ckin’ bar or something, but I don’t.”
When Tommy had to hand the drumstick to Clufetos, he addressed the crowd. “The doctors told me, ‘No playing, bro. No playing.’ And I was like, ‘Are you f-cking high, bro? We’ve got a fucking tour to do!’ So anyway, I ain’t sitting out for sh-t,” he said. “My boy’s gonna help me out here, and I’ll see you guys later. On with the goddamn show.”
Mötley Crüe fans should know that the drums are in good hands when Tommy needs to take a break. In addition to drumming on Black Sabbath’s farewell tour, Clufetos has been the drummer in Ozzy Osbourne’s band since 2009, per Loudwire. He also drummed with Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie.