Vince Neil says Mötley Crüe is ‘far from being over’

Mötley Crüe once signed a document, in public, stating they would never perform together again. But forget that mess. That was so seven years ago. Times and attitudes have changed, and so have the band’s co-stars.

The Crüe is once more a touring band, beating a bath with no end in site. The fearsome foursome of Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars play Allegiant Stadium on Friday night, along with Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett and “walk-in” rockers Classic Act. We say “walk-in,” because that’s about when you’ll hear their set. But Neil loves the guys, the lineup and the newfound burst of energy the Stadium Tour has affordded The Crüe.

“This has been an odyssey from they moment this tour was announced, to get this all arranged,” Neil said in a phone chat Thursday. “Nothing bad has happened, which is great for us. Everything’s always been good.”

This is the end of this particular leg of the tour, about which Neil says, “I am kind of sad, because it’s been so much fun. We just played SoFi Stadium in L.A. and it was great”

But it is not the end of Mötley Crüe. The band will continue touring internationally with Def Leppard 2023, through Mexico and South America in the spring and soccer stadiums in Europe next summer. Then, in 2024, it’s back to the U.S.

“We’re far from being over,” Neil said. “When we come back in ‘24, we’re going to do it all over again.”

Neil had long been a Las Vegas resident, then split time between his home here and his 30-acre ranch (with 10 horses) near Nashville. Now he’s a full-time Nashville resident, but wants to perform in Las Vegas as frequently as possible.

The Crüe is also reviewing offers to return to residency in Vegas, where they previously held forth at the old Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel in 2012 and again in 2013.

“We have definitely talked about doing it, and everybody loves to do the residencies, so I say, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna do it,’” Neil said. “We just have to look at sometime in ‘24, to be back in Vegas. But we will be back.”

He also said the Crüe has no interest in returning to the studio.

“We are strictly a touring band,” the 61-year-old rocker said. “When you see this show at Allegiant, you’ll see why. You’re going to see something that’s unbelievable, lights and lasers, three dancers. There are a lot of cool special effects, and a cool band putting on a rock show.”

Benatar, Giraldo … and you

We cannot let the week get away from us without marking the Pat Benatar/Neil Giraldo show reopening Pearl at the Palms. The event was a significant moment for the hotel’s new ownership. It became a significant moment, too, for Giraldo, early in the show.

Benatar remarked that the performance was not only the last of the tour, but the reopening of the Pearl. “Really? I didn’t know that,” Giraldo said. He must not have heard Palms Vice President of Entertainment Crystal Robinson-Wesley’s announcement at the top of the show that it was the first performance at the Pearl in 903 days, or since Billy Idol headlined on March 14, 2020.

No biggie. Benatar and her hubby guitarist, also known as Spider, were in vintage form throughout. Whatever Benatar is doing to maintain her voice, keep doing it. She has not sounded any better over the years (and I first caught Benatar/Giraldo in the late-1990s at the old Joint).

The hits were all there, including robust takes of “All Fired Up,” “Promises In The Dark” and “Hell is For Children.” But we were most impressed with a cover in the encore, “Helter Skelter.” Holy Moses, Benatar wiped out that vocally acrobatic rocker from The White Album.

The Pearl has hardly aged since opening in 2007. The sound is pristine, its sight lines unobstructed. But it took about half the show for the video to dial in (Benatar looked washed out, and also out of sync, early in the performance).

The primary challenge at the Pearl and for booking partner Live Nation is finding acts that will sell in the room. It’s a similar ticket-selling horizon facing Venetian Theater (also a Live Nation venue), and The Theater at Virgin Hotels and Encore Theater (both AEG).

The name Billy Conn factors importantly in this equation. The Live Nation veteran is known to clean out ticket sales, meaning he can fill a venue. Up next at the Pearl is the famous yacht-rock pioneer Christopher Cross on Sept. 30, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the monster hit album, “Sailing.” Rocker St. Vincent is Oct. 1, and Latin pop superstars Lupita D’Alessio and María José on Oct. 15.

So far, the Pearl leaning first into one-off headliners in its reopening. It’s a sensible strategy. We are confident it will find its way back, if it hasn’t already.

Cool Hang Alert

Las Vegas Little Theatre at 3920 Schiff Dr. opens “The Foreigner,” billed as one of the funnest Amerian plays ever. The production opens 8 p.m. Friday and runs on select dates through Sept. 25. Tickets are $30; go to lvt.org or contact the box office at 702.362.7996.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.