Now that Motley Crue has the ultimate cushy gig, a February residency in Las Vegas, frontman Vince Neil has announced that he might be quitting the band again once the Vegas shows are done.. “It’s not definite, but I am thinking seriously about it,” he told the Las Vegas Sun from his yacht in the Bahamas. The last time Neil left the band was in 1992, rejoining the band five years later.
“This is all about me thinking about the second half of my life, thinking about my future, and that future might not include Motley Crue after Vegas. There are so many opportunities that are in front of me that I’m really excited about. I just don’t want to look back later in life and regret that I didn’t pursue them. I’m just not sure I can give these opportunities the time and effort I’ll need to and continue with the band. It’s been a great ride, and I’ve enjoyed every second of it, but being out here relaxing in this beautiful place has given me the chance to reflect on what direction I want the rest of my life to take. I’m really giving it a lot of thought.”
On the one hand, it’s understandable that Neil might want to take a bit of a break. The band’s been on tour for the last few years, and Neil will turn 50 during the residency. But at the same time, the band’s got a residency in Vegas. They should do that as long as they can. There’s no travel involved, they’re being treated well by the Hard Rock, and there’s a constant flow of people on vacation that’ll pony up to see the band. If Neil’s plans include another solo album along the lines of Tattoos and Tequila, he can pretty much give up on that right now. If there’s anyone we’d totally relate to retiring in Motley Crue, it’d be Mick Mars, but he soldiers on. And I guess if there’s any silver lining in the cloudy future of the Crue (way to mix metaphors!), it’s that if he retires to his yacht in the Bahamas, at least he won’t be getting any more DUIs in Vegas.
