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Mötley Crüe are having a major resurgence in 2019. After the band was mostly forgotten for years, they were catapulted back into the headlines through the success of The Dirt, a Netflix movie which chronicled the band’s early years. The film received mostly negative critical reviews but was a hit with audiences. Now, the band are going back on tour for the first time in years.

Mötley Crüe | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

The history of Mötley Crüe

Although they might not be as influential as Elvis Presley or John Lennon, Mötley Crüe have an important place in rock history. They are a 1980s band who helped popularize glam metal. Glam metal is a hybrid genre combining glam rock with heavy metal.

Glam metal songs were often about hedonism and were decried by critics who felt they lacked depth. While millions of fans enjoyed the fun songs by bands like Mötley Crüe, Cinderella, and Whitesnake, the public eventually grew tired of them. The fall of glam metal paved the way for grunge, a much moodier genre that often featured cryptic lyrics laced with cultural commentary. 

The 1980s make a comeback

Mötley Crüe | Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Now, 1980s-themed media is in vogue. Thanks to Bruno Mars hits like “Uptown Funk,” “Finesse” and “24K Magic,” a new generation embraced 1980s funk music. Stranger Things, It, and It Chapter 2 also brought back 1980s-style horror. It was only a matter of time before the public began to appreciate 1980s rock music again. The films Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, and The Dirt were all part of that resurgence. 

The Dirt was a straightforward biopic that was released direct-to-Netflix. Although reviews for the film were poor, it got a new generation interested in Mötley Crüe’s music and history. It was also a hit among older audiences who remember the band’s glory days and pined for a time when rock and heavy metal music were still part of the mainstream. 

The success of the film would make now a perfect time for the band to tour again. There’s only one issue with that: they signed a contract preventing them from touring past December 31, 2015. Apparently, not all contracts are set in stone.

Mötley Crüe break the rules again

Machine Gun Kelly | Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Interscope Records

Mötley Crüe released a video narrated by Machine Gun Kelly, the rapper who played band member Tommy Lee in The Dirt. The video directly discusses the band’s infamous contract. The rapper says “In the years since [2015], Mötley Crüe became more popular than ever and gained an entirely new legion of fans, who, along with diehard Crüeheads, demanded the band tear up that stupid contract and come out of retirement. They knew that if they were ever to stand onstage together again, that contract would have to be destroyed. Well, destruction has never been an issue for Mötley Crüe.” 

Rolling Stone reported that Mötley Crüe plans on touring again in 2020. All of the original members of the band will reunite for the tour. The tour should be a treat for fans of 1980s rock, as Def Leppard and Poison will also be part of the tour. 

A year ago, Mötley Crüe were almost forgotten. Now, they’re one of the biggest nostalgia acts in rock. It just goes to show that there’s no business like show business.

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