Phil Collen of Def Leppard – who is touring with Motley Crue next month – has said that a trainer will be heading off on tour with the two bands and that he hopes Vince Neil will work out.
During a chat with Favazz on radio station KSHE 95, Collen was asked if he was concerned about Vince Neil’s health.
“No. I talk to Nikki Sixx all the time. We’re friends. And I’ve known Vince forever. He’s gonna be part of our team,” he said. “The way I look at this whole thing… we wanna take this tour to the rest of the world — in Europe, Australia, Japan, all over the place, South America — so it’s really important that everyone is part of the team. And we’re inspired. Me and Joe — actually, all the guys — we’re on the phone, and we start rehearsing in about a week.”
He added, “I can’t wait till we get out there. And hopefully Vince will be working out. We’ve got a trainer coming out. Yeah, it’s gonna be really cool.”
The comments come after Neil revealed he was undergoing fat burning treatment in September last year after gaining a significant amount of weight. In October he was rushed to hospital with broken ribs after falling off a stage while performing at a gig.
A show in July saw Neil give up singing half way through Motley Crue hit ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’, leaving bassist Dana Strum and guitarist Jeff ‘Blando’ Bland, and drummer Zoltan Chane playing along to pre-recorded backing vocals. Pro-wrestler Chris Jericho weighed in on Neil’s sub-par performance, encouraging the musician to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
“I’m disappointed to see Vince the way he is, because I think if he lost some weight and did some training and came out there and was in some semblance of shape, a) his voice will sound better just from that alone, and b) people would go, ‘Holy shit! Did you see Vince Neil? He looks great.’
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“I think if he really wants to do it, he could do it,” Jericho added.
“But I don’t know if he does. And that’s the thing. And it’s up to him. And either way, it’s Mötley Crüe — people are gonna go, and they’re gonna love it.
“But to me, as a performer, I would take that as a challenge: ‘I’ve got one year. Let’s do this. It’s been long enough. Let’s do this for real.”
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