John 5 has played alongside some of rock music’s biggest names, but his first night onstage with Mötley Crüe brought out an emotional reaction he never expected.
The guitarist, 56, who joined the band in 2022 after Mick Mars stepped away from touring, recently opened up about his February 2023 debut with the group in Atlantic City. And while the performance itself went well, it was what happened after he walked offstage that really caught him off guard.
In a recent interview with Guitar World, John 5 recalled that two of his longtime musical heroes, KISS legends Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, had made the trip to see his first Mötley Crüe show. The musicians had been friends for more than 30 years, and John 5 had personally invited them.
“They drove, you know, two hours each,” he recalled.
“And I remember they were right over there watching, and I was playing the show, and it’s exciting!”
But the guitarist wasn’t prepared for what happened once the concert ended.
“I got off the stage and everyone was like, ‘That was awesome’ — and I burst into tears for some reason,” he said.
“Like, uncontrollably. I was like, ‘What’s going on?'”
He eventually understood that the moment had simply been too much to take in.
“It was just so much emotion,” he explained.
“I had my heroes there, and I’m playing with Mötley Crüe, and all my friends there. It was very odd; it was so weird.”
The emotional debut came after weeks of rehearsals with his new bandmates. John 5 said he had already learned Mötley Crüe’s songs when their records originally came out, and he approached the preparation with his usual attention to detail. He even studied the band’s recent live performances so he could learn the transitions and endings.
The result impressed his new colleagues—but apparently, nothing could prepare him for seeing Frehley and Criss, 80, in the crowd.
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This story was originally published by Parade on Nov 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
