NIKKI SIXX On MÖTLEY CRÜE’s 2015 Farewell Tour: ‘We Honestly Thought That Was It’

As MÖTLEY CRÜE gears up for their 2026 “The Return Of Carnival Of Sins” tour, bassist Nikki Sixx is reflecting on the band’s storied career and the unexpected return to the road after their so-called farewell.

In a recent interview with Portland, Oregon’s KPTV Fox 12, Sixx discussed the upcoming 33-city Live Nation-produced trek, which kicks off on July 17, 2026, at the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. The tour, celebrating both the 20th anniversary of the band’s groundbreaking 2005–2006 “Carnival Of Sins” tour and MÖTLEY CRÜE’s 45th anniversary, will feature support from EXTREME and TESLA.

Reflecting on the longevity of the band, Nikki emphasized the creative drive that keeps them going. “We’re musicians, so we make music,” Sixx said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “I’m a writer for different things — books and, obviously, all the lyrics for the band — so it’s always about writing music and being creative and then taking it out to the people. It never really felt like — I don’t know — it’s always felt pretty cohesive. It’s part of our process.”

Looking back on the 2015 farewell tour, Sixx admits the band truly believed that chapter was finished: “We did in 2015 do a farewell tour. And we honestly thought that was it. We were done. Everything was cool. And then the [MÖTLEY CRÜE] movie came out on Netflix, The Dirt. And I don’t know how many hundreds of millions of people saw that, and [it] put us in a place where they came to us and asked us if we wanted to do eight shows. And we were, like, it’s a lot of work to put a show together. And we were, like, ‘We love to play for our fans, but we’ve kind of already wrapped it up,’ and blah, blah, blah. They said, ‘No. Eight stadiums.’ And we were, like, ‘Oh.’ And then we ended up doing 138 stadiums, us and DEF LEPPARD. And it was just exciting to be back out there again.”

Nikki also spoke about the anticipation surrounding the upcoming “The Return Of Carnival Of Sins” tour: “I am looking forward to this tour because it’s an evening of great songs from EXTREME and TESLA and MÖTLEY CRÜE. And also, for us to go out and have to top the original ‘Carnival Of Sins’ tour, which was a lot of eye candy — a lot of eye candy.”

“The Return Of The Carnival Of Sins” 2026 tour dates:

Jul. 17 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
Jul. 18 – Buffalo, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
Jul. 20 – Clarkson, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
Jul. 22 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
Jul. 24 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion
Jul. 25 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater
Jul. 27 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Jul. 29 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Jul. 31 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 1 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Aug. 3 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Aug. 12 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Aug. 14 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Aug. 15 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Aug. 17 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Aug. 19 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
Aug. 21 – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater
Aug. 22 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Aug. 24 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
Aug. 25 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
Aug. 27 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater
Aug. 28 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
Sep. 8 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater
Sep. 10 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Sep. 11 – Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sep. 13 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Sep. 16 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Sep. 18 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sep. 19 – Long Beach, CA – Long Beach Amphitheater
Sep. 21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sep. 23 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre
Sep. 24 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheater
Sep. 26 – Ridgefield, WA – Cascades Amphitheater