Nikki Sixx Accuses KISS Of Ripping Motley Crue Off

It appears Nikki Sixx is not happy with fellow hard rockers KISS, whom he has accused of ripping off Motley Crue in a big way.

It’s always explosive when metal bands start feuding with one another. The natural love of drama and pyrotechnics that all hard-rocking dudes with a penchant for big hair, high heels, and make-up are seemingly born with lends itself perfectly to fiery tantrums. And it appears KISS have rattled Nikki Sixx’s cage in a big way. The Motley Crue bassist has thrown his toys out of the pram after comparing KISS’s current stage production to the one Motley Crue used on their farewell tour in 2014-15.

Ultimate Classic Rock reports that Sixx took to Instagram and claimed that the “grand finale” adopted by KISS on their current “End of the Road” tour is an “exact reenactment” of the one the Crue rocked when they made their big bow out.

Giving expression to his displeasure at having Crue’s big moment stolen by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Sixx posted pics from Crue’s farewell tour stage set, which involved him and vocalist Vince Neil being carried aloft over the crowd like a pair of hard rock angels by two gigantic cranes. The pics were accompanied by the caption, “If ya wanna see an exact reenactment of this, just go to the #LosAngeles Forum tonight.” This was an allusion to KISS appearing at the venue that evening.

Sixx took another potshot at KISS later that day by posting pictures of himself and Simmons in near-identical cranes.

“Wow. Our body wasn’t even cold before they took this exact grande finale from our tour. Might not matter to KISS fans but it does to Crue fans. I dug their music when I was a little kid and it was cool to co-headline together a few years but this disappoints me,” Sixx snapped.

It’s been documented that there is no love lost between Sixx and Simmons. Although Sixx has expressed gratitude to KISS for giving the Crue their first taste of playing on big stages, he took umbrage over Simmons’ ill-advised comments on mental health issues in 2016.

The two bassists tussled again shortly after when Simmons branded Prince’s death as “pathetic.” Sixx called the KISS star’s comments “heartless and uneducated.” He also described Simmons as an “overrated clown.”

“He’s not my hero anymore or anybody’s. I think that he is an overrated, lucky guy that dresses like a clown. He wrote some good songs, but hasn’t in a long time, and loves to brag about himself.”