Motley Crue's first and last time in NZ

Motley Crue.

Motley Crue will perform in New Zealand on Saturday for the first and last time. Vince Neil tells Chris Schulz why.

Vince Neil loves the 80s. The 90s? Not so much.

"The 80s was a time of fun arena rock," says Neil, reminiscing down the phone from his Las Vegas home. "In the 90s it all changed. Everyone was mad, pissed off and had problems. They were the bummer years."

He's talking about grunge's rise to the top, a movement spearheaded by bands like Nirvana, unseeating Motley Crue's brand of makeup-smeared glam metal as the soundtrack of choice for rebellious teenagers.

Thirty-five years later, Neil and Motley Crue are having the last laugh because the Las Vegas act is alive and kicking, embarking on one final world tour to celebrate their legacy and party with fans. They'll play their last show on December 31 in Los Angeles.

"Everybody says 'we're doing a final tour' but nobody believes you," says Neil, explaining why this really is it. "Everyone who does a final tour does a reunion tour. There are bands who have done five or six final tours - then a reunion tour. We're not that band."

No, they're not.

To make it permanent, the Crue signed a legally binding "cessation of touring agreement", which means original members Neil, drummer Tommy Lee, bassist Nikki Sixx and guitarist Mick Mars will never perform together again as Motley Crue after 2015.

"We went that extra mile to convince everyone that this really is it. We're ending on our terms - we're ending on top," says Neil.

That means Saturday night's show in Auckland, with likeminded buddy Alice Cooper in support, is the Crue's first New Zealand appearance - and their last. Neil admits there's a touch of sadness about their final shows.

"It sucks. When you look around and you're singing the last song and you know that you're not going to be on stage with these four guys in this place anymore, it is a little bittersweet. We still have a lot of shows to do, but I think it's really going to catch up with everybody in the last week."

Before that, there's Saturday's Auckland performance, and Neil promises fans will get many of the Crue's fist-in-the-air hits like Dr Feelgood, Girls, Girls, Girls and Shout at the Devil.

"It's big and bad," explains Neil. There's a lot of stuff for everyone: if you like explosions, if you like lights ... you just gotta come and see it. My favourite bit is probably at the end of the show [when we play] Home Sweet Home. We come out into the audience and we're right there with everybody."

It's also a reminder of how dangerous the Crue once were. Their legacy, cemented in best-selling biography The Dirt, is one of drugs, alcohol, womanising, tattoos and, for Neil, several short stints in prison.

But Neil just wants Motley Crue to be remembered as a "great band ... who did everything for our fans".

"There were a lot of firsts with us. We defined a generation in the 80s. We defined MTV culture. We made a type of music that everyone followed. There are a lot of things to be proud of with our band ... We went out our way. We did it our way."

Who: Vince Neil with Motley Crue: The Final Tour - All Bad Things Must Come To An End
Where and when: Vector Arena, Saturday, May 9, with Alice Cooper

- TimeOut