Will MÖTLEY CRÜE's 'The Stadium' Tour Happen This Year? NIKKI SIXX Responds

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx says that the band's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS will happen when it's safe to go to concerts again.

"The Stadium Tour" was originally scheduled to take place last summer but has been pushed back to this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"The Stadium Tour" is now scheduled to kick off on June 19, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee and conclude on September 12, 2021 in San Diego, California.

Asked by a fan on Twitter on Friday (February 26) if there have been any updates on whether "The Stadium Tour" will go ahead this summer, Nikki responded: "Our concern is the safely [sic] of not only our fans but everybody involved in a tour. The bands, crews etc etc. As soon as we get the green light we're excited to get out and tour."

Last month, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen told the "Jeremy White Podcast" that he was "really confident" "The Stadium Tour" would take place in 2021 provided that the COVID-19 vaccine was successfully rolled out. "It's the same way anywhere around the world," he said. "You go, 'Hey, are you coming to so and so?' Well, I don't know if we're allowed to travel and whether we would be allowed on the plane or even in that country. So, it's looking good — or not. We really don't know. It really comes down to how everyone deals with approaching this pandemic and stuff."

As of January 30, 2020, "The Stadium Tour" had already grossed $130 million from one million tickets sold, plus another $5 million worth of VIP seats, according to Billboard.

Tickets ranged from $150 to $400, not counting some varied pricing that reflected demand as part of "dynamic pricing."

When it happens, "The Stadium Tour" will mark the CRÜE's first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017 — but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of concerts and festivals have either been postponed or canceled, as social distancing and self-quarantining make performing live music and attending live shows all but impossible.

U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.

Last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that theaters and other live entertainment venues could reopen "some time in the fall of 2021."

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases gave an update on when he thinks the performing arts will be able to reopen during a virtual conference held by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals.

According to The New York Times, Fauci said that the country will have to reach an effective level of herd immunity, which requires vaccinating from 70 percent to 85 percent of the population, before theaters and other venues will be able to reopen.

"If everything goes right, this is will occur some time in the fall of 2021," Fauci said, "so that by the time we get to the early to mid-fall, you can have people feeling safe performing onstage as well as people in the audience."

Fauci went on to say that if vaccine distribution succeeded, theaters with good ventilation and proper air filters might not need to place many restrictions for performances by the fall — except asking their audience members to wear masks, which he suggested could continue to be a norm for the foreseeable future.

Photo credit: Dustin Jack