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Motley Crue's Tommy Lee Burned, Crue Fest Rolls On With Fill-In Drummer

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by Gary Graff, Detroit  |   August 17, 2009 11:41 EDT
Paul Brown

Motley Crue's Tommy Lee is not exactly Dr. Feelgood these days.

The drummer will be off his kit for several Crue Fest 2 shows after burning his left hand last week while playing with a set of sparklers. Sevendust's Morgan Rose "came charging in like a knight in shining armor" according to a note on bassist Nikki Sixx's MySpace site, starting with Friday's show in Cincinnati. Lee, his left thumb and forefinger wrapped in bandages, is still taking part in the shows, coming on first to explain his absence -- "First of all, I suck. I was having fun and I burned myself," he told Saturday's crowd at the DTE Energy Music Theatre near Detroit -- then to hand a bottle of Jagermeister to the crowd and, during he encores, play piano on "Home Sweet Home" and thump on a drum with his right hand for "Girls, Girls, Girls."

There's no official word about when Lee will be able to play drums again. Crue Fest 2 runs through Sept. 2.

In his MySpace posting, Sixx noted that "accidents do happen and, yes, frustration does happen to everybody, including Tommy, who would rather play drums (even with a damaged hand) than just about anything in the whole world. But following doctor's orders for a few shows is what we have to (do) right now (or cancel shows). We all wanna say we're sorry Tommy has to sit out a couple shows, but we hope to have him back up on the drums ASAP."

Sixx also saluted Rose as "the hero of the day...I think Morgan needs a standing ovation for his dedication to kicking ass and helping not only Motley Crue out, but the road crew and everybody else out here whose lives would (have) been effected...As for now, Motley Crue is a five-piece band -- making history, one injury at a time, hahhaha..."

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