Nikki Sixx
Dustin Jack
Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx knows how much blood, sweat and tears it takes to write songs and work up the courage to get on stage. That’s why when American Idol asked him if he was willing to join the show for an episode featuring auditions on Los Angeles’ iconic Sunset Strip — whose bars his band came up in during the 1980s — Sixx was all in.
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“It was a lot of fun to team up with American Idol upon the show’s return to L.A. After all, Mötley Crüe are also from L.A., and so many amazing songwriters call Los Angeles their ‘Home Sweet Home,'” Sixx said in a statement to Billboard about his appearance on Sunday night’s (March 20) episode.
“Because of American Idol a lot of great, timeless, classic songs have not only been re-interpreted by the next generation of talented singers but have also been re-introduced to mainstream audiences and younger generations of music fans for the last two decades,” he continued. “As a songwriter myself, that’s something I really appreciate so when I was invited to appear on this Sunday’s episode I did not hesitate.”
As part of the opening of Sunday’s show, judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan chat with Sixx about the Sunset Strip after he rocks through his band’s iconic 1985 power ballad “Home Sweet Home.” At one point, Richie laughs that if anyone knows anything about the Sunset Strip it’s Sixx, whose band is gearing up to finally launch their pandemic-delayed summer stadium tour with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
The massive outing is slated to kick off on June 16 in Atlanta, Georgia, with ticket information available here. Watch a preview of Sixx on Idol and check out a pic from his appearance below.