Tommy Lee Gets ‘Crueciflied’

People from all over the world gathered in Los Angeles, California, on New Year’s Eve to see the history making last performance of Mötley Crüe. Little did they know that there was a news-making event waiting in the wings as well.

The “Cruecifly,” a roller coaster-tracked drum kit is the most recent contraption concocted by drummer and stuntman Tommy Lee, has been the pinnacle of Mötley Crüe’s farewell tour. The carnival-esque invention took about four hours to build at each show, and it was safe only in venues with sturdy roofs. Lee, determined to pursue his wild notion, created a smaller version of the drummer coaster for the smaller, less stable arenas.

During the drummer’s solo, his beloved pet experienced a small technical difficulty. Lee found himself bidding farewell to the sea of fans from more than 50-feet in the air — upside down! The drummer also realized that he was going nowhere fast because the Cruecifly had slipped the track, leaving him stuck. It seems that Tommy wanted to end his career with a hang.

Given its mechanics and penchant for terrifying venue owners worldwide, it proved itself reliable throughout the tour. That is why Lee’s incident came as a surprise for everyone, including the infamous drummer. After over 30 years of performing sensational gigs with risky exploits and show stopping routines, Lee saw for himself just how dangerous his spotlight addiction could be. See the Footage found here.

Tommy Lee spent his career pushing the envelope with his daredevil gimmicks. However, he had experienced nothing like the events that occurred in their last tour. No one even realized that anything was wrong, until a light-headed Lee shouted to his fellow Crüe members. Lee explained his mindset as he hung upside down.

“Come on guys, help. Come get me. I can’t believe this is happening on the last night. I knew something wasn’t right when I took off.”

Lee had experienced a similar incident in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where the Cruecifly got stuck in mid rotation and left Lee hanging.

“I was up there a long time — a little over a minute — and that’s not cool when you’re playing upside-down and all the blood is rushing to your head.”

However, he and the band thought those glitches gone, so they moved ahead with their plans to continue using it.

Although Tommy grinned at the crowd as the crew rescued him, the pink in his cheeks indicated that perhaps his last appearance with Mötley Crüe was a bit more suave in his visions of roller drums. That Lee was the only person who was ever endangered by the attraction was pure irony. That he came out uninjured, besides his pride, was pure luck.

Otep retweeted this post about Lee by Drummerzone.com.

Tommy Lee’s drum coaster Cruecifly breaks at @MotleyCrue‘s final show https://t.co/jPkteLD5R9 @MrTommyLand pic.twitter.com/GYfIY2C84j

— Drummerszone.com (@Drummerszone) January 2, 2016

Lee’s ordeal lasted just a few moments, but it set back the official midnight toast by about three minutes. There were not any complaints, though, when Motley Crüe made it up to the crowd by ringing in 2016 with their hit song from 1989, “Dr. Feelgood.”

In an interview with the Reno Gazette, Lee told reporters that he wanted every show on the tour to be similar to a funeral wake.

“I always thought it was weird and cool, there’s something very bizarre about going to a wake.”

Had the band not had their plan B people to rescue Lee in the event that the Cruecifly did malfunction, his wish might have been a bit more literal than the drummer ever intended.

As with all good things, the show, and the beloved band Mötley Crüe, came to a close shortly after midnight. They opted to end their career and time together with their hit ballad, “Home Sweet Home,” to commemorate finishing where the band started. All the members and fans shared a tearful moment as the band said their final goodbyes, but they will all walk away from the tour with one reason to smile. They forever have the memory of witnessing Tommy Lee, their infamous drummer, calling for help from 50-plus feet in the air.

[Photo by: KGC-138/STAR MAX/IPx 2015]