Motley Crue And Friends Launch Crue Fest

Break out your hairspray, black and red leathers, makeup… and even those cat suits in the back of your closet, because Motley Crue are heading out on the road in support of the June 17 release of Saints Of Los Angeles.

Crue Fest will be headlined by the original Motley Crue lineup of lead singer Vince Neil, bassist Nikki Sixx, guitarist Mick Mars and drummer Tommy Lee. The travelling festival kicks off July 1 and runs through Aug. 31, and will hit seven Canadian cities.

At a press conference held on Tuesday, Lee said Motley Crue had been planning Crue Fest for "years" and he hoped it would become an annual event like Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzfest.

Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx's side project, Sixx:A.M. will join the Crue on the trek. All the opening acts are featured on Motley Crue's new "Saints Of Los Angeles" single, which was released to radio, television, iTunes and the Rock Band video game on Tuesday. A CD featuring music from all the Cruefest participants will hit stores on June 17.

Crue Fest tickets go on sale through Live Nation on Friday or Saturday, depending on the market. You can buy tickets now through The Rock Vine website.

The autobiographical Saints Of Los Angeles is the first album to feature all of Motley Crue's original members since 1997's Generation Swine. After rifts with Neil, Lee left in 1999 to pursue a solo career and also formed the short-lived nu-metal band Methods Of Mayhem with former Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins. Saints Of Los Angeles was tentatively titled The Dirt, after the best-selling 2001 Motley Crue autobiography of the same name. The band began recording the disc when Neil and Lee went back into the studio in 2004.

As for Ozzy Osbourne and Ozzfest, questions have arisen about whether the tour will return for a 13th summer. Osbourne has just announced a one-off gig in Calgary on July 26 dubbed Monsters Of Rock. The concert will also feature Judas Priest, System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Priestess, Cavalera Conspiracy, Voivod, Testament, 3 Inches Of Blood, Dillinger Escape Plan and Zimmers Hole. Tickets go on sale on Friday through Ticketmaster and range in price from $49.50 to $250. Although Metallica are rumoured to be co-headlining Ozzfest with Osbourne, no official announcement has been made.

Here are Crue Fest's Canadian dates:

July 10 Sarnia, ON @ Bayfest
Aug. 11 Vancouver, BC @ General Motors Place
Aug. 13 Edmonton, AB @ Rexall PlaceA
ug. 14 Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome
Aug. 15 Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
Aug. 17 Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
Aug. 28 Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre