Courtesy Mötley Crüe — Nikki Sixx (from left), Mick Mars, Vince Neil and Tommy Lee — plans to make ears bleed in San Antonio on Wednesday, July 23, during their Crüefest concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.

Vince. Tommy. Nikki. Mick. No last names needed.

Although various drummers and one other singer tried throughout the 1990s, no other foursome could comprise Mötley Crüe.

Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars came to that realization when they reunited in 2005, and now the Crüe is back in San Antonio. They’re bringing a new album as the architects of Crüefest, an inaugural annual festival of rock that promises to leave the kids’ ears bleeding. Judge for yourself on Wednesday, July 23, at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.

There’s an almost matter-of-fact reasoning as to why the Mötley Crüe bassist and founding member Nikki Sixx has endured death-defying heroin addictions; why guitarist Mick Mars plays on despite a painful degenerative disease; why singer Vince Neil has survived his drunken-driving demons and overcome the death of his young daughter to cancer in 1995; why drummer Tommy Lee has put aside differences with his bandmates and famous “Baywatch” babe and is now firing on all cylinders:
“I think this band has a horseshoe up its ass,” Sixx said.

And so Mötley Crüe trudges on, giving birth to and headlining Crüefest, a five-band festival featuring Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx A.M. and Trapt.

Crüefest is supposed to become an annual event. But first things first.

The Crüe is touring to support Saints of Los Angeles, their first album of all-new material with the original members since 1997’s Generation Swine.

But you might as well go back to 1989’s Dr. Feelgood for an all-intents-and-purposes effect, since that record, like its predecessors, went platinum and cemented the Crüe as rock music’s sleaziest, rowdiest, most decadent band of its time.

Now, they’re back for more. Albeit cleaner and more tolerant of each other.

Sixx famously overcame his overdose in 1987 after being revived from two adrenaline shots to his heart. Lee and Pamela Anderson’s on-again/off-again relationship is on again, helping to make the flamboyant stickman with the upside down drum solos happy. Mars is cranking it loud on Saints of Los Angeles. Neil is slimmed down again, apparently at peace after his 1987 drunk-driving incident cost the life of Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle, after his child Skylar died of cancer eight years later and after numerous feuds with Lee, his high school classmate in California.

Sixx will be pulling double duty throughout Crüefest. His side project, Sixx A.M., is one of the opening acts and is touring in support of The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, a tell-all look at Sixx’s drug addictions.

Buckcherry’s Josh Todd, Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix and Trapt’s Chris Taylor Brown join the Crüe on background vocals for the title track to Saints of Los Angeles. But they’ll all be looking for their moment in the spotlight before the Crüe hit the stage.

Buckcherry is still riding off the success of 15, which spawned the radio, Internet and strip-club sensation “Crazy Bitch.” They’ll release “Black Butterfly” in September. Mötley Crüe paved the way for each of the bands on Crüefest, and all eyes will be on the L.A. quartet to see if they’re shouting at the devil better than ever.

“We’re aware of what we feel people think is successful,” Sixx told 210SA during a teleconference. “We know what we’ve achieved. There’s nothing to prove. We’ve done just about everything except get in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and everything like that. And those are probably things that don’t matter after all.”

“Remember, we’re not even supposed to be here,” Sixx added. “We’re not even supposed to be alive. We made so many left and right turns. We do what the f**k we want to do.”

Jay Nanda | 210SA contributor