Rob Zombie took the stage at Aftershock Festival 2022 with original guitarist Mike Riggs instead of John 5, which immediately made headlines – what happened? John 5 was part of Rob Zombie's band since 2005 and then all of a sudden he just wasn't there?
Zombie addressed the crowd, saying Riggs had returned "after a 20-year absence" but didn't mentioned why there was a lineup change. Of course later we found out that John 5 had joined Mötley Crüe, though neither Zombie nor John 5 ever issued a statement.
Now in an interview with THAT Rocks!, John 5 said he misses Zombie and would love to reconnect at some point. John 5 played in Zombie's band for nearly two decades – I'd imaging going from that level of conversation to absolutely nothing is a little hurtful.
"I have not had dialogue with Rob. And I wish I would. I miss talking to him. And [his] band sounds great and the show looks awesome and I really hope to talk to him soon… I miss talking to Rob. And I know he is doing great. But I hope we connect soon."
John 5 said in a previous interview earlier this year that Zombie was understanding about his departure, but he wasn't thrilled about it.
"I talked to Rob, and he understood. Rob is a smart, rational person. I mean, he wasn't psyched, but he understood," said John 5. "And I think that was amazing of him. And he was just, like, 'Go get 'em.' He was fine about it. And then they got [Mike] Riggs, who I think is a great addition. That's who he was using when Rob did the early solo records, and I think it's a great addition. And they're kicking ass."
John 5 also mentioned he agreed to join Mötley Crüe in a conversation with bassist Nikki Sixx prior to telling Rob Zombie, and only said something before it got out into the press.
"I told Rob before it got out in the press. But I agreed to Nikki. And I called Rob and I said, 'This is what's happening.' And we did a show, Louder Than Life, together, and that was my last show [with Rob] in Kentucky. And then they got Riggs and were rehearsing with him and did the Aftershock show. And then it was announced — my time frame is not great, but then I believe it was announced a little bit after that. But it was no bad blood or anything; it wasn't anything bad; it wasn't dramatic or anything. And Rob was super cool. He was, like, 'Hey, I get it.' He was cool about it."
