Former GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin has publicly apologized to MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx after a comment he made during a YouTube livestream sparked a public back-and-forth between the two musicians.
During a June 19 livestream discussing GODSMACK's approach to live performance, Larkin contrasted the band's insistence on playing without pre-recorded backing tracks with other touring acts, name-checking SIXX in the process. "We've been saying it for years... backups, you see Nikki Sixx up there... he's not really singing, he looks away, but you still hear his voice," Larkin said at the time.
Sixx responded on X in late June, dismissing LARKIN as part of a "B- and C-level band" and questioning his motives: "Who's this Shannon Larkin hater? It's funny how so many B- and C-level bands spend more time talking about us..."
Larkin walked the comment back in an extended Facebook Live apology posted June 29. "I made the mistake... I used you as an example. I'm sorry. But it wasn't for what you think it was for, for this fucking press and attention," he said, framing the original remark as an offhand example rather than a targeted attack.
The exchange traces back to old tension between the two camps dating to the 2009 "Crüe Fest 2" tour, when GODSMACK served as a support act for MÖTLEY CRÜE. That tour is widely believed to have inspired GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna's song "Cryin' Like A Bitch," fueling speculation for years about friction between the bands.
While backing-track use remains a recurring flashpoint in hard rock and metal — with bands regularly accused of miming vocals or instrumentation live — the Larkin-Sixx spat stands out for reopening old wounds between two acts that shared a stage more than 15 years ago. Neither GODSMACK nor MÖTLEY CRÜE has commented further on the matter since LARKIN's apology, and it remains unclear whether Sixx plans to respond.