Last Friday, Mötley Crüe closed out the second night of Hellfest and as fan footage gradually makes its way online, we’ve noticed something… off. It seems that half way through the set, Vince Neil not only remembers all the lyrics to “The Dirt,” but he’s pitch perfect and doesn’t sound like he’s sucking down more air than a jet engine. And then just a few songs later, he’s back to the husk of a performer he’s been for a while now.

As you can see for yourself in the clips below, Vince sounds almost pitch perfect to the studio version of “The Dirt,” which should immediately raise some red flags. But what’s particularly galling is at around the 35 second mark, he’s supposed to be the one singing “they never found a way to break us down” but magically, his part continues despite the mic being down by his side.

Mötley Crüe is no stranger to the whole “backing tracks” controversy. Last summer, during their first world tour back as a band, footage showed Tommy Lee apparently using pre-recorded tracks in lieu of an actual live performance.

Though the band denies that they’re fucking around with their live performances, former guitarist Mick Mars called out the band for faking it on stage in court documents submitted as part of his lawsuit against the band.

When you compare his “performance” of “The Dirt” with footage from that same night of “Girls, Girls, Girls” or “Shout at the Devil,” it’s immediately apparent that the Vince Neil we normally get was on full display in France. Just not for “The Dirt.” Maybe it’s because that song was being used for promotional material that the band posted to their YouTube a couple days ago? Who knows.

It’s wild that even in a performance that featured fucking MGK hitting the stage and getting booed to no end, it’s still not the worst part of the whole affair. But that’s what you get from Mötley Crüe in 2023.