Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 appears on KISS frontman Paul Stanley’s Live To Win solo  album, performing on songs that include “Where Angels Dare,” which he co-wrote with Stanley and Desmond Child. He also shows up on Ace Frehley’s Origins Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 releases, and he enlisted Peter Criss to play drums on “Georgia on My Mind,” from John 5 and the Creatures’ 2021 album, Sinner. It all results from a fascination with the group that began in his youth. 

Speaking with Guitar Player, John revealed his six favourite solso performed by Stanley. Following is an excerpt from the rundown.

"Sure Know Something": KISS — Dynasty (1979)

John 5: "Listening to these solos, you can really tell when it’s Ace and when it’s Paul, and I think that’s so cool. With 'Sure Know Something', you can tell that this is planned out and this solo was written around these certain chord structures. It’s not just someone improvising, and that’s what I really like about it."

 “A World Without Heroes”: KISS — Music From “The Elder” (1981)

John 5: "It’s a beautiful melodic solo, with the perfect choice of notes. It’s not like, ‘Let’s see what I can improvise over this.’ This solo is sophisticated, and the note choices couldn’t be more perfect."

Check out the complete rundown here.

John 5 is gearing up for a solo US tour in early 2024. He has checked in with the following update:

"Hey everyone, the tour is under two months away and I am excited to announce that Marty Friedman will join me on the February 21-28 shows, and Liliac will appear February 1-7. As previously announced, Jared James Nichols and The Atmonic Punks will be on the LA and Santa Ana shows and Nikki Stringfield in Las Vegas.

This tour is going to be a lot of fun. Get your tickets now! Can't wait to see you all at these shows!"

Three shows have been added to the tour (**). The updated schedule can be viewed below.

January
26 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory - w/Jared James Nichols
27 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater - w/Jared James Nichols
28 - Las Vegas, NV - Count's Vamp'd - w/Nikki Stringfield
30 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Studios

February
1 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theater - w/Liliac
2 - Turtle Lake, WI - St. Croix Casino - w/Liliac
3 - Green Bay, WI - Epic Events Center - w/Liliac
4 - Kansasville, WI - 1175 Event Center - w/Liliac
6 - Angola, IN - The Eclectic Room - w/Liliac
7 - Harrison, OH - The Blue Note - w/Liliac
8 - Cleveland, OH - The Winchester Music Tavern
9 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop
10 - Columbus, OH - The King of Clubs
12 - Pittsburgh, PA - Jergel's Rhythm Grille
13 - Lititz, PA - Mickey's Black Box
14 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
15 - NYC, NY - Gramercy Theater
16 - New Bedford, MA - The Vault Music Hall & Pub **
17 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall **
18 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater **
19 - Leesburg, VA - Tally Ho Theater
20 - Greenville, SC - Radio Room
21 - Atlanta, GA - The Loft @ Centerstage - w/Marty Friedman
23 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall - w/Marty Friedman
24 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater - w/Marty Friedman
25 - Tulsa, OK - The Shrine - w/Marty Friedman
27 - Denver, CO - Oriental Theater - w/Marty Friedman 
28 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater - w/Marty Friedman
29 - Mesa, AZ - The Nile

March
1 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park