Concert News

Rock gods Mötley Crüe roll into Houston on nostalgic 2026 tour

Mötley Crüe will play The Woodlands on September 11, 2026.

Photo by Ross Halfin

Iconic rock band Mötley Crüe will celebrate a couple of key anniversaries on their upcoming 2026 tour, The Return of the Carnival of Sins, which will include a stop at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on Friday, September 11.

The two milestones being remembered are the 20th anniversary of their 2005-2006 Carnival of Sins tour, which marked the reunion of the band's original four members, and the 45th anniversary of the band itself, which was formed in 1981.

It's also the 12th anniversary of Mötley Crüe's "retirement" from touring, but that retirement was shelved in 2022 when they started the first of two tours with Def Leppard.

Calling the tour The Return of the Carnival of Sins isn't just trying to make fans nostalgic; it's Mötley Crüe saying that they're going to try to emulate the elaborate staging and a sense of chaos that came with the original tour.

The tour will stop in 33 cities across North America, starting on July 17 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. In addition to Houston, they will play Dallas on September 10.

They'll be joined by special guests Tesla and Extreme on all dates.

The heavy metal band was at their peak in the 1980s and '90s, when they had a string of top 10 albums and hits like "Smokin' in the Boys Room," "Dr. Feelgood," and "Without You."

They've released nine albums in their career, most recently Saints of Los Angeles in 2008.

In conjunction with the tour announcement, the band is releasing the Theatre Of Pain 40th Anniversary Deluxe box set, featuring a newly remastered version of the 1985 album on color vinyl, a never-before-released 1985 Long Beach live concert, and more.

The general on-sale for the tour begins on Friday, November 21 at 9 AM at motley.com.

THE RETURN OF THE CARNIVAL OF SINS - 2026 TOUR DATES

Fri, Jul 17, 2026 — Burgettstown, PA — The Pavilion at Star Lake
Sat, Jul 18, 2026 — Buffalo, NY — Darien Lake Amphitheater
Mon, Jul 20, 2026 — Clarkson, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre
Wed, Jul 22, 2026 — Toronto, ON — RBC Amphitheatre
Fri, Jul 24, 2026 — Gilford, NH — BankNH Pavilion
Sat, Jul 25, 2026 — Bangor, ME — Maine Savings Amphitheater
Mon, Jul 27, 2026 — Camden, NJ — Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Wed, Jul 29, 2026 — Saratoga Springs, NY — Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Fri, Jul 31, 2026 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center
Sat, Aug 1, 2026 — Mansfield, MA — Xfinity Center
Mon, Aug 3, 2026 — Bristow, VA — Jiffy Lube Live
Wed, Aug 12, 2026 — Alpharetta, GA — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Fri, Aug 14, 2026 — West Palm Beach, FL — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Sat, Aug 15, 2026 — Tampa, FL — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Mon, Aug 17, 2026 — Charlotte, NC — PNC Music Pavilion
Wed, Aug 19, 2026 — St. Louis, MO — Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
Fri, Aug 21, 2026 — Shakopee, MN — Mystic Lake Amphitheater
Sat, Aug 22, 2026 — Tinley Park, IL — Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Mon, Aug 24, 2026 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH — Blossom Music Center
Tue, Aug 25, 2026 — Cincinnati, OH — Riverbend Music Center
Thu, Aug 27, 2026 — Grand Rapids, MI — Acrisure Amphitheater
Fri, Aug 28, 2026 — Noblesville, IN — Ruoff Music Center
Tue, Sep 8, 2026 — Kansas City, MO — Morton Amphitheater
Thu, Sep 10, 2026 — Dallas, TX — Dos Equis Pavilion
Fri, Sep 11, 2026 — The Woodlands, TX — The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sun, Sep 13, 2026 — Albuquerque, NM — Isleta Amphitheater
Wed, Sep 16, 2026 — Phoenix, AZ — Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Fri, Sep 18, 2026 — Chula Vista, CA — North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sat, Sep 19, 2026 — Long Beach, CA — Long Beach Amphitheater
Mon, Sep 21, 2026 — Salt Lake City, UT — Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Wed, Sep 23, 2026 — Wheatland, CA — Toyota Amphitheatre
Thu, Sep 24, 2026 — Mountain View, CA — Shoreline Amphitheater
Sat, Sep 26, 2026 — Ridgefield, WA – Cascades Amphitheater

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Movie Review

Over-the-top acting and incoherent plot drag down Her Private Hell

Photo courtesy of Neon

Sophie Thatcher in Her Private Hell.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not someone who plays nice with the general film world. His 2011 film Drive introduced him to American audiences in a big way, but that pulsating thriller was followed up with artier films like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon that eschewed coherent plots in favor of moody, atmospheric pieces.

Winding Refn, who hasn’t made a feature film in 10 years, has gone fully down the rabbit hole with Her Private Hell. Taking place in a liminal space that kind of resembles Earth but also feels like someone’s dreams/nightmares, the film focuses on Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor currently starring in a sci-fi film. Staying at a hotel with newcomer Hunter (Kristine Froseth), the two bond over their shared passion and the legend of Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), who’s now married to Elle’s friend Dominique (Havana Rose Liu).

After spending a good amount of (mostly incomprehensible) time with that group, Refn introduces Private K (Charles Melton), who seems to be living in post-World War II Japan. He is looking for his daughter, who might have been taken by a mysterious figure known as “Leatherman,” and he will stop at nothing to find her, fighting whoever stands in his way.

It becomes clear almost right away that Winding Refn has no desire to engage in traditional storytelling in this film. The main characters wander through neon-drenched streets and buildings, which are often surrounded by a mist that is referred to on multiple occasions but never explained. Everyone speaks as if in a constant state of wonderment, and there are many moments where it’s unclear if events are actually happening, part of a movie-within-a-movie, or something else entirely.

Unlike his previous films, Winding Refn has taken the characters in this film completely out of the real world, with every scene taking place in a sparsely decorated room or street that is obviously a movie set. While there are moments where this decision really works, especially the striking first shot of a human-like figure mixed in with a cityscape and clouds, most of the time it only adds to the stilted nature of the film as a whole.

In fact, the entire movie has the feel of an avant-garde theater exercise. Every actor seems to be trying to outdo the others with awkward performances and out-sized reactions. Two very specific characters make appearances in both sides of the story for seemingly no reason other than to inject their weirdness into both spaces. The shocking violence that crops up on occasion would have more of an impact if it was related to anything intelligible.

Thatcher (Companion) and Liu (Tuner) are among the young stars who have had breakout moments in recent years, but neither of them is served well by this hot mess of a movie. They, along with Melton, still demonstrate the talent they possess, but the oddity of the film weighs them down. Scott makes an impression for all the wrong reasons, while Froseth is called upon to play a character who might as well not be there at all.

If there’s any kind of message that Winding Refn was trying to convey with Her Private Hell, it’s lost among the flashing lights, overload of pink, and jewel-like structures. Filmmakers who try to make art for art’s sake have a place in the world, but this film too often feels like people are making things up as they go, with no real goal in mind.

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Her Private Hell opens in theaters on July 24.

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