Poison drummer Rikki Rockett spoke up in defense of Tommy Lee, saying his Motley Crue counterpart was “taking a lot of heat” over his current injury.

Lee revealed on the first night of Crue’s Stadium Tour with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett that he’d broken four ribs and couldn’t perform any full sets. As the road trip continues, he’s been starting the shows before being replaced by stand-in Tommy Clufetos, returning later to play piano during the Crue ballad “Home Sweet Home.”

“I didn’t know anything about it,” Rockett told Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM. “I swear I didn’t. I went out and he wasn’t playing. And I’m like, ‘What the heck is going on, guys?’ So I went back and got the lowdown. He’s taking a lot of heat, and I don’t think he should, because I think what’s cool about what he’s doing is he’s coming out there and he’s going, 'This is painful to do it, but I want the audience to know that I’m here. I’m here for the duration. I’m not wussing out on this.' Instead of running home and sitting six weeks out while he recovers, he’s part of the team. I think that’s badass.”

On the second tour stop, Lee spoke to the audience before bowing out after three songs, admitting, “My fucking heart is broken – along with the ribs. So the doctor goes, ‘Listen, bro. By the way, no fucking playing.’ I’m like, ‘Dude, there's no fucking way. We have a tour in a fucking few days. What the fuck am I gonna do?’ So I’m gonna fucking pop in and out as much as I can.”

Lee added that the injury "hurts like a fucking bitch ... [but] my boy Tommy up here, he’s gonna fucking help me out here. And I’ll be back out. I’ll see you guys in a minute. But at the fucking time, at this moment, the show must fucking go on, goddamn it!"

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