Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Guitar Amps
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Lemmy vs Dylan
  • Are 'Friends' Electric?
  • Flava D - DnB is hard
  • Prince's drummers
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Frank Ferrer on stage in 2012
Artists How drummer Frank Ferrer powered Guns N’ Roses for 19 years
Drummers Listen to 11 isolated drum tracks from rock's drumming legends
Steven Tyler
Artists “Love in an elevator? Yeah, I've done it!”: Steven Tyler and Joe Perry on the making of the Aerosmith classic Pump
Simon Dawson
Bands “We didn’t want a clone”: Bruce Dickinson on why Maiden chose a drummer with a different feel
Drummers When British rock drumming ruled the world
Rudy Sarzo
Artists “I’d done way worse than just licking the bass!”: The raunchy video that powered a hair metal anthem all the way to No.1
Phil Collins and Live Aid
Artists How Phil Collins’ globe-spanning Live Aid journey led to one of the most disastrous reunions ever
beyonce album cover
Gigs & Festivals Beyonce takes to a flying golden stallion on her last few Cowboy Carter dates
Phil Collins sitting at drums
Artists "Peter Gabriel said, as soon as he saw me sit down on a drum stool, he knew that I was the drummer"
Sleep Token
Drums “We tried it as a laugh and now it’s our standard setup”: The secret sauce behind Sleep Token’s live drum sound
Neil Peart
Artists “It was a different level of fame. Neil was struggling”: Why a classic Rush album troubled legendary drummer Neil Peart
Exodus Gary Holt
Bands "It might have been like 12 people there”: Exodus’ Gary Holt pulls zero punches in his new autobiography
Motörhead
Artists “It was the height of our popularity. And of course, when you’ve peaked there’s nowhere to go but down”: How the ‘Worst Band In The World’ had their revenge with the noisiest No.1 album of all time
Paul Weller next to a lion
Artists Paul Weller reveals that he was once set upon by a lion on the way to a gig
TAMA STAR Drums
Drums TAMA STAR at Drums Week 2025: Unmatched craftsmanship, iconic sound — the strongest name in drums just got even stronger
  1. Drums

In Pictures: Tommy Lee's Motley Crue drum rollercoaster

News
By Rich Chamberlain published 6 February 2012

Up-close and personal with Tommy's amazing drum riser

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

As Motley Crue continue their reality-defying world tour (stopping off for a run of suitably sinful Las Vegas shows) we've taken a look around Tommy's unbelievable drum rollercoaster riser.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

Tommy's tech Chris 'JC' Dries on creating the drum rollercoaster:

“Viggy [Vignola] did a whole lot of work in Los Angeles. He went to Kevin Bligh at Pearl’s West Coast office and he had all of Tommy’s stuff there. Tommy and Kevin sat for probably two or three days building this kit. Viggy has been with Tommy for years so he had all these weld plates made, special snare stands made, all kinds of stuff. I feel bad I wasn’t part of that but now for our Las Vegas tour we’re doing a lot of crazy stuff too, so I’m involved in all of that.”

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

JC: “There’s a lot of elements because everything’s welded down. There’s special weld plates, snare stands that are mounted to the riser that were specially made to fit with Pearl’s hardware. Everything is locked down with lighting safeties all over the riser. It’s an amazing feat."

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

JC: "Maxonix make us a zero gravity drum stick holder so those are mounted all over the kit. That makes sure he has sticks when he’s going upside down!"

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

JC: "The riser is too big to fit in a sea container so I had to chop everything off at 33 inches and put a lid on it and send it on air freight all around the world. It flies probably better class than I do when I’m flying!”

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

JC: “After the show I work with SGPS who do the rollercoaster and the rigging. We take down the rollercoaster in 20 minutes.”

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

In Pictures: Tommy Lee's drum rollercoaster

For much more on Tommy and the drum rollercoaster look out for our huge Tommy Lee cover feature coming in the March issue of Rhythm, on sale 14 February.

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Rich Chamberlain
Rich Chamberlain

Rich is a teacher, one time Rhythm staff writer and experienced freelance journalist who has interviewed countless revered musicians, engineers, producers and stars for the our world-leading music making portfolio, including such titles as Rhythm, Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, and MusicRadar. His victims include such luminaries as Ice T, Mark Guilani and Jamie Oliver (the drumming one).

Read more
Frank Ferrer on stage in 2012
How drummer Frank Ferrer powered Guns N’ Roses for 19 years
 
 
Listen to 11 isolated drum tracks from rock's drumming legends
 
 
Steven Tyler
“Love in an elevator? Yeah, I've done it!”: Steven Tyler and Joe Perry on the making of the Aerosmith classic Pump
 
 
Simon Dawson
“We didn’t want a clone”: Bruce Dickinson on why Maiden chose a drummer with a different feel
 
 
When British rock drumming ruled the world
 
 
Rudy Sarzo
“I’d done way worse than just licking the bass!”: The raunchy video that powered a hair metal anthem all the way to No.1
 
 
Latest in Drums
Zultan FX cymbals
“A versatile tool for sharp, modern accents and cutting effects”: Zultan add to their effects cymbal range
 
 
Logic Drums
How to think like a human drummer when building software beats
 
 
Drum Recording Techniques
How the rules of drum recording were shaped over decades of trial and error
 
 
Led Zeppelin
The genius behind John Bonham’s towering When The Levee Breaks drum sound
 
 
Slingerland kits
"Classic and timeless": Slingerland Drums are back, and Bruno Mars' drummer and JR Robinson are on board
 
 
Amen Break
When sampling ruled the world - and drummers didn’t get paid!
 
 
Latest in News
Source Audio dials up the ambience with the Encounter – six reverbs, six delays, one tricked-out pedal for “deeply immersive soundscapes” featuring MIDI I/O, full stereo operation, and a black enclosure with blue swirly graphic.
“Players have asked us to push further – into more adventurous, exploratory delay and reverb”: Source Audio dials up the ambience with the Encounter – six reverbs, six delays, one tricked-out pedal for “deeply immersive soundscapes”
 
 
Klaus Meine of The Scorpions, 1991
“The whistling was a result of me having no guitar": The making of The Scorpions' Wind Of Change
 
 
daphne oram
"It’s been such a privilege to work with Daphne’s sounds": Daphne Oram's centenary celebrated in compilation featuring previously unheard archival material
 
 
subterra
Music studio complex opens in former nuclear bunker in The Hague
 
 
Teenage Engineering EP-1320 Medieval
Teenage Engineering is giving away a free EP-1320 Medieval sampler to anyone that spends $999 in its online store
 
 
Fred Again in Naples
Fred Again and again: Producer plays an extra set on a fan's rooftop after a Naples festival appearance
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...