Meet Abigail Tracy | CRUEligans, LLC Mgmt & Events Coordination

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abigail Tracy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abigail, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind the success of our brand: CRUEligans, A Tribute to Motley Crue is authenticity. When forming a “Tribute Band” there are a lot of factors that predetermine whether or not you can expect success. We as a company, have spent endless hours studying not only the history of Motley Crue, but more importantly their live performances and stage design. Our entire goal is to bring the nostalgia feeling back to fans who witnessed Motley Crue live productions in their youth. Of course, it is detrimental to hit the notes and know how to play the music flawlessly, but there’s much more to it that just that. Replica Costumes, learning the mannerisms and stage presence of the character role you play, and countless band meetings and rehearsals. Our band has been in the DFW music scene since 2015- We now offer 4 different concert production style shows, all with full pyrotechnics! Furthermore, we are the only Motley Crue tribute band in the country to house a fully operational “Tommy Lee” drum kit roller coaster; when our drummer goes vertical and the crowd’s eye-balls pop out of their heads, it’s a pretty special moment for all of us. Other times we measure success like old-school rock-stars- sold out shows and fans demanding encores definitely stroke our egos!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We are CRUEligans, A Tribute to Motley Crue! We have been stealing hearts and melting faces at our live shows since 2015! We preform full concert productions, and we like to think we’re pretty good at what we do. Our band is Dallas, TX based, and we are proud to say that we bring the crowd wherever we go. In 2022, tour dates included Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, & Louisiana. Our concert productions include costume replicas, impressive stage design, the famous Nikki Sixx flaming bass guitar, pyrotechnics, choreographed dancers/backup singers, and plenty more! When watching other Motley Crue tribute bands, its easy to see what sets our show apart from the rest.

All 4 of our stage productions were hand-built and custom made for various stage sizes that we frequently perform at. We can also say the same for all the guitars you see our “Mick Mars” play. Shoutout to Easton’s Guitar Shackorama; they hooked us up with custom made Stratocasters that were made to resemble various guitars Mars has been using since the mid 90’s. Furthermore, our back-up singers/dancers, the “Nastier Habits” are by far one of the most exciting aspects of our shows! We have a 5 girl squad that we alternate for various routines and theatrical song interchanges. These beautiful women are no doubt, the hardest working women in the DFW music scene! They spend all their free time in the rehearsal dance studio and, yes, you guessed it…in the gym. Out of a typical 20 song setlist, you can expect to see our Nastier habits appear for several of the major hit songs. On average these girls go through 6-7 costume changes in a 90 minute production, and they can be changed and ready to go in under a minute and thirteen seconds! All stage costumes you see on both our guys and girls are handmade and customized by our lead dancer and choreographer: Yvette Schell. This woman is talented in several ways that come in handy to an operating our band. She is also our seamstress and hairdresser- we keep her very busy but also, close to our hearts!

One of the major visual aspects of our show, that sets us above the rest, is the fact that we are the only Motley Crue tribute band in the nation to house a fully operational “Tommy Lee” drumkit roller coaster! This thing is a beast, it’s wild to see him play while in motion! It is a fifteen-hundred pound machine and it puts our drummer 18ft in the air, upside down! We are truly blessed to have an amazing team of hard-working skilled musicians. Their dedication and talents off the stage allow us to drive our productions to the next level and leave competitors in the dust.

In all honesty, what we are most proud of is the relationships we have built with our bandmates and their immediate families that travel with us- these relationships will last us a lifetime. It may sound strange, but in the music industry, even on a smaller, local scale, it is pretty special to be able to say that you love your whole team like family; especially when you’ve been traveling together for almost 10 years! It has not always been easy- there have definitely been hardships involved with getting our band started and off the ground. Challenges we have previously faced includes growing our team from 4 band members to 10, band member turn-over, competitor Motley Crue tribute bands, slander, operating as a company and not traditional band, and of course never losing the passion for what we do. What we’ve learned behind these hardships is that issues tend to work themselves out, competition is overall a positive thing, and preparing for the unexpected from a financial standpoint could cost you opportunities. In the end, the challenges we face make us unite closer as a team and drive our competitive side- outlook is key.

If you love live music, rock n roll, nightlife, and everything that comes with it, then you should know that CRUEligans, A tribute to Motley Crue is the next live music production that needs to be added to your “must see” list! These days concerts cost an arm and a leg to get into, plus fees and parking! We want to encourage readers to look into their local tribute scene. There are over 100 tribute bands that are local to the DFW metroplex, and the best part? Tickets average between $5.00 and $20.00! Another thing you should know about us is: We want to meet you! At the end of our shows we spend a significant time meeting and greeting our show attendees! Please stick around and say hello! We love taking pictures and signing autographs!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There is so much that DFW has to offer from a food and beverage standpoint. As a traveling band, we have covered much of the metroplex grounds; this has allowed us the opportunity to try new dinners and dives. If you’re looking for top notch food with an entertainment aspect we highly recommend the following:

Sushi Marquee, Frisco, TX. Located in The Star, this one-of-a-kind Japanese Sushi bar and restaurant serves food late into the night. It is one of our favorite spots because of the views from the patio and the music videos on all the screens inside. This is a place to celebrate with friends, as it is loud and energetic at times. Food is presented in a very impressive fashion, making it pleasing to the eye as well as the mouth. Also, Sake bombs are a huge hit there- the staff join in with a signature “house chant” over the PA system.

Sideways BBQ, Rockwall, TX. They are a family-owned restaurant serving high end BBQ dishes. Visit them in Rockwall, Texas on the Harbor! Their specialties include brisket, ribs of all kinds of amazing sides! There you can enjoy live entertainment, amazing views, and an atmosphere appropriate for some major family fun! If you are a brisket fiend, then you HAVE to try theirs!

Yonkers Pizza Company, Dallas, TX. This pizza concept is as authentic as is gets! True, New York style pizza served by the slice or order an entire pizza! Yonkers Pizza Co. was developed in Yonkers, New York, and has been perfected right here in Dallas! They source their pizza ingredients from top notch suppliers all over the metroplex- only the best of the best goes into their yummy dishes! They are located in the Preston Plaza Center- Check them out!

Other entertainment options that we love in the Dallas, Ft Worth Area include local music venues such as The Revel Patio Grill, in Frisco, TX. The Revel Patio Grill is an upscale venue in the heart of Frisco; there you can expect a full menu at all hours of the day and night. They also host poker nights, live music, car shows- you name it! They are known for giving back to the community and partnering with some of the biggest non-profit organizations around, for example the Dallas Children’s Charities.

We also like to hangout at Grandscape in The Colony quite a bit! The new development there is beautiful and worth showing off to all your friends and family. There are tons of retail stores, food vendors and a large outdoor stage. This is a great area for family fun. The massive turf covered area proves to be a major hit with kiddos. There you will see adults reclining in foldout chairs enjoying the live music and children playing and running barefoot. Between Sheels’ massive Ferris wheel and Andretti’s go-kart racing, you have everything you need in a walkable perimeter to keep the kids happy.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
At CRUEligans, we are all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is in part thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. There are many people who deserve recognition in playing a key role in the success and growth of CRUEligans, LLC. First and foremost, we owe a big fat thank you to our families. They have supported us since day 1 and never skip a beat in attending our shows, enduring our rehearsals, giving up their weekend plans for travel, and the list goes on. We also owe Irene Couch and Sabrina Wagner a huge shoutout- the support and loyalty they’ve shown us has been a major driving force of our fanbase.

Lava Cantina The Colony has also shown us tons of love and respect! Their staff is above and beyond and we’ve really been able to build our brand through partnership with them- Ryan Andrew is the best in the business and makes time for us like no one else!

We also need to thank our road-team: Al Rizzo, Amri Schell, & Brennan Holyfield. These guys work really hard loading in and out gear and stage production in all weather scenarios.

There are several DFW Photographers that we owe many thanks to: Thomas E. Moore, George Pecoraro, Blake Sexton, Sunni Sparks, & Bruce Gibson. These guys spend their free time supporting local live music and they capture every moment of it for us to use. This helps us in ways you don’t even know- Promotional materials, marketing our events, etc!

We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such a supportive group of people and we wouldn’t be able to give our fans the level of production without them!

Website: www.crueligans.com

Instagram: @crueligans

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CRUEligans

Youtube: @crueligans

Image Credits
Blake Sexton, Thomas E. Moore, George Pecoraro