The world can hear me crying in agony over the recent announcement that glam metal pioneers Twisted Sister announced the cancellation of all 2026 shows. Following the news about Dee Snider’s failing health, the band announced that all shows would be cancelled. There are no plans to reschedule the shows in the foreseeable future, but there has been talk around the water cooler that they are considering moving forward without Dee Snider. I love Twisted Sister dearly, but without Dee, it just wouldn’t be the same at all, but would I go? Damn straight I would because if anything, I’d get to see Jay Jay French in person, the man who changed my life as an 11-year-old and made me want to play guitar.
On February 7, Jay Jay shared a video message on social media commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dee joining Twisted Sister. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ?”Today is the actual 50th anniversary of the day that Dee auditioned for the band. 1976. Here’s the diary entry. ‘Danny Snider’ — he wasn’t Dee yet — ‘auditions for Twisted Sister’, February 7th, 1976.
“For the last 50 years, I and [Twisted Sister guitarist] Eddie [Ojeda] have stood side by side with Dee, not with hundreds of shows, but with thousands of shows.
“You know the cliché in sports, when a great sportsman retires, they say he left it on the field,” Jay Jay continued. “Well, I can tell you when it comes to Dee, he left it on the stage. He gave everything his all, and his body is now telling him, ‘I can’t give you anymore.’ And when someone tells you that, you have to accept it and you have to move on. So please understand this was a tough decision, but we had no other choice but to cancel these dates.
“As far as the future of Twisted Sister is concerned, Eddie Ojeda and I will have conversations in the next couple of weeks to discuss what, if any, options exist for us to continue.
“Until then, just know that the SMFs [an abbreviation for ‘Sick Mother Fucker’, which is what Twisted Sister fans are affectionately called] around the world are the thing that kept us alive and kept us going, and we love you guys and we will do everything we can to always live up to your expectations as fans, ’cause nobody understands fandom more than us. We appreciate everything you’ve ever done for us, and we hope to see you again in the future. Thank you.”
In a separate announcement on February 5, the 70-year-old Snider revealed that he had been diagnosed with degenerative arthritis and had undergone several surgeries for the condition “just to keep going, able to only perform a few songs at a time in pain.”
“A lifetime of legendarily aggressive performing has taken its toll on Dee Snider’s body and soul,” the statement read. “Adding insult to injury, Dee has recently found out the level of intensity he has dedicated to his life’s work has taken its toll on his heart as well. He can no longer push the boundaries of rock ‘n’ roll fury like he has done for decades.”
Snider added that he doesn’t “know of any other way to rock.
“The idea of slowing down is unacceptable to me. I’d rather walk away than be a shadow of my former self,” he said.
“In the immortal words of Dirty Harry, ‘A man’s got to know his limitations.’ Sadly, Dee Snider now knows his,” the statement concluded.
TWISTED SISTER’s 2026 shows were supposed to feature the band’s three core members: Snider, French and Ojeda. Bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza was not going to be joining the celebration. Russell Pzütto, who has toured with Snider’s solo projects, was slated to replace Mendoza on bass. Joe Franco, who briefly played with the group in the mid-1980s, was supposed to sit behind the drum kit, stepping in for A.J. Pero, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 55.
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