I first heard Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry album in 1984 when I was 11 years old. At a time in my young life when I needed encouragement and mentoring (none of which I was getting at home), Twisted Sister seemed to step up and take the reins. The songs became an adopted father of sorts encouraging me to stand up for myself and not to take shit from anyone. It’s an intense lesson to learn at 11.
When I was constantly bullied and suffered abuse on the playground every day, Twisted Sister gave me the strength to carry on. I used to come home angry and frustrated, ready to give up. At the age of eleven, the thought of ending my own life to escape a bad childhood and an even worse home life didn’t sound all that awful, but it was Twisted Sister that made me realize there’s a price we have to pay. They reminded me to Stay Hungry since I was all by myself, and they also made me understand that I didn’t have to put up with it any longer.
The song “We’re Not Gonna Take It” inspired me to go to school the next day with a fierce passion inside me and with one hand tightly clenched, ready to defend myself no matter what happened. I’d had enough, and I really was not gonna take it anymore. That day, the bully made his usual visit, took my Circus Magazine, tore it in two, and then pulled me up by the collar of my shirt. He pushed me, punched me in the stomach, and, as I repeated Dee Snider’s words, the fist I had tightly clenched made solid contact with that bastard’s nose, and he collapsed like a fucking tree.
Lying on the ground with a broken nose, bleeding like a stuck pig, and crying, he actually pleaded with me not to hit him again. I didn’t, because that’s not something I’d ever do, then or now. However, I was taken to the headteacher, who shouted at me and even threatened me simply because I had a Twisted Sister button on my uniform. That day marked the beginning of a very long life for me, and Twisted Sister’s music would go on to play a major role in the soundtrack of my life.
So why am I telling you all this? It’s because I’d like you, the reader, to understand just how much those songs and records mean to me. I admire those songs, and I feel them deeply within myself just as I did when I was that bullied 11-year-old boy. To me, those songs are holy ground. When I heard Twisted Sister was going to do several shows with Dee Snider, Eddie Ojeda, and Jay Jay French, I was willing to travel to the end of the world to see just one performance, since I had never seen them live.
When it was announced in December 2025 that Twisted Sister were reuniting (without Mark “The Animal” Mendoza and the late A.J. Pero), I was over the moon. I was looking forward to seeing Eddie Ojeda, Dee Snider, and Jay Jay Motherfucking French perform live. I had never attended a Twisted Sister concert before because, by the time I was old enough to go to gigs, the band had already broken up. For me, this was a dream come true, and my wife actually said, “No matter where they’re playing, we’re going to get you there.” Unfortunately, the excitement didn’t last, and I was then hit with a lot of disappointment.
In February 2026, Dee Snider announced on his social media accounts that he wouldn’t be taking part in the Twisted Sister concerts because of degenerative arthritis and other health problems. So if he’s not going to be there, are the shows still going ahead? Okay, I never really liked the idea of that, but I had decided to go anyway because, after all, I wanted to hear the songs performed live, and I also wanted to see Jay Jay French live, the man who inspired me to become a guitar player. I assumed they would hire a substitute vocalist to carry out the concerts, but I wasn’t prepared for the person the band actually announced as Dee Snider’s replacement.
In April 2026, Twisted Sister officially announced that the lead vocalist position would be taken by—wait for it—are you ready? Sebastian Bach. It was a blow to the stomach. I read to myself, “Sebastian Bach? Really? This isn’t possible! Why?” Since that announcement, I have been struggling both internally and externally with the idea of Sebastian Bach leading Twisted Sister. It’s been borderline triggering, to be honest.
What first got me worked up were the photos with all this news. It’s Twisted Sister with Sebastian Bach on lead vocals, and the image they’re using is the TS logo with Sebastian Bach’s big ass logo placed on top of it. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. It’s not just in the articles; it’s on the merchandise. ON THE MERCH. It’s on the screens behind the band; it’s… I’m sorry. Excuse me while I have a moment.
Alright, I’m back. Listen, when Axl Rose was asked to go on tour with AC/DC while Brian Johnson was having trouble with his hearing, it was just called AC/DC, not AC/DC with Axl Rose. Similarly, when Ronnie James Dio joined Black Sabbath, it wasn’t called Black Sabbath featuring the former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio. So what did they call it? You’ve probably guessed. BLACK SABBATH. As for when Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater stepped in after longtime drummer A.J. Pero died, it wasn’t billed as Twisted Sister with Mike Portnoy on drums.
What on earth makes Bach so special? He doesn’t have the same level of iconic status as those artists, so why is it such a difficulty to get over one’s ego and be the singer of Twisted Sister?
I pictured a business meeting where they were negotiating this matter, with Bach’s side saying, “You’ve got to include his logo on the ads and the merchandise, or it’s off the table.” Why would anyone from the Twisted Sister side be willing to accept this? What pains me most is that Jay Jay French is on board with it and has no objections at all. Nevertheless, I was not entirely ready to spend the money to see this in concert, though I didn’t completely rule it out.
Then, once again, the situation worsened, and the kettle began to boil. On Friday, 28 August 2026, this new version of Twisted Sister performed a warm-up show under the name Bent Brother at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. I watched the entire thing on video, and I really wanted to cry. Honestly, Bas looked excellent up there; his energy never fades, and I really like that, but as soon as he started to sing, I shook my head and said, “I can’t. I just can’t.”
Bas’s voice was strong, but it’s not the right kind of voice for these songs. He’s attempting to be ‘street’ in the same way that Dee Snider was, but he can’t manage it. I understand that it’s good to put your own touch into the songs, but Sebastian’s version of ‘his own’ doesn’t work for me; perhaps someone else’s ‘own’ would have been a better choice? In all honesty, I couldn’t even come up with one vocalist who I thought would be the best one to call on because Dee Snider is the only voice that can deliver every ounce of greatness from these legendary songs.
To see all of this happening without Dee Snider still seems surreal, and honestly, the excitement of it all just completely crumbled. Just when I had thought I could not possibly be any more destroyed, two Skid Row songs (‘I Remember You’ and ‘Youth Gone Wild’) were added to the set. No way.
Why in living fuck is one of the best bands in the world playing fucking Skid Row songs? No disrespect to Skid Row, but good fucking God. Could you imagine going to see AC/DC with Axl singing and then they bust into “Sweet Child O’ Mine” or “Welcome to the Jungle?” Again, great songs, but not nearly up to AC/DC standards. The game’s over. I can’t. I won’t. I just can’t.
As for the meet-and-greet prices, how much are they? I’m not going to beat around the bush on this one. $600. Six hundred goddamn dollars. I’m not even going to attempt to come up with anything clever now, since this was the final pinch of salt in what’s now a huge wound. Twisted Sister was always meant to be a ‘fan’s band’, and once again, as with so many other bands, it’s the ones who can afford it who get the ‘privilege’ of meeting the band. Although I can pay the $600 to meet them, everything in this article makes it feel like a slap in the face.
Being a journalist who writes something like this, I’m going to receive comments such as “You try and do it, motherfucker” or the usual one, “They don’t care about how you feel about it. You’re not even skin off their back. You’re nothing to them.” Wow. Reading that back just now cut me deep. “You’re nothing to them.” Yes, that’s exactly right. I am truly nothing to them, and although it hurts, that’s the way it is.
I have had the honor of interviewing Jay Jay French twice for my podcast. Once about his book Twisted Business, and the second time was last year when they announced the 2026 shows. I told Jay Jay I was excited to see them live and that I’d bring the first electric guitar I got because of seeing him. He was so nice and even compared our desert island guitars on Zoom. It got me so excited, but then I reached out to him. He told me that they were charging for the meet & greet because they signed on with a company that does it, and that even if I paid, he wouldn’t sign my guitar because a couple of the other VIP packages included signed guitars that were played on stage.
Am I bitter? You bet your ass I am. If I’d said I wasn’t bitter, sad, or frustrated, that would have been the biggest lie I’d ever told. What began as a dream come true turned into a harsh reality: I had been naive, gullible, and too trusting. I place a great deal of faith in the bands I love, and when that faith seems crushed, it is difficult to bear.
So in conclusion, no, I won’t be attending a Twisted Sister featuring Sebastian Bach on Lead Vocals show. No, I won’t be paying $600 to meet them. No, I am not ever going to be down with them caving and giving Sebastian Bach so much free rein that they do two Skid Row songs (and ones he didn’t even write, for that matter) and feature his huge ass logo over the Twisted Sister logo.
The fact that Jay Jay considered this acceptable is a real letdown, and honestly, I feel it would’ve been better to bury it the moment Dee could no longer carry it off. They have made their decisions, and as a firm, opinionated fan, I cannot support them. I can’t and I won’t. Although I hope they all succeed and enjoy themselves, it isn’t how I wanted my first and only time seeing Twisted Sister to be.
Jay Jay French has recently said that if anyone isn’t down with this move, we don’t have to buy tickets. I think that’s a very appropriate reply, and it’s one that I will follow.
Don de Leaumont
September, 2026
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