A beloved heavy metal band is reuniting for its 50th anniversary, but the lineup won’t include a key member.
Twisted Sister will hit the road in 2026, singer Dee Snider announced Wednesday. It will be the group’s first tour dates since they retired from performing after a 40th anniversary tour a decade earlier.
“If you’re lucky enough to be in a band that people still want to see after fifty years(!), how can you not answer the call?,” Snider said. “In 2026, Twisted F—ing Sister will hit stages around the world because WE STILL WANNA ROCK!!”
Dates, cities and venues have not been announced yet.
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Snider will be joined by longtime guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda; drummer Joe Franco, who played on Twisted Sister’s 1987 album “Love is for Suckers”; and bassist Russell Pzutto, who worked on Snider’s solo projects in 2018 and 2021. A.J. Pero, who recorded drums on all of Twisted Sister’s albums, died in 2015.
Classic-era bass player Mark Mendoza, who performed on hits like “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock,” will not be a part of the reunion tour. (Pzutto previously served as Mendoza’s bass tech, according to UCR.)
Twisted Sister, backstage at the Reading Festival, August 29, 1982. Left to right: drummer AJ Pero, guitarist Eddie Ojeda, singer Dee Snider, bassist Mark Mendoza and guitarist Jay Jay French. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)Getty Images
“I can only simply say irreconcilable differences and leave it at that,” Snider told radio host Eddie Trunk on Wednesday. “I can’t get into the weeds. I can’t go down that path and I won’t, but irreconcilable differences, and people change. I’m not saying he changed. Maybe we changed, whatever it is.”
Twisted Sister was one of the biggest bands of the hair metal/glam metal era, forming in the 1970s and releasing five albums in the ‘80s. Popular songs include “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” “I Wanna Rock,” “Hot Love,” “The Kids are Back,” “You Can’t Stop Rock and Roll,” and a cover of the Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack.”
Twisted Sister last performed on Nov. 12, 2016, on their “40 and F— It” farewell tour. For years, Snider insisted he had no interest in reuniting, though he did join Mendoza and French for a 2023 performance when Twisted Sister was inducted into the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame.
Snider, 70, is also known for his film and TV work, including appearances on “Cobra Kai,” “The Celebrity Apprentice,” “Holliston,” “The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time,” “Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey,” “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” “The Masked Singer,” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
