Friday night August 28, 2026, Twisted Sister returned to the stage. Guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda occupied the places on stage they have for over 50 years. But this time around the rest of the band is a little different. The show served as the debut for new front man, Sebastian Bach. Rounding out the line up are drummer Joey Cassata and Russell Pzütto on bass. From my vantage point on the side of the stage, I saw them line up in a hallway before stepping out where the crowd could see them. I notice Jay Jay lean in and speak right into Sebastian’s ear. I had a feeling from that, we were in for a hell of a show. I was right.
The energy in the room was high as the band strutted onto the stage. They opened with “What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You).” A perfect opener as the first lyrics of the song are “Good evening! Ha ha ha, welcome to our show.” Upon that song coming to a close is when they launched into “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Landing a one, two punch that let the audience know they meant business.
After that opening Jay Jay and Sebastian took a moment to greet the audience. Jay Jay letting the audience know it was their job to “Tell the rest of the world, put them on notice, Twisted Sister is Back!” Jay Jay then related the story of how he called Sebastian and invited him to be a part of the tour, complete with doing a pretty damn good imitation of Sebastian’s voice.
Sebastian was all over the stage. First hitting it in a way that resembled the Energizer Bunny. At times when the tempo of the song fit, he moved across the stage like some sort of Rock N’ Roll Frankenstein. He also performed as a fowl mouthed jester and at times as the 13 year old Twisted Sister fan he used to be, singing along to the records in his bedroom.
I was to the side of the stage on Jay Jay’s side where it was clear that he was having a ball. Jay Jay is the band’s founder and it was great to see him strike such a great balance of the back and forth between himself and the new guy in Sebastian connecting with the enthusiastic crowd. At one point Sebastian, while expressing his admiration for Twisted’s own Dee Snider, got the crowd chanting Dee’s name. He spoke about Dee’s songwriting and dedicated the TS classic “The Price” to him.
The show had a family feel in many ways. Eddie Ojeda’s daughter Michelle joined the band to add some background vocals as did Sebastian’s daughter, Sebastiana. The show also included surprises in the appearance of a couple of Skid Row songs during the set, “I Remember You” and “Youth Gone Wild.” Those songs mixed in with the Twisted Sister catalog made for a powerful show that had fans and Sebastian Bach pumping their fists in the air throughout the show.
I’ve lost track of how long I have known the guys in Twisted Sister. It was a pleasure to see not just the band but tour managers, old and new, members of the crew, and more. A quick thank you to Danny, Phoenix, Joe, Duane and Keith. A thank you to Russell, who did communicate to me at the show that he is still willing to fill in with my band. And a huge thank you to Jay Jay French for the friendship, and for bringing Twisted Sister back! If you have the chance to catch this tour, DO IT!
