Dust off your denim and leather and flex your devil horns: Twisted Sister is back — bigger, louder, and more unapologetic than ever. The band that gave the world We’re Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock has confirmed they will storm stages worldwide in 2026, celebrating their 50th anniversary.
While full details remain under wraps (because even metal legends love a good tease), founding guitarist and manager Jay Jay French couldn’t contain his excitement about reaching a milestone that once seemed impossible, “Beginning on February 2nd, 1976 in a little bar called The Turtleneck Inn in Hunter Mountain, NY, Dee Snider, Eddie Ojeda and I have called ourselves Twisted Sister and stood shoulder to shoulder for nearly five decades, through multiple personnel changes and thousands of performances. We are proud to celebrate a milestone that once felt unthinkable: a 50-year anniversary. We have created a music and performance legacy that has and will continue to inspire millions of fans around the world. Twisted Forever, Forever Twisted.”
Lead guitarist Eddie Ojeda added, “Fifty years on, and Twisted Sister is still the soundtrack for every rebel with a reason and a reason to turn it up.”
But it was frontman Dee Snider who really cranked the volume to 11 with his typically unfiltered announcement, “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? In 2026, Twisted Fucking Sister will hit stages around the world because WE STILL WANNA ROCK.”
Let that sink in, SMFs. The band that gave us headbanging anthems, legendary MTV videos, and enough eyeliner to keep Max Factor in business, is returning to stages around the world.
For those keeping score at home, Twisted Sister last toured with drummer Mike Portnoy in 2016, following the tragic death of drummer A.J. Pero. But 50 years? That’s cause for celebration. These guys have survived the club circuit grind of the ’70s, MTV domination in the ’80s, breakups, makeups, PMRC hearings (shoutout to Dee for that Senate testimony), and enough lineup changes to make Spinal Tap sweat.
Joe “Seven” Franco will return on drums, a former member of Twisted Sister who last recorded and performed with the band in 1987 for the Love is for Suckers album and tour. Playing bass will be Russell Pzütto, who has previously appeared in concert with Twisted Sister and has been a touring member of Dee Snider’s solo projects.
Tour dates and details remain under wraps, tighter than your mom’s jeans in the ‘80s. But if you’re a betting person, start saving your pennies and preparing your vocal cords now. When Twisted Sister announces they’re ready to rock one more time, you know it’s going to be loud, proud and absolutely unmissable. And don’t be surprised if you see a Bent Brother date pop up along the way…
Stay tuned to official Twisted Sister channels for the announcement that will have metalheads worldwide screaming “We’re not gonna take it” – except this time, we absolutely ARE gonna take it, and we’re gonna love every gloriously over-the-top minute of it.
7 Responses
Why isn’t bassist Mark Mendoza gonna be touring with Twisted Sister? I know he and Dee Snider had a “falling out” many years ago, but I thought they reconciled?
Hi Rattle,
To answer your question, Snider told Eddie, on his Sirius/XM show, “I can only simply say irreconcilable differences and leave it at that. I can’t get into the weeds and I can’t go down that path. And I won’t. But irreconcilable differences. People change, and however it is, and I’m not saying he changed; maybe we changed whatever it is. So in deciding who to use on bass, my bass player…was Russ Pzütto. And he was Mark Mendoza‘s bass tech, and a great bass player… So, he did an amazing job on those two albums. He was a great guy to tour with. The band all knew him from years of working with Twisted, and again, he seemed like a likely choice. As a matter of fact, one time he was Mark‘s choice to fill in for him. And one gig, it was in Belgium at Graspop, and Mark couldn’t make it, and Russ stepped in and played with [the band]. So he actually has performed with Twisted once before.”
When asked if there would ever be the opportunity for Mendoza to play with the band, Snider said, “I can’t imagine it right now. I can’t imagine it right now. I mean — I plead the fifth. I can’t go beyond that. But things have happened that I don’t see being reconciled, hence the term ‘irreconcilable differences.'”
I might go see them if prices aren’t crazy. Even though Dee is really annoying lately, they have been a bucket list band for me since I missed out on them back in the 80’s. A friend had two extra tickets for me and my cousin, but we couldn’t get a ride to the venue. Still irritates me to this day we missed that show.
Hung out at a couple of Staten Island rock clubs in the early 80’s………..can anybody name the TWO ???
Twisted Sister played both clubs at least once a month for a couple years. May have seen them 20 times. The first time was the best, because their radio commercial back then called them ‘the bad boys of rock n roll.’ They were unusually loud, wore costumes and make-up, and took themselves very seriously on that stage.
Can’t name them, but I lived at L’Amour in Brooklyn, where White Lion was the house band. 🙂
Dee is a great singer and I do like some of their stuff. But I also believe they are over rated too. And I mean absolutely zero disrespect to their fans or the band themselves. I listen to A LOT of music. It’s impossible to rank bands, musicians, singers, etc. So I personally categorize bands in tiers:
A – Best of the best, the elite!
B – Great but not elite.
C – Good but not great
D – Ham and eggers
I put TS in category C.
Saw them in 84, 86, 05. Great every time. I’m skipping this jaunt to protect my memories of them, and, I don’t care what Dee says about the replacement bassist, nobody is The Animal.