Oh boy, get ready for some hot takes from the one and only Dee Snider 🤯! The Twisted Sister frontman is at it again, blasting bands who embark on “bullshit” farewell tours. I mean, who doesn’t love a good rant from Dee? 🤣 In a video message posted on his Facebook page, Dee said: “Farewell tours that never end or that end and then the artist comes out of retirement a couple of short years later and starts touring again are complete and utter dogshit. I’m not gonna name names. We all know who the scumbags are.” 🙄
So, what’s got Dee so fired up? Well, it seems like he’s had it up to here (imagine me gesturing to my eyeballs) with bands who announce farewell tours, sell us the whole “this is the last time you’ll ever see us” package, and then come back a couple of years later like nothing ever happened. I mean, who can blame him? It’s like, make up your minds, guys! 🤷♂️ Are you done or not?
The Farewell Tour Fiasco
Dee then clarified his thoughts: “Listen, you don’t gotta stop playing. I’m not telling you to go away. Stay forever. We don’t want you to leave. Just don’t announce a farewell tour, sell us the whole bullshit farewell package, ‘No More Tours’ t-shirt, and a program and the ticket prices, sign it in blood, and then come back a couple years later to just milk us dry again. That’s fucked up.” Okay, Dee, we get it. You’re not a fan of farewell tours that aren’t actually farewell tours.
But wait, there’s more! Dee also called out bands who continue to tour despite having no original members in their lineup. He said: “Somebody asked me what my feelings were about bands that are out there playing under a big band’s name with no original members, and I said, ‘Hard no.’ I think it’s completely fucked up, it’s deceptive, it’s misrepresentative.” I mean, can you blame him? It’s like, if I started a band called “The Rolling Stones” with none of the original members, people would be like, “Uh, no, that’s not The Rolling Stones.”
The Original Member Conundrum
Dee continued: “If you don’t have any members from the classic lineup — with at least one you can say, ‘Well…’ Like [Quiet Riot’s] Rudy Sarzo. Rudy’s been through it all. If he wants to go out there, I am certainly not gonna criticize him. But the day Rudy leaves, stay the fuck off the road and keep that band’s name outta your mouth.” Okay, so let me get this straight: if you’re a band with no original members, you should probably just call it quits. Unless you’re Rudy Sarzo, then you can do whatever you want.
But, of course, not everyone agrees with Dee’s opinions. He received some pushback from fans, to which he responded: “You have got to be fucking kidding me. I am getting feedback from people on my post about bands with zero original members in the band trying to justify their positions. ‘They inherited the name?’ That doesn’t make you a band member. My kids are gonna inherit the name Twisted Sister, and if they put together a band to go out as Twisted Sister with nobody from the original band, I will come back from the dead and haunt their sorry asses.” Oh, snap!
And, as if all this drama wasn’t enough, Twisted Sister’s new touring lineup played its first concert on August 28, featuring Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, ex-Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach, Russell Pzütto on bass, and Joey Cassata on drums. Because, you know, the show must go on… even if Dee Snider isn’t a part of it.
So, what’s the takeaway from all this? Well, for starters, don’t even think about announcing a farewell tour unless you’re actually done. And, if you’re a band with no original members, maybe just start a new band instead of riding the coattails of a legendary group. Unless, of course, you’re Rudy Sarzo. Then you can do whatever you want. 🤣 Thanks for the hot takes, Dee! We’ll be over here, waiting for the next band to announce a “farewell” tour that’s definitely not actually a farewell tour. 🎸👀
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
