TWISTED SISTER @ Rock USA – Oshkosh, WI
July 18, 2013
Photos by David Urmanski
BAND MEMBERS: TWISTED SISTER
Dee Snider – Vocals
Jay Jay French – Guitar
Eddie Ojeda – Guitar
Mark Mendoza – Bass
A.J. Pero – Drums
BAND BIOGRAPHY: TWISTED SISTER
Before Van Halen……
Before the Ramones ……
Before the Sex Pistols…….
There was TWISTED SISTER!!!
Lead singer Dee Snider, guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda, bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza and drummer A.J. Pero continue the legacy of one of the greatest ‘comebacks’ in the history of Rock n’ Roll!
Formed in 1973, Twisted Sister combined the theatricality of the glam rock movement with the sharp edge of groups like David Bowie and Alice Cooper to conjure its one-of-a-kind sound. The band made its bones on the Tri-State area’s club circuit before signing with Secret Records in 1982 for its debut, Under The Blade. Soon after the album’s release, the British label went bankrupt.
The group rebounded a year later, when Atlantic Records signed the band on the strength of a powerful performance on British television. Twisted Sister’s Atlantic debut, You Can’t Stop Rock ’N’ Roll, was certified Gold.
The band’s 1984 follow-up, Stay Hungry, was a Top 20 smash that stormed the charts with “I Wanna Rock” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” a pair of fist-pumping anthems of youthful rebellion that went Top 40 and helped the album sell more than three million copies.
Come Out and Play was released in 1985 and went Gold thanks to a tongue-in-cheek cover of the Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack,” a longtime live staple dating back the band’s club days. Soon after 1987’s Love is For Suckers, Twisted Sister stopped performing live.
More than a decade after its last show, Twisted Sister reformed in 2001 for a benefit. The quintet quickly picked up were it left off, notching an astonishing run of more than 9,000 (and counting) performances, 75 headline festival dates performing in front of two million people in over 23 countries.
In 2006, the band returned to the charts with A Twisted Christmas, a best-selling, holiday smash album that buzzsaws through yuletide classics and was hailed by the Associated Press as the “second greatest Christmas album ever made” behind Elvis. That same year, the Long Island Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Twisted Sister.
Rock of Ages, a current Broadway hit with five Tony® nominations, features Twisted Sister prominently in its storyline as well as the band’s iconic anthems, “I Wanna Rock and “We’re Not Gonna Take It” which rank world wide among the most requested and licensed (movies, TV shows, commercials) songs of the 80’s.
Twisted Sister is one of a select few legendary bands that still tours with its original recording line-up intact.
Twisted Sister’s 38-year legacy includes sales of more than 12 million records (35 Gold and Platinum awards from 8 countries) and their electrifying stage show has made them one of the most successful rock festival attractions in history, currently headlining the worlds biggest rock festivals in 28 countries.
Website: www.TwistedSister.com
www.Facebook.com/Twisted-Sister
CONCERT REVIEW RATING SCALE:
1 = Poor
2 = Average
3 = Good
4 = Excellent
5 = Extraordinary
TWISTED SISTER Concert Rating: 5
THE VENUE: ROCK USA Scheduled for July 12-14, the 2018 Rock USA music festival brands itself as ‘Solid Rock. No Limits.’ and will open its gates to one of the nation’s biggest annual rock events with three incredible days of a broad, world-class, limitless mix of rock at discount pricing in an effort to kick up the rock festival experience. Join Rock USA for camping, shopping, great food and drinks and an always kick ass band lineup. Rock fans get more and pay less! Absolutely out on the edge. Address: 4125 Washburn Street, Oshkosh WI 54904 Phone: (920) 882-4949 Website: www.RockUSAOshkosh.com
