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By MARKO JOVANOVIC
FOLLOWING nearly a decade of absence, Twisted Sister is back for a 2026 reunion tour to celebrate 50 years since the group’s core formation, featuring guitarist Jay Jay French, singer Dee Snider, and lead guitarist Eddie Ojeda.
The rest of the lineup for upcoming gigs features Joey Franco, who was already a member of the TS fold in 1986-86, on drums and Russell Pzütto, Dee’s solo-band bassist who performed with Twisted Sister as a touring member in 2013.
Jay Jay dropped the announcement through the band’s social channels, confirming the lineup but also the glaring absence of bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza, who was consistently a member since 1978.
Mark performed on every TS record and even co-produced three of them. Although French didn’t clarify, Dee cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind Mendoza’s absence.
“I can only simply say irreconcilable differences and leave it at that,” Snider told Eddie Trunk (via BM). “People change, and however it is, and I’m not saying he changed; maybe we changed whatever it is.”
Asked whether the door is open for Mark to return to the pack somewhere down the road, Dee 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.'”
No info is available yet on the exact tour dates, but they will take place in 2026. Also, Jay Jay mentioned in the announcement video that the trek will take the guys across major European festivals.
Jay Jay also stated in the official press release:
“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!”
Founded in 1972, Twisted Sister released its debut Under The Blade in 1982 and ended their first run in 1988, coming back for one-offs until the full-on reunion in 2003. The 2015 death of drummer A.J. Pero brought the comeback to a halt in 2016.
Since wrapping up the tour with Mike Portnoy on drums, the group only performed a single gig at the 2023 Metal Hall of Fame induction.
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