Sebastian Bach Tapped to Front Twisted Sister for Fall 2026 Shows After Dee Snider’s Retirement

Twisted Sister guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda announced Tuesday that former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach will step in as the band’s vocalist for a limited run of fall 2026 dates — filling the void left by Dee Snider, who resigned from the group on February 5 citing degenerative arthritis, multiple surgeries, and concerns about cardiac strain from decades of high-intensity performing.

The 70-year-old Snider’s departure killed Twisted Sister’s planned 50th-anniversary “Twisted Forever, Forever Twisted” world tour, which the band had unveiled in September 2025 — their first live dates since retiring from the road after their 2016 farewell run. That scrapped itinerary had included European festival slots at Copenhell in Copenhagen, Tons of Rock in Oslo, Barcelona Rock Fest, and Midalidare Rock in the Wine Valley in Mogilovo, Bulgaria, plus select U.S. headline shows and an April 25 kickoff in São Paulo, Brazil.

“Twisted Sister members Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda are thrilled to announce that iconic vocalist and front man Sebastian Bach will be fronting the band for a handful of select dates this fall,” the band wrote in a statement posted to social media. “These appearances do not affect or conflict with Sebastian’s current or future solo touring schedule, which remains fully intact.”

The announcement was accompanied by a teaser of a new version of Twisted Sister’s 1983 track “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll,” featuring Bach on vocals.

Confirmed Date and Lineup

The first confirmed date with Bach at the mic is September 4 at the Alaska State Fair’s Borealis Theatre in Palmer, Alaska — a show originally booked as part of the Snider-era tour, with tickets on sale since December 5, 2025. Additional fall dates are expected to be announced.

The band’s reconfigured lineup pairs French and Ojeda with bassist Russell Pzutto — who has previously toured with Snider’s solo projects and appeared with Twisted Sister — and drummer Joey Cassata, known for his work with Ace Frehley. Cassata replaces Joe Franco, who had been tapped for the original reunion run but is unavailable for the rescheduled dates.

The 50th Anniversary That Almost Wasn’t

Twisted Sister had announced their 50th-anniversary return last September under the banner “We Still Wanna Rock!” The original lineup featured French, Ojeda, Snider, Franco on drums, and Pzutto on bass, replacing longtime member Mark Mendoza. Those plans collapsed on February 5 when Snider abruptly resigned, forcing the cancellation of all scheduled shows.

“Due to the sudden and unexpected resignation of Twisted Sister’s lead singer Dee Snider brought on by a series of health challenges, the band has been forced to cancel all shows scheduled,” the group said at the time.

Snider later addressed the situation on his House of Hair radio program, pushing back against rumors about his condition. “The rumors have run wild that I am on my deathbed. I am not,” he said. “I just can’t do those things that I did in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s. … I don’t want you to see me up there being less than you expect me to be.”

Snider’s Blessing

Bach confirmed that Snider gave his full support for the arrangement. The two spoke in a 45-minute phone call in which, according to Bach, both vocalists became emotional. Snider had previously floated the idea of Bach fronting Twisted Sister as far back as 2014, when he offered Bach the role as a fill-in — an offer Bach declined at the time.

“I hope so. I believe there’s gotta be somebody out there who can kick ass,” Snider said on the Beardo & Weirdo podcast when asked if Twisted Sister should continue without him. Of Bach specifically, he added: “I think he knows he has my blessing. And I would never begrudge anybody continuing to rock.”

The two vocalists have a documented history of mutual admiration. In a 2020 exchange on X (formerly Twitter) after a public disagreement about the term “heavy metal,” both men went out of their way to praise each other.

“I love Sebastian Bach!” Snider wrote. “During the darkest period of my career, he stood tall as a Dee Snider fan when few would. I will always be grateful to him.”

Bach responded: “I love Dee Snider. … He is one of the greatest frontmen and vocalists of all time.”

Bach’s Packed 2026 Calendar

The Twisted Sister dates will slot into an already dense year for Bach. The 57-year-old Canadian-Bahamian vocalist — who fronted Skid Row from 1987 to 1996, moving over 20 million albums including the Billboard 200 No. 1 Slave to the Grind (1991) — is currently in the middle of his “The Party Never Ends” North American headlining tour, which launched February 26 at Yaamava’ Theater in Highland, California, with support from Stitched Up Heart.

Bach’s 2024 album Child Within the Man, his first in a decade, featured guests including John 5, Orianthi, Steve Stevens, and co-writes with Myles Kennedy.

Select upcoming “The Party Never Ends” dates include:

• March 6 — Boise, ID — Treefort Music Hall
• March 13 — Des Plaines, IL — Des Plaines Theatre
• March 15 — Wyandotte, MI — District 142
• March 20 — Millvale, PA — Mr. Smalls Theatre
• March 22 — Hampton, NH — Wally’s
• March 24 — Albany, NY — Empire Live
• March 27 — Leesburg, VA — Tally Ho Theater
• March 31 — Jacksonville, FL — FIVE
• April 6 — Nashville, TN — Cannery Ballroom
• May 31 — Lake Charles, LA — “80s Rock Invasion” (with Stephen Pearcy, Great White, Slaughter, White Lion)
• July 10 — Onamia, MN — Grand Casino Mille Lacs (with Queensrÿche)
• October 3 — Saint Charles, MO — The Family Arena (with Great White, Quiet Riot)

Additional one-off festival appearances and co-bills with Tesla and Stephen Pearcy are scheduled throughout the year.