For bands with well-known hits, it can be difficult to keep the crowd’s attention when performing newer material—unless, of course, you utilize Twisted Sister’s hilarious way of preventing people from leaving during new, unrecognized songs. And according to guitarist and founding band member Jay Jay French, the technique’s highly effective.
After all, public embarrassment can be pretty powerful.
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Twisted Sister’s Method of Preventing People From Leaving
Although Twisted Sister has an extensive musical catalogue, there are a few hits that fans know better than the rest, including “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock.” While not every audience member will pay to see Twisted Sister just to hear those songs, many might take the opportunity to refresh drinks, take a bathroom break, or catch some fresh air during songs they don’t know.
In a July 2024 interview with Dean Delray, Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French revealed the effective method frontman Dee Snider uses to prevent fans from filtering out during what he calls “p*** tracks.” French said, “When you come up with a new song, most people just get up and go to the bathroom. We recorded a new song many years ago called “30.” We started playing it live, and Dee started saying, ‘Okay, folks, tonight we’re going to be doing a new song.’”
“‘I’ll give you plenty of warning,’” French continued. “He goes, ‘It’s the song that you’re going to go out and get a drink or take a p***, you know? We’re three songs away from the p*** song, two songs away, and he would embarrass the people so much that they wouldn’t leave because now they don’t want to look like schmucks by getting up.”
A Self-Proclaimed Elder Statesman of Rock and Roll
Publicly guilting fans into not being the ones that actually take the bait and get up to use the restroom during a new song might be embarrassing for the crowd, but at least it’s honest. And to Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, that’s the whole point. He discussed his opinions on live performances and the importance of authenticity in a February 2024 interview with Classic Album Review.
While discussing bands that use pre-recorded tracks to fortify their live performances, Snider said, “Something is lost when it isn’t the guys—or girls—on that stage making all that noise.” The singer said that these tracks are more justifiable when bands use them when a song’s arrangement is truly difficult to recreate live. However, he has problems with bands using these tracks because they’re physically incapable of performing their own music. “Singers who can’t sing their own songs.”
“These bands have been doing it for years,” Snider continued. “I don’t wanna point fingers at bands. I’m trying to be a more mature elder statesman of rock and not actually point fingers anymore” (via Blabbermouth). Considering the pride that Snider and the rest of Twisted Sister take in their 100 percent live performances, it’s not surprising they’ve started using their method of keeping fans there for the whole show.
Photo by Kevin Estrada/Shutterstock
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