Road Reporter
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Location: Baltimore, MD | Hellburner - 2014-10-30 7:55 AM
Katerina - 2014-10-27 5:36 AM
This question sounds like a blasphemy and just makes me sad 
Not thinking about the future of Twisted Sister is blasphemy! Everybody here on this slamboard seems to have settled with the thought that TS will stop playing in the not so distant future. Why should we have to agree with that? They are a band, the core business of a band is making new music and playing live music for the fans. Now they only play for the fans and everybody is ok with that, because the band itself told a new album isn't going to happen? Screw that! I don't want TS to quit next year or even not in 5 years. But if they keep on doing what they are doing now, they aren't going to quit on a high note but they are just going to disappear like a 70's - 80's band that did some live shows at the end of their career. And that's something nobody wants. You may say that they play the best live rock music these days, and you can back it up with articles and reviews. But in most cases TS played there for the first time in 30 years. Nobody expects it from a 'nostalgia'band to be this energetic and good. They are used to listen to the uninspirated music of bands like Europe. So most of them are just in shock about what they have seen. At Graspop in 2012 everybody called TS best of the festival and it absoluty was, but in 2013 when everybody knew what to expect, very few were naming them as the best. By the way I don't believe that they are on their top now like Armadillo said. TS doesn't sell out shows or festivals on their own. People come to does festivals because of the festival and the other bands, there is only a small part of them that bought their ticket just for TS and that saddens me. At Alcatraz Metal Meeting this year there were 5000 people, and that was a headlining show for Twisted Sister with W.A.S.P. as sub. At most other festivals they aren't the headliner, because of the low amounts of people that just come for TS. They headlined Copenhell for 20.000 people but that's a festival that's well know in Denmark. At Rock am See in Austria they booked Slayer as headliner instead of TS... And you all think that this is Twisted Sister at it's best? You all believe that they can't do better? Well I think that's blasphemy. It's not wrong when you think about Sebastian Bach to replace Dee, it's just hoping that your favourite band keeps on playing and keeps on making new music. In they wanted to go out with a bang, they should have quit playing after Graspop 2012. Then people would still have been shouting for them to come back. Now I only here people from Australia and Japan shouting.
Hi Hellburner:
Well, I do agree with you that Twisted Sister alone would not sell out a 20,000 festival on their own…but I would argue that NONE of the bands on those bills would have been able to sell out an entire festival grounds on their own, with the exception of perhaps Metallica. (Who incidentally, did NOT get as good a review in the local press as Twisted did) It's true that Slayer was booked as the headliner in Austria. It's also true that more than half the people walked out 3 songs in. Seriously. They left in droves. (And I love Slayer, one of my favorites) Every time TS played, and it truly didn't matter where, the place was packed nuts to butts. Twisted still gets the gigs because promoters love them--why? The place gets packed when TS plays--and when the fans stay, more concessions get sold, more money made. Almost like the club attraction but on a much larger scale. Graspop 2012 was truly one of the best performances I've seen from them--that show was special, and if it had all ended there, I wouldn't have blamed them a bit. Jay Jay even remarked to me, after that gig "I think this could have been the last show!" But it wasn't. And here we are, having this discussion once more.
I have seen many metal bands play at these festivals who sound and perform badly: Motley Crue? Most dreadful act I've ever seen. Even the Swedes were stunned into silence. Horrible and embarrassing. They are doing a farewell tour now but past due. Def Leppard? The vocals aren't there anymore. I was so disappointed. I could list maybe 20 so bands that I absolutely love, and saw them in the 80's and 90's that now... made me cringe. I would never want to see Twisted Sister perform like that--as much as I love them, it would be better to see them go out playing at the intensity that they are currently playing--the intensity that they played in 2012 at Graspop. And if that means that 2015 is the last time I put on the black and pink, I'll be sad but I can respect it. If they try out a new singer, it won't be the same, but I was a skeptic with Sammy Hagar and I ended up loving Van Hagar all the same.
If they are screaming in Japan and Australia, then perhaps TS needs to go play there instead of Europe. To me, nothing would be better than a farewell show in Japan in front of a bazillion Japanese metal heads screaming their heads off. (Of course, I would love a small Bent Brother show in a tiny club on Long Island to say thanks to the old schoolers…but that's another story) |
