The Kids Are Back... 18 years later
Sometimes it takes a band to disappear off the radar for a while for people to really appreciate what they had. Twisted Sister is one of those bands. It’s easy to forget that this is a band that have survived for 35 years and sold over a million albums. And they are one of the best live bands. Ever. Their studio career may have only spawned 5 albums, but for showmanship and entertainment, even the biggest bands in the world would find it tough to compete musically and connecting to the audience is something that comes very naturally to frontman Dee Snider.
First, a warning. Never dismiss Twisted Sister as a has-been Glam band, there’s no bubblegum gloss here. The show is a hard n’ heavy with full-on metal energy and they drive through the tried-and-tested favourites like a tank. The songs really benefit from losing the 80s MTV polish, sounding raw and uncompromising. How they should sound. The CD manages to capture their live sound brilliantly but what works for the CD is sadly missing from the DVD, as you can’t always hear the crowd so well on the latter. Usually this wouldn’t worry me, but as half the show is the banter between JJ French, Dee Snider and the audience, it feels like something is missing. But that’s just a very minor whinge. It’s watching the DVD when you realise how good Sister are as musicians as well as showmen.
Considering this was recorded in 2004, it begs the question ‘why release it now?’ The optimist in me looks at the closeness of the group, and the importance they place on having all of the original members there, and I cross my fingers for a new studio album. The realist in me knows it’s released because it’s simply a fantastic concert. Unlike watching recordings of their contemporaries as the shows get bigger and glossier, this is a close, overcrowded, overheated REAL GIG. And boy does it look overheated, considering it was recorded during the heatwave. How many bands could put in one of the best performances of their careers in what amounts to an oven? Let’s face it, a lot of bands would have just cancelled the show. And with the DVD you get to hear Dee’s comments between songs, which is a real bonus. If anyone else talked as much as he does, I’d be asleep, but Dee keeps the crowd on-side every time.
You really can’t go wrong with this CD/DVD combo; it’s got all the hits from a band that seems to be reaching a second peak. The band gives you exactly what you expect from them, the costumes, the sound, the chat - a show. Simple as.