Jay Jay French has spoken about the challenges Twisted Sister faces when building a setlist for their upcoming 50th anniversary reunion tour. In an interview on Talking the Talk with Don, the guitarist explained how difficult it can be for veteran bands to balance fan expectations with the desire to revisit lesser-known material. French addressed a dilemma familiar to many long-running acts when planning anniversary shows.
“There probably are some, but the problem is when you’re doing 60 minutes or 75 minutes, ’cause that’s what you’re contracted for, you’re in the same dilemma that any other band is that’s been together 50 years with a million albums,” French said. “And that dilemma is this. Do you play the 17 songs everybody wants to hear, or do you replace a couple of them with other more obscure stuff? That’s always the big question.”
He went on to outline his personal stance on the issue, emphasizing that live performances should primarily serve the audience rather than the band’s own creative impulses.
“And my answer to that question is, if you’re playing for the fans, you give them exactly what they want. That’s my theory,” he continued. “If you’re playing for yourself, it’s different. But if you’re really playing for the fans and you understand most of them wanna hear these 17 [songs]… I guarantee you, if we laid out, ‘These are the songs we’re gonna do. But we’re gonna remove two of them to put two things in. Which one should we remove?’ Nobody’s gonna want a single song removed.”
French further expanded on why trimming classic songs from the setlist is such a difficult proposition, listing examples of tracks fans would refuse to give up.
“That’s the problem. That’s the problem. ‘Let’s take out ‘Destroyer’.’ ‘Let’s take out ‘You Can’t Stop Up Rock ‘N’ Roll’.’ ‘Let’s take out ‘Tear It Loose’.’ ‘Let’s take out ‘The Kids Are Back’.’ No. That’s the problem,” he said. “So the problem is we’re gonna get together, we’re gonna rehearse and we’re gonna play a bunch of songs. And we have in our mind a couple songs we haven’t played much, and we’re gonna give it a shot, see how it sounds. We’re gonna see how it sounds.”
As Twisted Sister gears up for the reunion tour, the band plans to explore some deeper cuts during rehearsals while remaining mindful of what fans expect to hear live.
French’s remarks arrive as the band prepares to mark a major milestone. According to Blabbermouth, the tour is billed as “Twisted Forever, Forever Twisted,” a title French jokingly refers to as “Sex, Prescription Drugs And Rock And Roll.” Over the years, Twisted Sister has undergone numerous lineup changes, something French noted many newer fans may not fully realize. As detailed by Blabbermouth, the band has worked with 10 different bass players and drummers throughout its history.
Despite the complexities of pulling material from five decades of music, the band recently proved they can still deliver their trademark intensity. Blabbermouth reported that Twisted Sister performed a high-energy three-song set featuring “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “Under The Blade” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” offering a glimpse of the core material fans can expect on the upcoming tour.
French’s philosophy on setlist construction reflects a broader understanding of audience expectations for anniversary tours. As covered by Metal Addicts, he has consistently emphasized in recent interviews that fans attending a 50th anniversary show want to hear the classics rather than deep cuts, reinforcing his fan-first approach to the celebration.
