In between Twisted Sister tour dates and developing a play that will debut in Chicago later this year, Dee Snider definitely has his plate full. In a rare solo appearance, Snider headlined the 2014 Roar on the Shore Festival in Erie, Pennsylvania. Snider compiled a band of Nick Perri on lead guitar, Derek Tailer on bass, Joey Franco on drums and Dan McCafferty on rhythm guitar. Perri is brand new, only rehearsing a few hours with the band, according to Snider.
Snider took to the stage with the popular “Emaheevul’ song, known to die hard Widowmaker fans. Widowmaker was an outfit that Snider fronted in the mid 1990’s during a hiatus from the Sisters. “Coming to Erie has always been memorable,” proclaimed Snider, since he was the Grand Marshall for a previous Roar on the Shore Event.
During the song “The Kids are Back,” Snider was owning the stage and at one point slipped and fell but ended up singing on his back to the fans in the crowd. He carried on the rest of the show like nothing bothered him. Let’s just say that I don’t know any 59-year-olds who have a six pack, let alone any rock stars at that age. Snider was amusing at various moments, pointing out that he wanted the people not to take a bathroom break when he played an unfamiliar song called “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” He told them to do it during the drum solo which garnered a lot of laughs including some from his own drummer.
Snider is a savvy vet and works the stage like few others could. He still has a voice that carries extremely well and did a fabulous job not only on his songs but the covers he tackled as well. For the ballad “The Price,” he had the spotlights turned off and asked people to use their phones and lighters to light up the street. “You know true fame when your songs have been used for commercial usage, like in menopausal products” Snider quipped.
Snider knows who he and where he is now. He wholeheartedly thanked his longtime fans for sticking with him and putting him in the place he is enjoying today. After judging the smile on Snider’s face and after witnessing this performance, it looks like a good place to be!
Setlist:
Emaheevul (Widowmaker song)
Breakin’ the Law (Judas Priest cover)
You Can’t Stop Rock n’ Roll (Twisted Sister song)
The Widowmaker (Widowmaker song)
Kids are Back (Twisted Sister song)
Highway to Hell (AC/DC cover)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Desperado song)
The Price (Twisted Sister song)
We’re Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister song)
God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols cover)
Burn in Hell (Twisted Sister song)
Drum solo
I Wanna Rock (Twisted Sister song)
Encore:
Wild One (Iggy Pop cover)/I’m a Rocker (Bruce Springsteen cover)/Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin cover) medley
We would like to thank the Roar on the Shore staff and Mayor Joe Sinnott for their assistance in credentialing BackstageAxxess for this show.
