In 2001, Twisted Sister was convinced to reunite, 13 years after they broke up. Why? The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The concert, called “New York Steel,” was organized to raise over $100,000 for the New York Police And Fire Widows’ And Children’s Benefit Fund. Along with fellow performers Ace Frehley, Sebastian Bach, Anthrax, Overkill and host Mike Piazza (NY Mets catcher), Twisted Sister brought New Yorkers together to raise money for the funds.
In an interview, Snider said, “We were the bands nobody wanted when the big concerts were held. Nobody wanted heavy metal bands. I remember we called and said, ‘Everybody in the world is singing ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’. MTV was, like, ‘It’s a little too angry.’ It was a no-brainer to join ‘New York Steel’. This is a reason to get back together. It wasn’t about the money. After that, we went to North Korea and played for the troops.”
Snider recalled what happened the morning of 9/11, which started the band’s healing process. “I got a call from bassist Mark “The Animal Mendoza” after the planes hit the Twin Towers. Mark was working in communications for the state police and called me to say, ‘Go get your kids.’ Mark hated my guts. We weren’t speaking. The fact that he picked up the phone… whatever petty differences we had over the break-up seemed insignificant.”
The surviving members of Twisted Sister — Snider, Mendoza, Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda — reunited virtually on March 20 for a special episode of Mendoza’s Internet TV show “22 Now”. The show was a tribute to the band’s late drummer A.J. Pero, who died six years earlier at the age of 55 while on tour with the band Adrenaline Mob.