Sebastian Bach 'Almost Got Teary-Eyed' at Twisted Sister Debut

Sebastian Bach has shared new insight on his debut fronting Twisted Sister, admitting he felt surprisingly emotional before taking the stage.

Bach was pegged as Twisted Sister’s singer after the group’s classic frontman, Dee Snider, had to retire from touring due to health problems. Bach’s first show with Twisted Sister was on Aug. 28 in New Jersey, and the rocker spoke glowingly of the experience during a recent conversation with radio station KATT.

"It was awesome, because Twisted Sister's not the first band that I started in New Jersey,” Bach joked, alluding to his previous band, Skid Row. “When we walked in, all five of Twisted Sister, when we walked in the room, when I walked in and the crowd saw me, they [gave me] a really heartwarming, New Jersey-style welcome.”

“I almost got teary-eyed because we were right about to go on, an AC/DC song is playing, and ‘What You Don't Know [Sure Can Hurt You]’ by Twisted is such an intense opener,” he continued. “I've always thought it was one of the best opening songs of any band ever. 'Good evening. Welcome to our show.' It's so heavy to me, just hearing that [song intro]. I can't fake chills. I can't fake that. I cannot fake chills in my arms. Just thinking about that intro gives me chills. I don't even have to hear it. I can think about hearing it."

Asked if he was nervous filling Snider’s shoes, Bach noted that his stress actually came from a different source.

"The nerves that I get as a singer is not really the show,” he explained. “It's the fact that every single person is holding up their phone and filming it. And before I get to my hotel room, the whole show is being dissected and analyzed. And no musician likes that. It really sucks. Thank God I'm talented as f---.”

Twisted Sister Covering Skid Row in Concert

While most of Twisted Sister’s set lists on this tour have, understandably, focused on the band’s classic tunes, they’ve also mixed in a couple of Skid Row songs.

READ MORE: Top 10 Twisted Sister Songs

"I mean, why not?” Bach remarked when asked about the covers. “I'm pretty sure when Paul Rodgers filled in for Freddie Mercury in Queen, I know they did a couple of Bad Company tunes. And it just makes sense because I kind of learned how to be Sebastian from locking myself in my bedroom and singing along to the two [Twisted Sister] albums Under the Blade and You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll — and Stay Hungry. But by Stay Hungry… My passion for Twisted is kind of before Atlantic Records got too involved. They did put out You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll, but You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll is such a metal album; it's a heavy metal album. And more so even is Under the Blade. Very, very metal.”