Portnoy aims to honour Pero's memory

Mike Portnoy says he wants to honour late Twisted Sister drummer AJ Pero’s memory when he fills in with the band.

The former Dream Theater man will be behind the kit for the band’s remaining 2015 shows. Pero died while on tour with Adrenaline Mob last month – a position he took on when Portnoy left them two years ago.

Portnoy says: “As a teenager growing up on Long Island, Twister Sister were local legends to me . Almost 40 years and 10,000 gigs later, they’re still one of the greatest live bands on earth – and Dee Snider one of the greatest frontmen in the history of Rock.

“When AJ passed away last month, I didn’t hesitate when asked if I could help out. Not only because I love the band, but most importantly because AJ was my friend. I want to honour his memory and the band’s legacy.”

Twisted Sister will play two tribute gigs in Pero’s memory. They perform at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on May 30 and at New Jersey’s Starland Ballroom on June 13 before heading to Europe.

After a show in Spain with Twisted Sister on July 24, Portnoy is due to appear with Neal Morse in Finland the following day, then with The Winery Dogs in New York on July 27.

He says: “What the hell have I gotten myself into? I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Twisted Sister will call it quits next year after a farewell world tour billed as Forty And Fuck It.

Snider admitted this week that he was angry with Pero for ignoring his family history of heart disease, and insisted the drummer didn’t have to die.

Portnoy’s dates with Twisted Sister

30 May: Las Vegas Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel

13 Jun: New Jersey Starland Ballroom

19 Jun: Norway Tons Of Rock Festival

20 Jun: Denmark State Prison Motorcycle Festival

27 Jun: Slovakia TopFest

28 Jun: Bulgaria Kavarna Rock Festival

24 Jul: Spain Barcelona Rock Fest

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.