Dee Snider, the frontman of TWISTED SISTER, recently voiced his criticism of METALLICA’s “No Repeat Weekend” concept, describing it as ‘self-serving.’ During his appearance on the KISS podcast “Shout It Out Loudcast,” Snider expressed his belief that this concept caters to only a niche segment of the audience, suggesting that most concert-goers attend shows primarily to hear the well-known hits rather than lesser-known tracks.
To illustrate his point, Snider referred to the backlash that IRON MAIDEN faced when they focused on playing new songs during one of their past tours, presumably alluding to the A Matter of Life and Death Tour from 2006 to 2007, where their setlist mainly featured tracks from their most recent release, “A Matter of Life and Death.”
The M72 tour, which kicked off in late April in Amsterdam, Netherlands, features METALLICA performing two separate shows in each city they visit, each labeled as a “No Repeat Weekend” with entirely unique setlists and supporting acts. The tour also introduces a bold new stage layout, relocating the iconic METALLICA Snake Pit to the center of the performance area.
Snider remarked, “Well, I wasn’t aware they were doing that, and credit to them, but I think it’s kind of self-serving. And it really only appeals to a small percentage of the crowd. The majority of the people going to these shows — not just [fans of] METALLICA, but [also fans of] bands like KISS and TWISTED SISTER — they’re there for the hits. The percentage of people who know the deeper cuts and are willing to forgo hearing ‘Enter Sandman’ for one night, that’s a very small group of people.”
He continued, “When TWISTED SISTER first reunited for that New York Steel show [in 2001], Eddie Trunk organized it, and the [other] guys made the setlist, and they wanted to include some deep cuts; they added songs from our early bar days. It was the first show back together, and I didn’t want to create any issues. I remember we played those songs, and it was just silence with about eight hands raised in the air; you could count them. ‘They’re playing ‘Come Back,’ which was never on an album; it was one of our big club songs.’ ‘Yeah.’ And after that, the guys said, ‘Okay, no more including that stuff in the show,’ because it’s really self-serving and caters to a very small part of the audience. Unless you’re purchasing tickets for both nights — and perhaps that’s the idea… You know, get them to buy both tickets so they hear every song because they’re diehard fans.”
Snider concluded by pointing out that METALLICA’s audience has expanded far beyond their hardcore fanbase, emphasizing that they have numerous hit songs. He drew a comparison to when IRON MAIDEN toured playing only their new album and noted the audience’s dissatisfaction, leading to a subsequent tour focused on their biggest hits to make amends.
