TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider has expressed criticism towards METALLICA‘s “No Repeat Weekend” concept, labeling it as ‘self-serving.’ During an appearance on the latest episode of the KISS podcast “Shout It Out Loudcast,” Snider shared his belief that the concept appeals only to a small portion of the audience, suggesting that most concert-goers attend shows to hear the hits rather than the lesser-known tracks.
He cited the backlash received by IRON MAIDEN when they played only new songs on one of the past tours as an example. Dee is presumably referring to MAIDEN‘s A Matter of Life and Death Tour from 2006 to 2007 where set list primarily consisted of the band’s most recent release, A Matter of Life and Death.
The M72 tour, initiated in late April in Amsterdam, Netherlands, showcases METALLICA performing two separate shows in each city they tour. Each show, known as a “No Repeat Weekend,” presents entirely unique setlists and supporting acts. The tour is also characterized by a daring new stage layout that moves the iconic METALLICA Snake Pit to the center of the performance area.
“Well, I wasn’t aware they were doing that, and credit to them, but I think it’s kind of self-serving,” Snider said. “And it really only appeals to a small percentage of the crowd. The majority of the people going to these shows — and not just [people who are going to see] METALLICA; [this also applies to bands like] KISS and TWISTED — they’re there for the hits. The percentage of people who know the deeper cuts and are willing to accept not hearing ‘Enter Sandman’ one night, that’s a very small bunch of people.
“When TWISTED first reunited, it was for that New York Steel show [in 2001] Eddie Trunk put on, and the [other] guys made the setlist and they wanted to put some deep cuts; they put some stuff from the bar days in there,” he continued. “And it was the first show back together and I didn’t wanna make any waves. And I remember we played those songs and it was just dead and just about eight hands [raised in the air], like you could count the hands. ‘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, ‘All right. No more putting that stuff in the show,’ because it’s really self-serving; it caters to a very small part of the audience. Unless you’re buying both — and that’s maybe the idea… You know, shake ’em down, get ’em to buy both tickets so they’re hearing every song ’cause they’re diehards.
“But METALLICA‘s audience has grown so far beyond just hardcore fans. They have hits. And then I harken back to when IRON MAIDEN toured. Remember they played the entire new album; they refused to play any of their hits. Audience was furious. Bruce [Dickinson] was yelling at the crowd because they weren’t getting into it. It was self-serving to do that. And the next year they came back, and it was the biggest hits only, ’cause they had to make up for that.”
