Sebastian Bach repeatedly noted Friday night that it’s been 37 years since Skid Row’s self-titled debut album hit the airwaves back in 1989.

So it had to be reassuring to Bach that some from the next generation are still rocking out to Skid Row hits like “18 and Life” — including the boy who nailed all his vocal parts on “Youth Gone Wild” after being plucked from the front to jump on stage at Mr. Smalls Theatre.

Bach left Skid Row in 1996, but he’s still going strong as a solo act, with his The Party Never Ends tour making a stop Friday night in Millvale.

“Pittsburgh sounds (expletive) cooler than Millvale!” Bach said early in the show. (He also threw in a line during “Here I Am”: “Can you feel it, Pittsburgh?” before adding “Can you feel it, Millvale?” with a quizzical look on his face.)

Friday’s show went heavy on Skid Row, with eight songs off the six-times platinum debut album and three off 1991’s “Slave to the Grind.” From his solo career, Bach played four songs off his most recent album, 2024’s “Child Within the Man.”

Bach’s never been afraid to show off his big personality, honed during arena tours with Skid Row, Broadway performances of “Jekyll & Hyde” and reality TV appearances on “Celebrity Rap Superstar” and “The Masked Singer.” Ever the showman, Bach pumped his fists and mugged while marching on “What Do I Got to Lose?,” whipped his microphone like a lasso, including over the crowd, on “Slave to the Grind,” shook his butt on “Big Guns” and spun a woman in the crowd during “Hold On (To the Dream).” The whiplash-inducing hair whips of his younger days were a little more restrained, as well.

Bach’s band includes his son, Paris, on drums, guitarist Brody DeRozie and bassist Federico “Fede” Delfino, who chipped in on vocals and earned praise from Bach for being able to sing just like him. On “I Remember You,” Bach proudly smacked his chest after a long scream and mockingly grabbed his throat after a second one near the end.

Earlier this month, Bach was tabbed to fill in for Dee Snider for Twisted Sister’s 50th anniversary shows later this year. Midway through the set, drummer Paris Bach started playing the familiar beat of “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” but Bach started singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful” instead before teasing with a snippet of the actual Twisted Sister song.

Near the end of the show, Bach gave a better preview of what’s coming down the road, as the band did a full version of Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock.”

The band busted into Ozzy Osbourne’s “I Don’t Know” in the middle of “Monkey Business.” Bach also sang a piece of Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” and gave a lengthy dedication to musical and TV/film stars who have died over the years, singing bits of the “WKRP in Cincinnati” theme song, Gordon Lightfoot’s “Carefree Highway” and Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell.”


Related

Sebastian Bach talks Twisted Sister fandom, Pittsburgh memories ahead of Mr. Smalls show
Tracii Guns on L.A. Guns’ new ‘Leopard Skin’ album: ‘It’s definitely not a metal record’
2026 Pittsburgh area concert calendar


Bach, now 57, also reminisced about his younger, carefree days, when MTV played music videos and he’d be blasting Motley Crue’s “Shout at the Devil” tape while driving in his black Camaro.

“Back in the 1980s, nobody ever talked about politics at all ever. So tired of the (expletive) (expletive) every (expletive) day!” he said. “In the 1980s, we talked about important stuff. We talked about drinking beer. We talked about smoking a little of the devil’s lettuce.”

Part of that look back on his youth included talk of playing frisbee all day, with Bach pulling out one and playing a game of catch with the crowd during “Can’t Stand the Heartache.” During the closer of “Get the (Expletive) Out,” he brought out another Frisbee and signed it before being playfully dragged off the stage by a crew member.

The merch: Bach’s merch ranged from T-shirts ($45-$50) to frisbees ($30) to signed posters ($100). Stitched Up Heart had a signed bass and guitar for $550 each as part of their VIP package, while Blaze Francisco had a signed “bloody” drumhead for $150.

Missing: Bach played the majority of Skid Row’s notable songs, with the biggest exclusions probably being “Wasted Time,” the band’s last song to make the charts; the Ramones-like banger “Riot Act;” and anything off “Subhuman Race,” Bach’s last album with Skid Row.

Last show here: Bach’s most recent Pittsburgh area appearance came on May 28, 2024, at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille in Warrendale on his What Do I Got to Lose? tour.

Next up: Bach is back on Saturday night at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, Pa., with the tour running through early April.

Stitched Up Heart

Los Angeles’ Stitched Up Heart put on a 30-minute set display that touched on nu metal and heavy modern rock that might have been right at home with a Halestorm or Poppy crowd.

Opening with the newer “Sick Sick Sick,” they played at least two other songs off their “Medusa” album, which is set for a June release. Lead singer Alecia “Mixi” Demner went hard in her performance, hurricaning her blue hair on “Possess Me” and roaring on “Cannibal,” while bassist Randy Mathias several times took fans’ phones to get them a view from the stage.

The ’80s-loving crowd appeared respectful, but an attempt by Demner to elicit some moshing fell on deaf ears with no one taking the invite.

Blaze Francisco

Blaze Francisco blended modern and alternative rock in their 30-minute set to open the night, including a heavier cover of Republica’s “Ready to Go.”

Sebastian Bach setlist

What Do I Got to Lose?

Slave to the Grind (Skid Row)

Here I Am (Skid Row)

Big Guns (Skid Row)

Sweet Little Sister (Skid Row)

18 and Life (Skid Row)

Can’t Stand the Heartache (Skid Row)

Freedom

Piece of Me (Skid Row)

Future of Youth

Monkey Business/I Don’t Know (Skid Row/Ozzy Osbourne cover)

I Remember You (Skid Row)

Hold On (To the Dream)

I Wanna Rock (Twisted Sister cover)

Youth Gone Wild (Skid Row)

Get the F—- out (Skid Row)