TWISTED SISTER: Irvine Concert Promoter's Statements Are 'Complete Distortion Of Facts'

TWISTED SISTER has released the following statement regarding the cancellation of the band's December 14, 2007 concert at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California:

"On October 24, 2007, TWISTED SISTER signed a contract with Danny Peykoff, Niagara Distributing, for a performance scheduled to take place on December 14, 2007 at the Bren Events Center at UCI.

"Mr. Peykoff represented himself on behalf of his company, Niagara Distributing to hire the band for a 'corporate fundraiser.'

"The band negotiated this appearance in good faith and was fully prepared to perform the show as contracted. The band flew to California from New York on Wednesday, December 12. Later that day, the band learned the performance had been cancelled through various postings on Internet sites.

"At no time did Mr. Peykoff contact the band or the band's representatives directly with any notice of cancellation.

"As is the nature with any professionally contracted live performance, deposits are kept if the promoter cancels the show, just as deposits are returned if the band cancels the show. In lieu of booking a concert in San Diego, the band committed to the contracted December 14, 2007 performance and was ready to perform.

"Mr. Peykoff's statements to the press are a complete distortion of the facts, and due to the inflammatory nature of his accusations, are potentially libelous.

"A future statement from the band will be forthcoming."

In an interview published in yesterday's edition of the The Orange County Register, Danny Peykoff stated that he was "shocked, surprised and upset" that the band was demanding the entire $50,000 fee for the cancelled, explaining that "if this were a for-profit show I would totally understand, but this was a show for the troops. They're already out here (for a House of Blues show). The injured party here is the injured soldiers coming back from Iraq. Not the rock stars. They didn't spend a dime for this. That to me is un-American."

Peykoff and his fiancée Megan Moore borrowed $100,000 to put on the concert with the intentions of paying half that to TWISTED SISTER and $40,000 to the Bren Center at UCI. The hope was that they would sell 4,500 tickets for the show, making enough to pay back the loan and generating another $100,000 for the troops.

TWISTED SISTER agent Steve Green blamed the couple, saying: "They forgot to do one thing: advertise. It's impossible for a group to sell tickets if you start two weeks out."

Peykoff pointed out that radio show plugs, a TV interview and newspaper publicity earlier this week got the word out, generating donations of nearly $6,000 by people inspired by what the couple was doing. Ellen DeGeneres' people called to book them. But ticket sales trickled in. As of Wednesday, only 87 tickets had been purchased through Ticketmaster.

That night the couple made the "heart-wrenching" decision to scrap the concert, donating the $6,000 they raised to Operation Homefront.

Read more at The Orange County Register.

Fan-filmed video footage of TWISTED SISTER's November 10, 2007 concert at the Hard Rock Hell festival at Butlins in Minehead, UK can be viewed below.