Dee Snider performed an acoustic version of Twisted Sister's defiant 1984 anthem We're Not Gonna Take It at a charity concert for Ukraine.
The performance took place at the Concert For Ukraine, held on April 4 at Agoura Hills, California, to raise money for the refugees who have left their country due to the ongoing Russian invasion.
Organised by independent promoter Ken Greene, all proceeds raised from the event were sent to Children's Emergency Fund, which is part of the non-profit organisation Save The Children.
These donations will help provide Ukrainian children and families with food, water, shelter and other immediate needs. The initiative also helps to look after families displaced by conflict elsewhere around the world.
Snider's unplugged version of the typically unruly hit sees him crooning along to a piano backing track, shortly after giving a speech about what the song means to him.
"In the 80s I wrote this song when I was mad at my dad" he begins. "And I was smart enough to realise that that specific situation happening in life might not resonate with other people.
"So I kept the lyrics of the song very vague so that everybody could put the thing that they were mad about into the song. And over the years I was stunned by the longevity this song has had, and the effect that it's had.
"And everybody who's mad at somebody for something sings my song now, and sometimes I agree with what they're singing about, and other times I don't agree with what they're singing about, but it's called the First Amendment, and I kind of fell for that in the 80s as well.
"But when I heard that soldiers on the frontline in Ukraine were singing my song, my mind was officially blown. As I said before, my grandfather was Ukrainian, his father was shot dead in the street by Russian soldiers. I think my grandfather would be proud to know that they are singing my song".
In late February, the frontman announced his support of the people of Ukraine using We're Not Gonna Take It as their battle cry anthem, while condemning Covid-19 conspiracists for wanting to use the song to bolster their "infantile" anti-mask beliefs.
“I absolutely approve of Ukrainians using ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ as their battlecry" the musician wrote.
"One use is for a righteous battle against oppression; the other is a infantile feet stomping against an inconvenience.”
Within days, Snider released a reworked version of the video for his 2021 single Stand to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Retitled Stand (For Ukraine), the new video features performance footage of the former Twisted Sister frontman dispersed between images from the current war in Ukraine.
The release coincided with the launch of Snider's awareness campaign World United Live, an online platform designed to help support for the people of Ukraine and to also raise awareness among Russians who may be shielded from what is happening in the country.
