SEBASTIAN BACH: Why I Was Fired From 'Jesus Christ Superstar'

Former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach has issued a statement via his official web site giving his side of the story behind his termination from the national touring revival of the Rice-Webber rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar".

The statement reads as follows:

"I would like to extend my heartfelt apologies to those of you who have come to 'JCS' in the last week to find me not in the play . Since October 8 2002, I have done approximately 160 shows, 8 shows a week, plus rehearsals, & am proud to say that in 6 months I have never missed a single show or rehearsal. Up until last Friday in Columbus Ohio.

"Those of you who came to the show 2 weeks ago in Philadelphia can attest to the shows being magical — the Philly crowd was incredible & you guys could not have been a more receptive, exciting, fired up audience in every way. Any time I put my name on something I do it with the intention of entertaining YOU to the utmost of my abilities & when you go nuts at the end of the night it is totally your right to do so. The next week we were summoned to rehearsals in Columbus where it was explained to me that we needed a brand new ending to the show that would effectively erase any sense of rock'n'roll from the curtain call & leave everyone walking out of the show without the sense of elation & excitement that was part of the show for the last 5 months. This I felt was an insult to my fans who expect me to deliver the same kind of performance I did in 'Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical' & 'The Rocky Horror Show', who never tried to eliminate rock'n'roll from their shows, but actually embraced rock & rock fans & welcomed rock'n'roll to the stage & all the excitement that came along with it. When I tried to cool out in my dressing room & hopefully come to some sort of compromise that would be acceptable to the management of the show & of course the FANS who paid money to come see the show, I was accosted by a cast member who proceeded to yell & scream at me because I was standing up for the fans who have been with me for almost 20 years now & not giving into the whims of people who have absolutely no respect for rock'n'roll fans whatsoever. When this cast member would not let me walk to my dressing room it was evident that he wanted a physical confrontation & this is exactly the kind of situation I refuse to be a part of. The same cast member came out of the Philadelphia shows a week earlier & scribbled all over vintage Bach/SKID ROW pictures the fans had kept in mint condition for at least 10 years & insulted me to my own fans who had just paid around $70 to see us on stage together. For me to have to explain this kind of childish bickering to a rock fan who has just had a great time & paid a lot of money to do so is unacceptable. But what is more unacceptable is for me to be told to go on a stage & consciously NOT excite a crowd. Sorry. All I wanted to do was take 2 days off from the show & hopefully come to some sort of compromise that would allow me to present a performance that I could be proud of. I had every intention of being on the plane for Tuesday's show in Atlanta. But the producers of the show have elected to let my understudy go on in place of me rather than respect YOU the rock'n'roll fan who has paid money for a ticket. All of this has made me realize that it is time for me to follow my heart & create some brand new original rock & roll that will completely blow you away. I have been working with one of the biggest bands in the world & will now pursue that collaboration with full force. I have been working on my first DVD & this project will now become a top priority. I can now devote my voice to creating a new solo CD where I can use my scream in it's TRUE venue — ROCK AND ROLL. I have been aching to rock from the depths of my soul for a couple of years now & I intend to come out with the most intense music you have heard from me yet. If the producers of 'JCS' decide to come to their senses & honor the commitment they made to the ticket buyer regarding what the show is supposed to be, then I will return to the tour. But if they want to USE my fans & take your money without any consideration of what you are coming to see, then my advice to you is DO NOT LET THEM. Get your money back & do not accept no for an answer. If you have any question as to whether I am in the show or not, come to this space. I will let you know if there any changes in the situation but right now I am NOT in the show. In the meantime I am going straight into the studio to explode microphones. Stay tuned to this space for any pertinent developments in the mayhem that is my life."