Is it too early to claim the best show of 2023? Probably, but I’m going out on a limb to say that W.A.S.P. delivered the number one contender in the metal category.
Yeah, maybe I should preface that with “old school” metal, but from the looks of the sold-out crowd at the Roundhouse last weekend, W.A.S.P. has crossed over to a new generation. And why not? The songs hold up incredibly well, and the fact that Blackie Lawless has tackled numerous trends and continued to remain relevant over forty fucking years is a testament to the sound and the antics that are very often imitated but never replicated.
I feel like everyone knows who W.A.S.P. is—even if you weren’t a metal fan, they have touched you or influenced you in one way or another. The poster child for shock metal in the ’80s, paving the way for Mason, Zombie, Slipknot, and countless others took controversy and explicit imagery to a new level. Their 1984 “hit” single “Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)” was banned in many countries while also becoming arguably their biggest hit. (It’s an incredibly catchy number, by the way, which you’ll be happy to know that after a long absence, it’s back in the set, and it fucking rips.)
Trying to summarize four decades into a single set is impossible, and there will always be the folks who say this song or that song was missing. I’ve got to say that I think it was pretty much bang-on in terms of a tour de force from start to finish, opening with a four-for-one detail in the form of a blistering medley masterfully combining three classics from the debut: “On Your Knees,” “The Flame,” and “The Torture Never Stops” with “Inside the Electric Circus.” Some folks think a medley is a cop-out, but this one was a beast and a brilliant idea for an opening number.
W.A.S.P. kept it old school for the next two with “LOVE Machine” and “Wild Child” before the inevitable. How do you fit songs from the band’s crowning masterpiece, The Crimson Idol, in the set and do it justice? Very carefully and with a slight rearrangement. First up, “The Idol” right into “The Great Misconceptions of Me” both building up to “Chainsaw Charlie.” I’m not complaining, but “Arena of Pleasure” would also fit right in there. (Let’s not forget that just a few years ago, we were treated with the album in its entirety, and it was EPIC.)
I want to pause a moment on the songs from the Idol, especially “Chainsaw Charlie.” There are moments during this song where Blackie and his band are at the peak of their metal storytelling powers. It’s very clear that Blackie still absolutely loves doing this, and you can tell that he is giving it 110% at any given moment. While the crowd was certainly going bananas during this one, I don’t even think he feeds off of the crowd. I think it’s pouring out of him as an outlet for nearly nine minutes. Let’s not forget that this was supposed to be a solo effort, and the way it’s performed has a slightly different feel, and I wonder if that’s the reason. I wonder what the follow-up would have been under different circumstances.
Wrapping up the set was “Blind in Texas,” and then we were in for a real treat with the encore. The return of “Animal (Fuck Like a Beast),” “The Real Me,” and “I Wanna Be Somebody.” This was one hell of a set, and I’m sure it was difficult to choose, but in the end, very well thought out. On paper, it may look a bit short, but Jesus, there’s a lot in there. What a statement, what a reminder, and what a night. Blackie and W.A.S.P. still have plenty to say, so here’s looking forward to a point where they deliver new music and bring the show back for year 41.
