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July 24, 2008 |
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August 30, 2004
Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
By Tony Antunovich
All photos Copyright © 2004 METALEATER - Do not use without permission.
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To be an advocate of heavy metal music and not know of W.A.S.P. is like being an avid hockey fan and not knowing what a puck is. Of course, perhaps more "old school" metalheads would probably be more familiar with the band than the newer generation of fans, but the fact remains - the name W.A.S.P. is legendary. Led by the last remaining original member and founder, Blackie Lawless, the band's career has spanned over twenty years, and they're still going strong! Since May, the band have been touring extensively throughout Europe and now North America in support of their brand new studio album, "The Neon God: Part 1 – The Rise", which was released on April 6 of this year. Vancouver, British Columbia just happened to be one of the lucky cities on the tour schedule, and it was a long time coming.
Blackie and company brought their live show to Vancouver on August 30, 2004 – W.A.S.P.'s first appearance here in over fifteen years. I have been a W.A.S.P. fan since the band first came onto the scene back in 1984 with their self-titled debut, and had never had the chance to see them play live before, so I was really stoked for this one. I had a good feeling that there was probably going to be a fair amount of people at this concert, but I must admit that I was quite surprised to see such a greater than expected turnout.
I was really curious to see if Blackie still had that edge after all these years, not to mention how well the newest members could pull off playing the older, more well-known material. Well, let me just say that any thoughts I had regarding these two "questions" were obliterated the very second the band hit the stage. All inquiring minds, please read on....
After getting the camera all ready to go, I could not help but take a minute or two to stand and admire Blackie's magnificent metal skeleton microphone stand which the 4 roadies had just set up. I would say this thing is at least seven feet tall! Although it was covered by a large blanket, you could still see enough of it to be able to recognize what it was. I am not 100% positive about this, but as rumour has it, the stand was created by renowned artist H.R. Giger (accredited for his creation of the creatures in such films as "Aliens" and "Species"), but do not quote me on this.
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As the anticipation grew, fans began chanting "W.A.S.P.! W.A.S.P.! W.A.S.P.! W.A.S.P.!" repeatedly for a good couple of minutes before the lights finally dimmed. The intro music started to play in the background for a number of minutes and needless to say, it sparked even more noise from the crowd. The band members surfaced onto the stage and the beginning of what would prove to be a show to remember was finally underway. Stet Howland came out first and sat behind his drum kit, followed by bassist Mike Duda at stage-left, lead guitarist Darrell Roberts on the right hand side, and then Mr. Blackie Lawless himself. Wearing all black, including an Oakland Raiders jersey with the number "81" all over it, and an Oakland Raiders-branded Jackson guitar around his neck, Blackie walked back and forth around the stage greeting the screaming Vancouver fans before taking his position at center-stage.
Energized and ready to destroy, the band exploded with an opening medley of "On Your Knees", "Inside The Electric Circus", and "Chainsaw Charlie". Both Duda and Roberts ran around on either sides of the stage as they effortlessly struck the chords of the W.A.S.P. classics like they had been in the band for years. Blackie made his presence known to all, and although he is twenty years older than he was when W.A.S.P. began, he most certainly has not lost his edge. Not one bit! He still sounds like he did twenty years ago! In between songs, Blackie screamed "Hello Vancouver! How the hell are ya? That received a loud reaction from the crowd and without stopping, the band dove right into "L.O.V.E. Machine".
Heads were banging, fists were pumping and the pit began to take shape rather quickly. Blackie has a very commanding stage presence and he has the ability to keep the audience focused on him and the other band members easily. He certainly grabbed some attention when he looked out into the audience and yelled "Is there anybody here who fucks like a beast? You must be an animal!"
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They played "Animal (F**k Like A Beast)", then continued the damage with "Wild Child", and the crowd went WILD! Did I say WILD? I would have to say that this was one of the highlights of the night – everyone went nuts (including myself) when they played this classic hit. Slowing things down a bit, they carried on with "What I'll Never Find" from the new album and this was where Robert's guitar work really shone. While Blackie sang the lyrics "Can you hear me, can you hear me in the night", Roberts delivered an amazing lengthy guitar solo. I was very impressed by how well the song sounded live. I mean, all the songs sounded great live, but this one really stood out. It was also cool when Blackie climbed onto the microphone stand and swung back and forth. That mic stand is more durable than I thought!
W.A.S.P. ripped through "My Tortured Eyes" and "The Real Me" before raising the roof with "I Wanna Be Somebody". Everyone was on their feet singing along as Blackie went crazy on the stage. It was really something watching this song being performed live by a band that I had liked since I was in the fifth grade, and it was great to see that it still had the same impact among the audience as it did way back then. During the song, Blackie paused and said something along the lines of "This August is the twentieth anniversary of this first album. I know that some of you were here when we played in Vancouver twenty years ago, but what I want to know is – Can you still get it up like you used to Vancouver?" Then they finished off the rest of the song as the crowd relished in the performance they had just witnessed.
After leaving the stage for a few minutes, Blackie came back out to begin the encore with an acoustic medley in the form of "The Titanic Overture", "The Idol" and "Sleeping (In The Fire)". I cannot remember, but they may have added in "The Gypsy Meets The Boy" as well, but don't quote me on that. The second and last encore was the classic fan-favorite "Blind In Texas". About three quarters of the way through, the band stopped abruptly and Blackie whispered "Shhhh! Shhhh!" into the microphone. Silence prevailed for a few seconds, then was broken as the band cranked it back up into full gear. That marked the end of the show and I don't think there was one single hint of disappointment to be found anywhere in the building.
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SETLIST:
Opening Medley: On Your Knees/Inside The Electric Circus/Chainsaw Charlie
L.O.V.E. Machine
Animal (F**k Like A Beast)
Wild Child
What I'll Never Find
My Tortured Eyes
The Real Me
I Wanna Be Somebody
Encore:
Acoustic Medley: The Titanic Overture, The Idol, Sleeping (In The Fire)
Blind In Texas
There were a lot of old school fans as well as new fans, but the one thing that bridged the generation gap was the band itself. W.A.S.P. put on one hell of a show and gave the fans exactly what they came for, and that was pure W.A.S.P.-style heavy metal. The band performed really well together and the energy they have on stage is killer. As I mentioned before, Blackie Lawless sounds exactly like he did twenty years ago and has not lost a bit of who he has always been – a very talented musician and a great performer. Anyone who truly admires his music knows this. My only complaint is that the show was not long enough. It would have been nice to see the band play at least a few more songs, such as some more from "The Headless Children", but for what did they did play, it was truly a great experience - one that will not easily be forgotten.
Only one thing left to say - LONG LIVE W.A.S.P.! [FIN]
Thanks to Jamie at House Of Blues Concerts Canada for providing us with the ticket and photo pass.
» Official W.A.S.P. Website
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