June 6, 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of W.A.S.P. It’s hard for me to believe that it’s been 40 fucking years since W.A.S.P first hit the metal scene. In my opinion, W.A.S.P had one of the most distinct sounds of any of the other LA/Hollywood bands of the early ’80s. Blackie Lawless‘ powerful and unique voice, the dark, heavy sound of the music, and the sadly underrated musicianship are some of the things that embody everything that is W.A.S.P. Even though he is the only original member of W.A.S.P, the singer/songwriter/guitarist continues to carry the W.A.S.P flag where they perform huge festivals and theaters all over Europe. 15 studio albums, three live albums, and three compilations is no small accomplishment, especially for a band who has undergone so many shifts in members and in styles of music.
Initially, W.A.S.P performed what Blackie Lawless once referred to as “psycho drama shock rock.” This meant that W.A.S.P created a visually disturbing stage show which included raw meat being thrown in the audience, blood being drunk from a human skull, a nude woman strapped to a torture rack, and enough fire to keep the fire department busy for hours. After the first three albums (W.A.S.P, The Last Command, and Inside the Electric Circus), Blackie began abandoning the tongue in cheek and over the top songs beginning with 1989’s The Headless Children which featured some of best material up to this point. The Headless Children had an amazing cover of The Who’s “The Real Me” and this seemed to be the catalyst for Blackie’s obsession with concept albums inspired by Who songwriter/guitarist Pete Townsend.
As W.A.S.P continued on, members dropped and W.A.S.P became a revolving door of musicians and the sound and lyrical content of Blackie Lawless’ material started to grow and mature. W.A.S.P churned out some stellar concept albums such as The Crimson Idol, Still Not Black Enough, the The Neon God Pt. 1 & 2, and 2015’s Golgotha. W.A.S.P last toured North American in 2010 choosing to spend their touring life all over Europe. Well, it looks like this is about to change for this very special 40th-anniversary world tour that kicks off in Milan, Italy on March 18, 2022. This first leg of dates will see the band hit Italy, Spain, Ireland, North Ireland, United Kingdom, Scotland, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, Romania and Bulgaria. More dates and a U.S. tour will be announced. Joined by bassist Mike Duda and guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band span 26 and 18 years respectively, along with drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester, Lawless will take the band and the fans back to where it all started. Complete with the stage show extravaganza that many fans never saw live.
W.A.S.P. leader Blackie Lawless states about the tour: “For the W.A.S.P. 40th-anniversary world tour, we’re going back to the beginning. We’re taking the show back to where it all started. Complete with all the fire and all the blood that shocked the world the first time. We only did this type of show on the first world tour and never did it again…until now! I’m gonna scream and I’m gonna bleed, ’cause I wanna be somebody! We’re taking everybody back…back to the beginning!”
W.A.S.P. “40 Years Live” world tour 2022:
Mar. 18 – Milan, Live Club
Mar. 19 – Padova, Padova Hall
Mar. 23 – Bilbao, Santana 27
Mar. 24 – Murcia, Sala Gamma 3
Mar. 25 – Barcelona, Razzmatazz 1
Mar. 26 – Madrid, La Riviera
Mar. 30 – Dublin, Vicar St.
Mar. 31 – Belfast, Ulster Hall
Apr. 01 – Wolverhampton, KK’s Steel Mill
Apr. 02 – Manchester, Academy
Apr. 03 – Nottingham, Rock City
Apr. 05 – Glasgow, O2 Academy
Apr. 06 – Newcastlee, O2 City Hall
Apr. 07 – Bristol, O2 Academy
Apr. 08 – London, Rou-House
Apr. 09 – Eindhoven, Effenaar
Apr. 10 – Copenhagen, Amager Bio
Apr. 12 – Malmö, Moriskan
Apr. 13 – Huskvarna, Folkets Park
Apr. 14 – Sundsvall, Sporthallen
Apr. 15 – Umeå, Idun
Apr. 16 – Oulu, Teatria
Apr. 17 – Tampere, Pakkahuone
Apr. 18 – Helsinki, Kulttuuritalo
Apr. 20 – Gävle, Gasklockan
Apr. 21 – Eskilstuna, Lokomotivet
Apr. 22 – Örebro, Conventum
Apr. 23 – Karlstad, Nöjesfabriken
Apr. 25 – Oslo, Rockefeller
Apr. 28 – Stockholm, Stora Fållan
Apr. 29 – Norrköping, Arbis
Apr. 30 – Gothenburg, Trädgårn
May 01 – Bremen, Aladin
May 02 – Mannheim, Capitol
May 04 – Saarbrücken, Garage
May 05 – Oberhausen, Turbinenhalle
May 07 – Geiselwind, Music Halle
May 08 – Munich, Backstage Werk
May 17 – Bucharest, Arenele Romane
May 18 – Sofia, Universidada Sports Hall
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