W.A.S.P. - Metro Theatre 08/04/08

I had been waiting to see W.A.S.P. for a long time, being as they were one of the earlier "heavy" bands I got into back in the heady days of the '80's (Blackie Lawless at one point said it had been 22 years since he'd been on Australian soil and in '86 I was still a wee bit young to get to a lot of shows by the bands my parents hated!) so when I heard they'd be playing their '92 concept masterpiece 'The Crimson Idol' along with some other favourites I had my ticket quicker than you could say "now on sale".

With "Mephisto Waltz" serving as an intro, the stage darkened and then there they were: the most absurd '80's boots that any '80's hair-rocker could ever wish to see their hero standing in - white cowboy boots with long tassels all the way around. But the moment to giggle was short-lived as without a word, the band launched into the serious business of 'The Crimson Idol's opening track "The Titanic Overture" and commenced a performance that is currently tussling with Iron Maiden as my favourite of 2008 so far. Perhaps it was the lingering emotional connection to an album that resonated so profoundly with me when I heard it in my younger years, perhaps it was the closer confines of a much smaller venue (than Maiden's) - packed out, by the way - or maybe the fact that the band were just "on".

I had harboured fears of Blackie being bloated, careless and unable to belt out these tracks, but these fears were unfounded. The band too were excellent, in particular Doug Blair's guitar work. The stage lighting was dim for the majority of the main set as a video screen was employed to show the film that had been made to accompany the album but which, until this tour, had never been seen. The black and white images on screen complimented the music perfectly and elevated the album's already dramatic story-line, creating a powerful experience. (As did the complete lack of between song banter.) For a couple of later songs the screen gave way to fuller lighting showcasing the bands performance and this fitted well into the story, being used as it was for the protagonist's own stage performances. I have a hard time picking stand out tracks on the album and so too with it's live execution though "The Idol" and "The Great Misconception Of Me" come to mind.

I would have been well and truly satisfied if that had been the end of this show, however after 10 minutes of watching Elvis in his 'Aloha '76' concert during which time the band took a break, they were back to give us a handful more tracks, the stage now featuring the artwork from latest album 'Dominator' (from which there was one song played) and strangely, the Elvis footage continuing in the background(!) Here we were treated to some old fave's from the band's back catalog and were left with the hope that it won't take so long again.

For those (and there are many) who have dismissed W.A.S.P. as a result of their early career shock-rock antics and overt sexual themes have missed out on seeing Blackie Lawless develop his songcraft and create some of American music's most enduring tracks of the last 20-odd years... But the faithful in attendance tonight were treated to a feast.

Setlist:
(Intro - Mephisto Waltz)
The Crimson Idol
1. The Titanic Overture
2. The Invisible Boy
3. Arena Of Pleasure
4. Chainsaw Charlie (Murders In The New Morgue)
5. The Gypsy Meets The Boy
6. Doctor Rockter
7. I Am One
8. The Idol
9. Hold On To My Heart
10. The Great Misconceptions Of Me
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11. L.O.V.E. Machine
12. Wild Child
13. Take Me Up
14. I Wanna Be Somebody
15. Blind In Texas

(Will try and get a clip up soon.)