WASP Live At The Forum Twice
When you've been mates with someone for a long time you develop a bond. One that is so strong it would take something monumental to break. It could be something like having an affair with your mate's wife or if your a metal brother it could be over how you rate a band. This nearly happened to me a couple of years ago. My mate attended a metal festival overseas where for reasons I still don't understand he decided to see Evergrey (who he saw again later in his trip) when WASP were playing at the same time on a different stage. As much as most of it was in jest I almost considered this unforgivable and I let my mate know all about it to this day. WASP are hard rock legends and mainman Blackie Lawless has been rumoured to be dead too often to let any opportunity to see them slip by.
So obviously I didn't need much encouragement to check them out on their recent tour here. I'd be there alright because as an added bonus WASP were playing The Crimson Idol in its entirety. This album has long been a favourite of mine and showed me that Blackie Lawless isn't the cash driven egomaniac that he is often portrayed to be. I mean if it was all about the money WASP would be playing their self titled debut in full not The Crimson Idol.
To sweeten the deal even further a second show was announced where they would play the classics. As keen as I was it did take a conversation from my mate to get me over the line. Before I know it I'm seeing WASP twice in 2 nights.
Night 1 I arrived later than I intented and yet I still managed to get there well before the support band came on. This was most refreshing as the opening act got to play to a reasonable sized crowd.
The Poor got the night off to a rocking start. Their style of music was ideal and while I wouldn't go out of my way to see them they were worth a look. They seemed to play for close to an hour which I found too long. Still they generally received a positive reaction, with many right into them.
As I waited for WASP I got to hear some quality metal. Queensryche's Jet City Woman was definitely the highlight, a song I never tire of. To bring the night back to earth a few minutes before WASP hit the stage everyone was told that no photos could be taken which did not go down well.
To hear The Crimson Idol in its entirety was something I'll never forget. WASP did the album justice and I'm sure that those that came for this reason would have been satisfied. Tragically this didn't seem to be much of the crowd. The atmosphere was a little flat with it feeling like being at an opera (not that I know what that's like). I suspect most came to see the older stuff which was a shame. Personally I couldn't have been more pleased. Hearing the songs Arena Of Pleasure and Chainsaw Charlie (Murders In The New Morgue) was mesmerising and I'll forever be appreciative that I got to witness WASP perform The Crimson Idol in full.
It was then time for some classics which started with L.O.V.E. Machine. Of these Wild Child I liked the most. Still there was something special about I Wanna Be Somebody. I'm sure many people got into WASP after they saw the clip for this song. I know it had an effect on me because I attempted to replicate the windmill Blackie does in the video, without much success. It all came to an end with Blind In Texas which sadly fell flat.
I was pumped after the show and it only got better as I was given an autographed drumskin. On the way out I began to question my opinion of the show. I heard a lot of complaints that Blackie mimed during parts of his performance. I wasn't convinced but enough people said it to make me wonder whether he did.
On night 2 I arrive and have a quick catch up with Andrew Haug who I know is a huge WASP fan, sadly there was no sign of his brother. I decided to hang back this time to improve my view of the stage. The Poor again kicked off proceedings. I'm reasonably sure they played an identical set and there was nothing to make me think any differently of them.
I felt for those that only went to the first night because the second show appealed to WASP fans more. The set did start with a lackluster medley but from then on it was superb. Songs like The Headless Children and Widowmaker were outstanding and the atmosphere was well above night 1. The set list though could have been in a better order. A new track and The Idol were played in the encore which were both momentum killers. Just like the night before WASP closed with Blind In Texas and again it missed the mark.
The show may have been over, the night still had some life. Some CDs and a signed guitar were being given away to those with the right ticket. My mate and I didn't win any of the CDs only leaving the guitar up for grabs. Thinking we had no chance I got my mate to remind me what our numbers were which were 179 and 180. For dramatic effect each number was read out separately. First came 1, not that it made me any more confident. Then it was 8 and I became optimistic. Finally 0, hell yeah. My mate said "we've got it" then wisely suggested we keep a lid on it to avoid any drama.
It was an extremely nervous wait in the foyer. My mate presented the ticket to the man in charge who without saying a word gave us a smile that said the guitar was ours. I didn't think it could get much better than seeing WASP twice and yet somehow it did. While I know that my mate and I were more than happy before we won the guitar it was a memorable end to a couple of top nights.
This was Wikked Bliss Entertainment's first effort and I hope they'll bring out another band soon. They're great guys who I hope a I'll see around and no I'm not just saying that because I won a guitar.
WASP may not have been the most technically proficient band I've ever seen however they were entertaining and well worth seeing. Let me tell you I was singing "Murders, murders in the new morgue" and "Only love, love set me free" well after the show finished, so obviously they made an impression.
Brenda