What a show! After seeing the tour at Harpos almost exactly two years ago to the day, I had to make it out to the Royal Oak Music Theater to see W.A.S.P. and Armored Saint again Sunday night….and once again, it did not disappoint!
The W.A.S.P. Meet & Greet
I’ll start by sharing some behind-the-scenes from the V.I.P. meet and greet. First off, big props to Blackie Lawless’ assistant, Jay. That guy made the experience that much better for every fan that was part of the M&G. One fan had ticket issues and Jay took care of it calmly and professionally. Jay took pictures for everyone, explained what would happen, gave out guitar picks, and more. Huge kudos to him!
He took us through the W.A.S.P. museum first. This exhibit travels with the band and showcases the 42-year history of the band. Every person got a picture with “Elvis”, Blackie’s famous mic stand.
When that was finished, Jay took us back to the lobby for the M&G with Blackie. When he arrived, he took pictures with every person and signed two things for each. After that concluded, Blackie held a question and answer session for about 45 minutes. Going to each person in attendance and answering their questions. Blackie was patent and thoughtful to each inquiry. It was a well-run, informative, and entertaining experience for everyone. I highly recommend it if you’re a fan like myself. Thank you Jay and Blackie!
W.A.S.P. And Armored Saint Rock Royal Oak
Armored Saint took to the stage at 8 PM sharp and ripped through a set that included ‘March of the Saint’, ‘Book of Blood’, ‘Reign of Fire’, and more. As always, these guys nail it. The band is killer, but what always gets me is John Bush’s vocals. The guy is just so good. Clearly one of the top voices in rock, hands down.
W.A.S.P.
W.A.S.P. took the stage to a retrospective video encapsulating their career, then exploded into ‘I Wanna be Somebody’ as they ripped through the entire debut album. Blackie mentioned how they’d never opened up a show with that song until this tour. ‘L.O.V.E. Machine’ followed and we were off and running.
As they finished up the album, there was a brief break before the band returned and tore through gems from their catalog. ‘The Real Me’ (which I like much better than the original Who version) ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’, closing the set with the monster W.A.S.P. songs ‘Wild Child’ and ‘Blind In Texas’.
Afterward, I got to hang with the Armored Sanit guys for a bit, thanks to my friend, Tim. Great guys! I especially liked talking about being a hockey dad with John. We shared pictures and stories of our kids’ hockey careers, which fly by too fast.
Check out some pictures for the show at the Royal Oak Music Theater below.
