Venue: Big Night Live – Boston, MA. | Date: November 16, 2022 | Special guests: Armored Saint
In the 80’s
Back in the 80s, I never had the opportunity to catch W.A.S.P. in their prime, ala the erratic Chris Holmes days. (See Decline of the Western Civilization Part 1). However, when they announced the 40 Years Live Tour, one of the stops listed was Big Night Live in Boston. I was in.
When it came to live performances, Blackie Lawless was a true showman. The time had come to see if 40 years had slowed that in any way. I imagined the answer to be yes. Nonetheless, I looked forward to the show.
In the time leading up to the show I had planned a vacation to Austin Texas and opted to fly out of Boston. I would fly out in the morning. Although in hindsight I should have never decided on the 6:00 AM flight out of Logan.
Armored Saint
First up for the evening was Armored Saint. Never was a fan, and frankly, there wasn’t a song played that I knew. At the start of the show, the singer came out to say that he was under the weather and Jason McMasters of the band Dangerous Toys would be singing for the band. Now Dangerous Toys I was a big fan of (Austin, Texas). I mean who would not want to hear Sport’n a Woody? I would have preferred that they play THEIR songs. But alas it did not happen. Not even one.
Inside the Electric Circus
After mainlining back-to-back diet Coke’s, I secured my spot in the “the pit” for the electric circus opting to wait to peruse the middle-of-the-road, shrink-to-fit, cotton undergarments on the way out.
Blackie and the band came out in an underwhelming manner, unlike the over-the-top explosion of visual stimulation and cacophony of sound of their heyday. No spark-induced buzzsaw codpiece. I can certainly understand why. At 66, I imagine one’s cod doesn’t buzz like it used to.
They did, however, proceed to buzz through all the hits that one would expect. “Inside the Electric Circus”, “L.O.V.E. Machine”, and “Blind in Texas.” (Texas, Texas, Texas). One favorite of mine was unfortunately absent – “Harder, Faster”. Ironically it is the song that the PMRC identified as vulgar in their heyday, and he did lean heavily into his dislike for and of the PMRC throughout the show; however, no Harder, Faster.
Older and less flashy, the songs still sounded as they had in the 80s. I was not disappointed. However, I have to admit the later the show went, the more I dreaded the choice of a 6:00 AM flight. My cod was certainly tired.
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