On Saturday December 10th W.A.S.P. and Armored Saint played the Tower Theater in Fresno, both celebrating their 40th anniversaries. The sold-out crowd got two great sets as both bands were in top form. Armored Saint started it’s 45-minute set with “Reign Of Fire” and blasted through 10 songs. W.A.S.P. did it’s opening medly (“On Your Knees”/”The Flame”/”The Torture Never Stops”/”Inside The Electric Circus”) and rolled through all of their familiar songs.
The W.A.S.P. stage setup included carnival-type banners, skulls, video screens and, of course, Elvis, the ornate microphone stand that Blackie Lawless climbs up on and rides from time to time. The screens showed the videos of the songs that were being played and at the end of the show they displayed past members of the band as well as a page of Thank-You’s.
The encore presentation of “Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)” began with footage from the PMRC witch hunt days and stirred the crowd into a frenzy. Before the final song, “I Wanna Be Somebody”, Lawless spoke to the crowd about how the fans themselves got together on social media and made this tour possible when the promoters in America didn’t think the band could sell tickets.
If that’s what promoters thought for all those years that W.A.S.P. didn’t tour the States, they were clearly wrong as this 40th anniversary tour has seen great success. The Fresno show was full, loud and enthusiastic for both bands.
Here’s my video recap: