W.A.S.P.’s Sting Still Packs a Punch at Montreal’s MTelus with Armored Saint [Photos]

One of the original Bad Boys of Heavy Metal is currently out on the road, and he brought his band to Montreal’s MTelus earlier this week. In the early 1980s, W.A.S.P. was one of the most notorious bands to emerge from Los Angeles’ legendary Sunset Strip. They rapidly gained both fame and infamy with their shock-rock songs, appearance, and performances. Lead singer Blackie Lawless was definitely one of the main faces of this movement, and though we find ourselves 40 years removed from those glory days, he is still out on the road, giving venues full of adoring fans the chance to relive those glory days.

As many bands are doing these days, W.A.S.P. is currently touring in celebration of one of their albums. In this case, “The Album One World Tour” celebrates their debut 1984 self-titled album, W.A.S.P. During the set, Blackie discussed how one of their managers suggested a tour to celebrate the album by playing it in its entirety and how he found the idea to be ludicrous. They had never opened a show with their hit song, which is also the first track on the album, “I Wanna Be Somebody.” He equated the idea to having Led Zeppelin open a show by playing “Stairway To Heaven” right off the bat.

Thankfully, he eventually did give in to their wishes, as playing one of their biggest hits just got the already rabid crowd, even more, worked up as they all threatened to blow the roof off the venue from the get-go.

Speaking of explosive debuts, our evening began with an awesome performance from Armored Saint. They were making their second appearance in Montreal this year, having opened for Queensrÿche back in April. Those of you with good Google fingers should be able to find my review and photographs from that show right here. They switched up their set a little bit from that show, but did once again open with their big single from 2020’s Punching The Sky, “End Of The Attention Span.” The opening notes helped the crowd shake off the mid-November chills from having waited in line outside to get in. Once grabbed, Armored Saint did not release their hold on the collective attention of the audience until their set had come to an end.

Sure, there were still some people who were watching the show, as the song points out, from behind their screens. But, the majority of fans were living in the present. Those who were focused on their screens probably missed singer John Bush making his way up to the second-deck balcony and back to the stage through the crowd. Or the twin guitar attack of Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan and the rhythm section of human twister Joey Vera on bass and drummer Gonzo Sandoval. For those who were in the present, Armored Saint was once again giving a show-stealing-worthy performance.

But Blackie Lawless and W.A.S.P. were not ready to have the show stolen from them. From behind an impressive end of days backdrop, the band walked to the front of the stage where Blackie’s mic stand awaited. Looking like a mix between something created for John Doe from the movies Seven and The Terminator, it was an impressive centrepiece from which Blackie held court. Another nice added touch was the video wall behind the band playing the music videos of the songs that W.A.S.P. were playing live. A little bit of the present and the past mixed together.

Speaking of the past, the original W.A.S.P. lineup may be a thing of the past, but the current members who shared the stage with Blackie more than held their own. W.A.S.P.’s “The Album One World Tour” continues through to mid-December. Be sure to check it out for an unforgettable blast from the past.

W.A.S.P. (w/ Armored Saint) @ MTELUS (Montreal, QC) on November 13th, 2024

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