Stage Antics ...

A look at the many stage antics Blackie and the boys have got up to over the years
The real W.A.S.P fans know the music is the most important thing, but throughout W.A.S.P s career there is no denying that the stage show plays an important part too! Blackie once said" "I was always bored to death by bands that got onstage in T-Shirts and jeans, and stood in one place all night. Hell, the people could have more fun by staying home and playing the albums in the comfort of their living rooms. I d rather be dead than stand onstage li!e that. "ll I can say is that you thin! you ve seen some wild things already, just give us time, you won t believe your eyes" This #uote was said around The $ast %ommand era, and how right he was, especially when you look at the &ill 'uck (ie tour.

W.A.S.P - THE EARLY TOURS (1982-1984)

Pic 1: Blackie performs his rack act! Pic 2: Blackie covered in blood from the skull he had just drunk from Pic 3: Chopping up raw meat Pic !: "hen throwing it out to the audience! )n the first tour Blackie would slit the throat of a woman tied to a rack. *t would happen half way through the song Tormentor , where he would reveal a girl strapped by her arms and legs, half naked, her face covered with a black hood on a huge wooden rack with metal spikes. Blackie would then pretend to cut her throat. Although this stage antic was popular with the fans, it got W.A.S.P banned from alot of places, some they still can t play +$as ,egas for e-ample.. A tamer version of the rack act can be seen in the film (ungeonmaster . Blackie would also bring out a bo- of raw meat and start chopping it up with an a-e +or sometimes his chainsaw cod piece., he would then throw it out to the audience. Blackie once said that a few fans who had caught the meat wanted him to autograph it / he asked what they would do with the meat0 The fans couldn t reply! The fans would also return gifts to W.A.S.P / whilst on tour fans threw a number of strange items on stage....A dog s brain, hogs head and a moose s hind #uarters!!! Blackie didn t mind recieving these gifts, he once said 1 its not that I really mind, but what I wanna !now is, how do they get these things in the arenas in the first place 1 )ther stage antics included eating worms +earlier shows., showering the crowds with feathers and of course drinking blood out of the skull. When W.A.S.P were playing a gig at the T2)3BA()32 in 4ollywood, they asked the 2ed %ross to put a trailer outside and anyone who gave blood got in for half price and anyone who didn t give any got in for free!!!! The response was good, but none of the blood was e-cepted, due to Blackie s stage antics! W.A.S.P played around with pyrotechnics alot too / we believe Blackie has a passion for fire , however things do go wrong. )nce when they were doing a show, Blackie lit the W.A.S.P sign, that

hang behind the drum kit, not realising that a spark had flew onto his hair. The fans loved it and thought it was part of the show / they were shouting Burn Blackie Burn as Blackies hair was on fire! Blackie s cod piece for this tour was his chainsaw blade one. The same one which appears on the Animal +* 'uck $ike a Beast. record. The blade runs all the way under, and of course it was impossible for him to sit down.

THE LAST CO

A!" TOUR

#eft Pic $ %ight Pic: "he giant severed heads! The $ast %ommand tour saw less blood and no rack. 4owever there were four massive heads of each of the band members, the heads severed +like the illustration in the $ast %ommand inner sleeve.. They didn t do anything like the giants skull from the last tour +which W.A.S.P could walk in and out of, and la5ers came out of their eyes.. They were a good stage prop though, wonder where they went0 The flag on the drum kit says #ho $ares #in1. Blackie swapped his chainsaw cod piece for a more sensible one, but the chainsaw blades remained on his arms. *t was once said he had cut himself badly around 6 times with his costume, once in 'inland he had sliced his finger to the bone. Blackie once #uoted that the other members were more scared to approach him, than he was wearing the stuff, he said 1 They re the ones that have to worry about it - not me. They ve learnt boy. They see me coming and it s li!e the parting of the red sea1

THE ELECTR#C C#RCUS TOUR

#eft Pic $ %ight Pic: Blackie with his e&ploding cod piece 'iddle: "he (Circus( )tage show The 7lectric %ircus tour saw less of what W.A.S.P were originally about +blood, meat, etc., and saw more of a visually appealing stage show, with much more pyrotechnics. The whole stage was turned into a circus. The backdrop acted has a huge red and white canvas with lights flashing. Behind the drummer were steps, where the band could run up and down. The cod piece on this show, was swapped from a chainsaw one to a 8ewelled adorned e-ploding one. (idn t someone once say If you play with fire you burn% .....Anyway during a show in (ublin. Blackie s e-ploding cod piece kind of +um!..e-ploded the wrong way, leaving Blackie almost Serprano!! 4e burnt the tops of his legs and his bottom, and could only lay on his side. 4e said he was still going to continue using the stunt and said 1I was in great pain, but I guess thats showbi&' 1

O!STERS O$ ROC%&
Cast'e "(ningt(n& U.% A)g)st 22n* 198+

#eft Pic: Blackie climbs up to reveal the woman 'iddle Pic: Blackie slits the ladies throat %ight Pic: *fter the ritual with Blackie covered in the woman(s blood The 9onsters of 2ock show at %astle (onington was W.A.S.P s first ever festival. *t was also the first time the rack was used since the first tour. *n the middle of the show Blackie reveals a topless woman, tied to the stage scaffolding, her face covered with a black hood, he slits her throat / the crowd applaud! But according to Blackie they had originally made other plans for their (onington appearance"/ The %orpse/:rinder1 Blackie told a 3.& rock maga5ine"/

1#hat happens is we do the rac!, cut the girls head off, slam the doors of the rac!, and everyone thin!s its done. (ut during the ne)t song I open the doors, cut her down, throw her over my shoulder. This hideous bo) rolls out from the other side of the stage, I throw her in and hit a button, and it spits her all over the audience1 This act was not aloud to happen, because of obvious reason +the P92%. and Bon ;ovi s manager did not want W.A.S.P to take the attention away from the headliners. At the end of the show W.A.S.P causes <=>>> worth of damage, by trashing the stage with their guitars and amps. ?@ The reason for all this bad behaviour0 A@ (oningtons custom to throw bottles of piss at the band.

Stage Antics 2...

A look at the many stage antics Blackie and the boys have got up to over the years THE HEA"LESS CH#L"RE! TOUR

#eft Pic : Blackie %ight Pic : Chris 'iddle Pic: +eadless backdrop with p,rotechnics galore!! The 4eadless %hildren Tour saw W.A.S.P. s stage show take a 6A> degree turn. The concept of this show was to collaborate the seriousness and heaviness of the record. The tour was unlike anything W.A.S.P had done before / There were no outrageous stage antics, but a message that was strong and hit to the bone. The show saw the album cover motif come to life in three dimensions. At the beginning of the show an huge video screen displays images of violence / this helps portray the concept of the first song 1The 4eretic +The lost %hild.1. Throughout the show the video screen shows disturbing and hard hitting images from the ma8or embarrassments of world history. The likes of 4itler and 4ummler to news/reel clips from ,ietnam to various &lan members. *n the song 1Thunderhead1 the screen shows images of dying 8unkies and crack smokers. Blackie preaches about the danger of drugs and receives a massive applause +even from photographers and the security guys.. The 4eadless %hildren saw W.A.S.P. s stage show in a new dimension and showed people +especially the P92%. that W.A.S.P. really did care about what was going on in the world. The slogan for The 4eadless %hildren Tour was" -"he music is loud . "he message is clear-

THE CR# SO! #"OL TOUR

#eft Pic $ %ight Pic: Blackie pla,ing with pure emotion 'iddle Pic: /ohnn, $ )tet $ "he Crimson 0dol backdrops The 3.& tours stage backdrop consisted of a large canvas of the album cover of The %rimson *dol, which half way through the show +when all the songs from %rimson had been played. reverted to the same backdrop as seen on The 7lectric %ircus Tour. There was no cod piece, blood, etc / ;ust pure musical talent! There were plans that there was going to be a mirrorBvideo screen showing clips of the film of The Story of ;onathan. +Cot sure if this happened in the 3.S. Please let us know. The Slogan for The %rimson *dol was -Be careful what ,ou wish for it ma, come true-

%#LL $UC% "#E TOUR 199+

#eft Pic: "he nun awaits the +1%%1% during (2ill ,our Prett, 3ace( 'iddle Pic: "he nun after her rape 4poor soul!5 %ight Pic: 'aril,n 'anson gets the treatment he deserves 4onl, joking!5 at the 6*)P C17 89: )n the DE &ill 'uck (ie Tour, WASP s stage antics were wilder than ever! Whilst in the song &ill your Pretty 'ace Blackie reveals a nun, attached to a huge cross with chains / her legs spread. The sparks fly, as Blackie sharpens the knife attached to his cod piece on the grinder on the mike stand. Then The 4orror begins......*n the 7uropean shows in early DE, Blackie would rape the nun, then

place his face between her legs and bring out a bloody fetus. 4e would then wrap the fetus around his neck, and eventually impale it on the knife attached to his cod piece. A scary stage act, but it got WASP the publicity they needed at that time, and showed the likes of 9arilyn 9anson what real psycho/drama was all about! A alternative version to the nun was seen at the WASP %on in Cew ;ersey in September DF, where Blackie replaced the nun with a life si5e figure of 9arilyn 9anson. Blackie dragged the doll +by a noose. around the stage, and rapes 9anson from behind +%ough!. with his knife cod piece. 7ventually he rips the doll open to reveal the fetus. At the end of the show he tears 9anson head off, pulls out his brain, and let the blood run from the severed head into his mouth and down his chest!

#eft Pic: "he pig after the chop! 'iddle Pic: Blackie shows off his pri;e to the audience! Below Pic: Blackie surrounded b, the feathers he had just thrown over the audience

The nun was not the only one who had a nightmare on the &'( tour, so did the pig! *n the song The 4orror Blackie climbs onto Stets drum set, and begins turning a wheel, which rises the pig strapped to a anise. Blackie gets a huge sword, and whilst the lights flash, so the pig gets his head chopped off. Blackie shows off his pri5e to the pleased audience, and then brings out a pillow full of feathers.....4e covers the crowd, a e-cellent effect / but sure as hell hard to get out of your clothes after G. ha ha!

* The +awless,-anson pic was ta!en from the site , where you can purchase a copy of #.".S.. s live performance at the #.".S.. /on 0which includes the -anson rape'1

THE HELL"ORA"O TOUR 1999

#eft $ %ight Pic: Blackie after his blood<skull stunt! 'iddle Pic: "he horned skull mike stand! ....W7$%)97 T) 47$$! So what antics did we get up to this time0 H. 2ack / Co! =. Pig / Co! 6. Cun / Co! I. 2aw meat / Co! J. &ick Ass 2ock C 2oll / K7S, K7S, K7S!!!! The 4elldorado shows have been pure rock n roll at its finest. The atmosphere at the shows have been overwhelming!! )ut of all the W.A.S.P. shows we have attended +and this being number E. this one has been one of the most en8oyable / we got the perfect mi-ture of classic W.A.S.P. along with the new tracks too. Stage antics included Blackie drinking the blood from the skull and a messy mi-ture of flour, water, feathers, balloons and Blackie s spit thrown over the audience. +There were rumours that the balloons were going to be filled with live maggots.. We have heard that at earlier shows in 7urope W.A.S.P. threw a mi-ture of earth with live worms out into the audience +however unsure if this is true..