W.A.S.P. @ The Astoria, London
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5.5 |
Editor review
The lights went down... a solitary guitar pierced the expectant silence... the crowd roared...
Fifteen years ago at Rio Club in Bradford I waited in vain for a full performance of the self-styled rock opera The Crimson Idol. I had waited years to see the band. As a concept, The Crimson Idol lit my fire. As a band, so did W.A.S.P. But the live performance quenched the flames somewhat when tracks from the album were interspersed with the usual live fodder. Of course I loved it - but was left hungry for more.
2007, it's the Astoria in London, and we are promised The Crimson Idol in its entirety! Finally! Having seen the band many times in the intervening years and also having heard rumours of Blackie Lawless' health problems, I was concerned as to how things would be, but jubilant all the same. I welcomed the opportunity to see the whole production of the album, plus hopefully some material from the new album Dominator alongside the oldies and goodies.
Blackie has lost no weight (perfectly acceptable at 51) yet barely sweated through a lacklustre performance of the legendary concept album. 3 video screens rehashed MTV video footage, while the use of backing track became more and more apparent. Recent band addition Doug Blair rose in status to Guitar Hero and Rock God with each passing solo, only serving to display the poor quality of other aspects of the performance. His effort was ably supported by Mike Dupke, another new addition, on drums and Mike Duda who has been playing bass in the W.A.S.P. camp for somewhat longer. As has been usual in recent times, Blackie only sang about half the words - but his backing track seemed to cover well enough for him.
The lack of energy was stunning for someone with the creative vision of Blackie Lawless, and the first half of the show was a huge disappointment. This was only highlighted by Blackie's instant and obvious exhaustion during a brash and ballsy L.O.V.E Machine. The second half of the show ran as encores, with only Take Me Up Inside You from the new album making an appearance beside old faves Wild Child and Blind in Texas.
And then they were gone. They hit the stage for a scant hour and a half, including interval. Many among the crowd voiced their disappointment, including Eddie from London who said, "That's not good, man, not good. I feel really ripped off." Many around us agreed.
I love W.A.S.P. I love the raw sexual quality of their music, whatever the line-up. My greatest wish is still to cook dinner and offer interesting dessert (of ANY kind) to Blackie Lawless, regardless of his age and physical attributes. He still lights my fire. But maybe he should seriously consider leaving the fireworks to younger, fitter folk who can give fans the live experience and value they deserve.
Of course, he could really focus that massive talent and create The Neon God: The Musical. In theatres. Now that I would pay good money to see.
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| Overall rating: |
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5.5 |
| Performance: |
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3.0 |
| Sound: |
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9.0 |
| Crowd Response: |
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8.0 |
| Overall: |
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2.0 |
Reviewed by Krissy
November 04, 2007
Last updated: November 04, 2007
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