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 like that. All I can say is that you

think you've seen some wild things already, just give us time, you won't believe your eyes" This quote was said around 'The Last Command' era, and how right he was, especially when you

look at the Kill Fuck Die 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 4: .....Then throwing it out to the audience!

On the first tour Blackie would slit the throat of a woman tied to a rack. It 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 (Las Vegas for example). A tamer version of

the rack act can be seen in the film 'Dungeonmaster'. Blackie would also bring out a box of raw meat and start chopping it up with an axe (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

meat? 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

quarters!!! Blackie didn't mind recieving these gifts, he once said "its not that I really mind, but what I wanna know is, how do they get these things in the arenas in the first place"

Other 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 TROUBADOUR in Hollywood, they asked the Red Cross 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 excepted, 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. Once 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 (I Fuck Like a Beast) record. The blade runs all the way under, and of course it was impossible for him to sit down.

THE LAST COMMAND TOUR

Left Pic & Right Pic: The giant severed heads!

The Last Command tour saw less blood and no rack. However there were four massive heads of each of the band members, the heads severed (like the illustration in the Last Command 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 lazers came out of their eyes). They were a good stage prop though, wonder where

they went? The flag on the drum kit says 'Who Dares Win".

Blackie swapped his chainsaw cod piece for a more sensible one, but the chainsaw blades remained on his arms. It was once said he had cut himself badly around 3 times with his costume, once in Finland he had sliced his finger to the bone. Blackie once quoted that the other members were more scared to approach him, than he was wearing the stuff, he said "They're the ones that

have to worry about it - not me. They've learnt boy. They see me coming and it's like the parting of the red sea"

 

THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS TOUR

Left Pic & Right Pic: Blackie with his exploding cod piece Middle: The 'Circus' Stage show

The Electric Circus 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 jewelled adorned exploding one. Didn't someone once say 'If you play with fire you burn?'.....Anyway during a show in Dublin.

Blackie's exploding cod piece kind of (um!.)exploded the wrong way, leaving Blackie almost Serprano!! He burnt the tops of his legs and his bottom, and could only lay on his side. He said he was still going to continue using the stunt and said "I was in great pain, but I guess thats showbiz!"

MONSTERS OF ROCK, Castle Donington, U.K August 22nd 1987

Left Pic: Blackie climbs up to reveal the woman Middle Pic: Blackie slits the ladies throat

Right Pic: After the ritual with Blackie covered in the woman's blood The Monsters of Rock show at Castle Donington was W.A.S.P's first ever festival. It was also the

first time the 'rack' was used since the first tour. In 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 Donington

appearance:- 'The Corpse-Grinder" Blackie told a U.K rock magazine:-

"What happens is we do the rack, cut the girls head off, slam the doors of the rack, and everyone thinks its done. But during the next song I open the doors, cut her down, throw her over my

shoulder. This hideous box rolls out from the other side of the stage, I throw her in and hit a button, and it spits her all over the audience"

This act was not aloud to happen, because of obvious reason (the PMRC) and Bon Jovi'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 £2000 worth of damage, by trashing the stage with their guitars and amps. Q} The reason for all this bad behaviour? A} Doningtons 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 HEADLESS CHILDREN TOUR

Left Pic : Blackie Right Pic : Chris Middle Pic: Headless backdrop with pyrotechnics galore!!

The Headless Children Tour saw W.A.S.P.'s stage show take a 360 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

"The Heretic (The lost Child)". Throughout the show the video screen shows disturbing and hard hitting images from the major

embarrassments of world history. The likes of Hitler and Hummler to news-reel clips from Vietnam to various Klan members.

In the song "Thunderhead" the screen shows images of dying junkies and crack smokers. Blackie preaches about the danger of drugs and receives a massive applause (even from photographers

and the security guys). The Headless Children saw W.A.S.P.'s stage show in a new dimension and showed people (especially the PMRC) that W.A.S.P. really did care about what was going on in the world.

The slogan for The Headless Children Tour was: "The music is loud - The message is clear".

THE CRIMSON IDOL TOUR

Left Pic & Right Pic: Blackie playing with pure emotionMiddle Pic: Johnny & Stet & The Crimson Idol backdrops

The U.K tours stage backdrop consisted of a large canvas of the album cover of The Crimson Idol, which half way through the show (when all the songs from Crimson had been played) reverted to

the same backdrop as seen on The Electric Circus Tour. There was no cod piece, blood, etc - Just pure musical talent!

There were plans that there was going to be a mirror/video screen showing clips of the film of The Story of Jonathan. (Not sure if this happened in the U.S. Please let us know)

The Slogan for The Crimson Idol was "Be careful what you wish for...it may come true"

KILL FUCK DIE TOUR 1997

Left Pic: The nun awaits the HORROR during 'Kill your Pretty Face' Middle Pic: The nun after her rape (poor soul!)

Right Pic: Marilyn Manson gets the treatment he deserves (only joking!) at the WASP CON 98*

On the 97 Kill Fuck Die Tour, WASP's stage antics were wilder than ever! Whilst in the song 'Kill your Pretty Face' 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 Horror' begins......In the European shows in early 97, Blackie would rape the nun, then place his face between her legs and bring out a bloody fetus. He 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 Marilyn Manson what real psycho-drama was all about!

A alternative version to the nun was seen at the WASP Con in New Jersey in September 98, where Blackie replaced the nun with a life size figure of Marilyn Manson. Blackie dragged the doll (by a

noose) around the stage, and rapes Manson from behind (Cough!) with his knife cod piece. Eventually he rips the doll open to reveal the fetus. At the end of the show he tears Manson head off, pulls out his brain, and let the blood run from the severed head into his mouth and down his

chest!

Left Pic: The pig after the chop! Middle Pic: Blackie shows off his prize to the audience!

Below Pic: Blackie surrounded by the feathers he had just thrown over the audience

The nun was not the only one who had a nightmare on the KFD tour, so did the pig! In the song 'The Horror' 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 prize to the pleased audience, and then brings out a pillow full of

feathers.....He covers the crowd, a excellent effect - but sure as hell hard to get out of your clothes after ;) ha ha!

* The Lawless/Manson pic was taken from the site , where you can purchase a copy of W.A.S.P's live performance at the W.A.S.P Con

(which includes the Manson rape!)

THE HELLDORADO TOUR 1999

Left & Right Pic: Blackie after his blood/skull stunt! Middle Pic: The horned skull mike stand!

....WELCOME TO HELL! So what antics did we get up to this time? 1) Rack - No! 2) Pig - No! 3) Nun - No! 4) Raw meat - No! 5) Kick Ass Rock N Roll - YES, YES, YES!!!!

The Helldorado shows have been pure rock n roll at its finest. The atmosphere at the shows have been overwhelming!! Out of all the W.A.S.P. shows we have attended (and this being number 7)

this one has been one of the most enjoyable - we got the perfect mixture 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 mixture 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 Europe W.A.S.P. threw a mixture of earth with live worms out into the audience (however unsure if this is

true).