WASP with Special Guests Armored Saint at the Fillmore, Silver Spring
Photography By: Leia Cunningham
On Friday, November 22nd, Maryland was graced with a two-headed monster of heavy metal legends – a tour package with WASP coming through on their Album ONE Alive tour with support from Armored Saint - a show that was well worth the wait in the cold as lines wrapped around the building in anticipation.
The night started off with an absolute bang, as Armored Saint brought the heavy-hitting riffs and high energy from the very second the lights went up and they played the first notes of End of the Attention Span. And despite the fact the band has been around since 1982, there was no indicator of slowing down to be seen - there was more energy and movement on that stage than I’ve seen in acts thirty to forty years their junior. Singer John Bush’s raspy, soaring vocals are as great as ever. A personal favorite was March of the Saint.
The setlist was jam-packed full of heavy hitters from across their discography and really set the tone for the night. There was even a moment when Bush came out and sang from the second floor balcony. It was honestly hard to believe that this was the supporting act, as they delivered like a headliner and the crowd was absolutely loving every second of it as they finished with Can U Deliver and Reign of Fire.
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Then, after much anticipation WASP took the stage, with every bit of dramatics and set-dressing that it felt straight out of their 80’s music videos they had projected behind them. It was every bit of the spectacle that they garnered their reputation for in their long-spanning career.
It was honestly surreal to see them start a show with I Wanna Be Somebody – a sentiment shared with Blackie Lawless himself, as he said he couldn’t quite believe it, but that the band wanted to deliver to the fans something special - their first album, in it’s entirety, from top to bottom to honor the 40th anniversary. The crowd loved every moment, and the enthusiasm was palpable- even through the last notes of The Torture Never Stops. They followed up with an Encore set that was full of more WASP favorites like Wild Child and Blind in Texas. It mentioned something (a full-album tour) like this might not ever be done again by the band, both through the marketing “One more time….One last Time….Album One Alive!” - and through statements Blackie shared between songs - and if that is the case, if one has the chance to catch this tour - go. This is an absolute spectacle from start to finish that is not to be missed.
