I went to my last concert of 2022 Wednesday night in Columbus, Ohio.
Both bands were incredible.
Armored Saint started the show with an almost solid hour of old and new songs and just rocked the place.
Singer John Bush to me is as great a vocalist as Rob Halford, Ronnie James, Dio, Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate, Paul Rodgers, you name them.
Guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan are a phenomenal guitar team, bassist Joey Vera is one of my favorite bassists, and Gonzo Sandoval (Phil’s brother) is a powerhouse on the kit. They seemed to have a great time.
And to top it all off, they’re all very nice people.
I was fortunate enough to be able to meet them at their VIP Meet and Greet hours before the show.
All of them were extremely personable and signed my CDs (I was told to only have 3 items to have signed but of course I saw they signed many things for the other fans in attendance at the VIP but that’s ok).
It was really great to meet them and to see them in concert. They truly do deliver the goods.
Then about 25-30 minutes after their set, W.A.S.P. played.
Again, the band sounded great and I know many online have complained they have not been playing long enough but trust me, they play a full set and I wasn’t upset with any of it or the song choices.
They played a medley of songs from the first album (W.A.S.P.) played songs from their second album, (The Last Command) and played a selection of songs from their 5th album The Crimson Idol, which is a big fan favorite.
They even played part of the famous/infamous song Animal (hadn’t been played live for many years) before playing their version of The Who classic The Real Me from their 4th album Headless Children.
They have cool looking circus banners on the sides of the stage, but they weren’t able to fit quite all of them onto this one, but that’s ok. Didn’t bother me at all. Stage sets are great but ultimately, I’m always there for the music, and they did not disappoint.
Founder/leader/singer/songwriter Blackie Lawless is great at what he does and he has a great group of players in his band. Guitarist Doug Blair, bassist Mike Duda, and drummer Aquiles Priester.
Blackie even had his huge mic stand that he calls Elvis. Really cool looking.
W.A.S.P. had not played in America for at least 10 years or more (they play a lot in Europe and many other places overseas).
Blackie told the crowd the reason was promoters didn’t think there was enough interest in them playing here.
However, Blackie also said many fans bandied together and told promoters that they were interested and as it turned out, they were and are because many of the shows on this American tour have sold out. Including the one I attended.
So I hope this means that W.A.S.P. will play in America more often from here on out.
Either way, I’m soooooo glad they did this time.
All concerts that I go to are always fun, but this one was definitely one of favorites.
Both of these bands are great, have great discographies, and are still going strong.
This show was sooo much fun.
Thank you W.A.S.P. and Armored Saint for all the great albums, the memories, this show, and more in the future.
