W.A.S.P.,В Bastardolomey
27.10.2010, Festivalna hall, Sofia - Bulgaria

words by Alexandrina Georgieva, photo: Georgi Georgiev

“You must be crazy to say you love me”, claimed Blackie Lawless and waved his finger around his forehead. Crazy or not, more than 3000 people this night sang, screamed and headbanged, showing their love to W.A.S.P.

In return they received a short, thick and polished to perfection set, energetic like a kick in the kidneys.

But before we go to it, we pass over BASTARDOLOMEY. Or they pass over us. Like a roll over a snail. One-fourth of our concert-party is sent forward to take photos, the rest of us is strategically positioned in front of the stage – here is perfect to collect drumsticks, according to the colleague at my right.

ArВ u tokin tu mei?

Meanwhile I am trying to catch the mood of the audience. I see nothing surprising – the people are waiting for W.A.S.P. and they don’t seem very acquainted with the opening act.

But Nufri and Co. are nailing so hard that I can’t understand how his hat is not flying in circles around him. Their potent and hardly erected groove isn’t just warming us but it’s blowing heads away.

And if Babylon wasn’t burning from early, we could help it burn. Just Blackie has to wish so.

Because the Bulgarian fan loves Lawless and is dying to shout his name to the top of his lungs. Regardless the dispassion of the singer during the concert and the disappointingly shortened setlist.

And nevertheless if the mentioned fan is a 20-years old kid, a lady that could be its mother, enamoured rock couple or an old concert-wolf.

There are bands that are loved all over our country. Especially when their return many times. Because, as the silver-haired from concert wisdom Hamish shared, “Even if Blackie just stands still again he does a dialogue with the freaked out crowd before him.”

Be somebody

But the excessive devotion at one point becomes… well, excessive. My dear oldschool metalhead, I do understand yhat you have come to a concert of a favorite band and you want to have fun.

But try to understand that clashing your overweight mass with the fragile bodies of women and girls who obviously do not want to participate in a moshpit, is not gentlemanly.

Blackie certainly wouldn’t do it. It is more like that he’d tell you: “Bad boy, very bad boy, shame on you!” And you don’t want HIM to think this way for YOU, do you?

Well, I doubt he does it really. He is occupied to surprise us with his stable all this years voice and the crazing on the stage. It’s a fact that he is sparing his words and emotions.

But there are three other facts – he sings (if not something else) like a beast, he makes killing music and he presents it perfectly. 

The setlist hides no surprises but if something is working why should one change it? Favorite classics cross paths with hitting track from the last album, On Your Knees, The Real Me and L.O.V.E. Machine kick us to full throttle, and Crazy and Live To Die Another Day fit great between them.

The first chords of Wild Child raise loud roar from the crowd, the hands are high and the mind is in the sky. Then the face of Hitler appears on the screens and my jaw drops down until my brain catches up with the thought that this is the video for Babylon’s Burning. But this is the last attempt for rationality.

They start The Idol and a part of the people remain silent as if out of respect before the greatness of the album. But not for long. A few seconds later in the raised hands there appear cigarette lighters I barely notice headbanging, only sinking in the epic of the idol. For a moment everyone loses self in the magic. Being crazy in paradise is easy… 

Immediately, as if contrary to the last sentence, Blackie yells: “I wanna be somebody!” the next injected dose of the thing that is ours, favorite and before last time the hall shakes of the enthusiasm of the thousands inside.

Before last because after the mind-blowing encore with Chainsaw Charlie and the touching Heaven’s Hung In Black, we explode really for last time. Blind in Texas.

Cult, rock and pure pleasure. In this very moment I doubt that there are any displeased people in “Festivalna”.

Then it’s silence and darkness. I am sure there will be additional comments but W.A.S.P. won’t be there to hear. But I bet that many people will appear again when the band returns. Forever in our hearts a fire burning, huh?

GALLERY