W.A.S.P. stings Boston with an electrifying set at House of Blues

W.A.S.P., with KK’s Priest, at House of Blues, Boston, Sept. 29, 2026.

Shock rock acts like W.A.S.P. never die. They just sharpen their saw blades to dig even deeper into their catalogues — and into critics’ nerves.

A primary target of the controversial Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) in the mid-’80s, W.A.S.P. showed the Marilyn Mansons of the world just how it’s done, unleashing an electrifying blitz of rock and roll debauchery Tuesday at Citizens House of Blues.

Celebrating their 44th anniversary, Tipper Gore’s all-time favorite band powered their way through a furious, albeit brisk, 16-song, 80-minute set in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

Performing show 17 of their “1984 to Headless Tour,” the band changed things up slightly during their latest trek across North America, focusing primarily on their first four studio albums. The hard-rocking quartet dusted off several buried classics and choice cuts along the way, much to the delight of all the diehards in the audience.

Founding member Blackie Lawless was in fine form. Despite suffering some recent health issues have left the future of the band in doubt, the 70-year-old frontman was energized, ripping through a rousing rendition of Uriah Heep’s “Easy Livin’” to open the show.

When he wasn’t standing at the helm of his monstrous microphone stand “Elvis,” Lawless engaged the audience, skipping across the stage with his trusty B.C. Rich in hand.  Dressed in all black, with saw blades on each arm and wearing tan, leather-tasseled cowboy boots, the singer commanded the stage with authority. His familiar snarl and cadence were bolstered by some well-placed backing tracks covering the harmonies. Meanwhile, his band helped drive his heavy-metal agenda home on fist-pumpers “Fistful of Diamonds” and “The Flame” off the band’s infamous 1984 self-titled debut.

Lead guitarist Doug Blair is no stranger to these kinds of theatrics. The veteran six-stringer has mastered Chris Holmes’ sizzling riffs note-for-note on “Mr. Cool,” “On Your Knees,” and anthemic cuts like “I Wanna Be Somebody.” He also pulled off some Herculean guitar work on “Wild Child.” It’s never easy trying to fill a legend’s sizable boots, but Blair was up to the task.

Longtime bassist Mike Duda, who has been in the band for over three decades now, kept the back end sharp on the punchy Who cover “The Real Me.” Drummer Aquiles Priester maintained the pace behind the kit on up-tempo rocker “L.O.V.E. Machine.” His take on “Inside the Electric Circus” would have even impressed his predecessor, the late, great Steve Riley (a Revere native).

Missing from the set was the band’s scandalous single “Animal (F—k Like A Beast),” a key focus of Tipper Gore and the PMRC. Since converting to Christianity, Lawless has refrained from playing the curse-riddled tune live since 2023.

Truth be told, they didn’t need it — they filled the void with even stronger buried classics from the band’s past.

But it wasn’t until the band dug deep into its “Headless Children” era that they really hit their stride.  

The quartet launched into a high-powered medley starting with the raucous “Thunderhead,” complete with its catchy chorus. Not missing a beat, they shifted gears on the uplifting acoustic ballad “Forever Free,” before taking it home on The Who’s classic cover “The Real Me,” capping an impressive rock and roll trifecta.

The title track “The Headless Children” brought it all together, both sonically and visually. The tune’s theme treads more into Iron Maiden territory — less about sex, drugs and rock and roll than their usual output — but still packs a formidable punch over 30 years later. The accompanying video enhanced all of this, with W.A.S.P.’s hellacious album cover coming to life digitally.

Unlike past tours, which have featured raw meat thrown into the crowd and on-stage torture racks, the big prop reveal this time was a dummy of Adolf Hitler sitting in an electric chair. Blackie wasted no time pulling the switch on Adolf: The dummy buckled and writhed in pain as smoke billowed around it, while the words “Never Again” appeared on the big screen.

Released in 1989, “The Headless Children” album remains rich and relevant and W.A.S.P.’s crowning musical achievement, at least in this writer’s opinion.  

When they weren’t knee-deep in some heavy-handed theatrics, Blackie and the boys also managed to keep things light and loose. From the Ashford and Simpson cover “I Don’t Need No Doctor” to the country-western swagger of the encore “Blind in Texas,” it was all good clean fun in between electrocutions.

KK’s Priest set the bar high as heavy metal openers, wheeling and dealing through a blistering hour-long set.

Lead guitarist K.K. Downing, 74, cut right to the chase, firing off one Judas Priest hit after another, showcasing his fretboard wizardry on his former band’s classics. 

Sporting a black leather outfit with more studs than your standard-issue dog collar, Downing covered all the bases, from set opener “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” and gang sing-along “Breaking the Law” to the equally anthemic “Living After Midnight.”

Lead singer Tim “Ripper” Owens continues doing what he does best, covering Rob Halford classics like “Victim of Changes” and “Turbo Lover” with a fiery panache.

As for W.A.S.P., if Tuesday’s show was any indication, they will remain the worst nightmare of “The Washington Wives” for years to come.

Setlist for W.A.S.P. at Citizen’s House of Blues Boston, Sept. 29, 2026

• Easy Livin’ (Uriah Heep cover)
• Fistful of Diamonds
• The Flame
• Mr. Cool
• On Your Knees
• Thunderhead
• Forever Free
• The Real Me (The Who cover)
• The Headless Children
• Encore:
• I Wanna Be Somebody
• L.O.V.E. Machine
• Inside the Electric Circus
• I Don’t Need No Doctor (Nickolas Ashford cover)
• Golgotha
• Wild Child
• Blind in Texas

Setlist for KK’s Priest at Citizen’s House of Blues Boston, Sept. 29, 2026

• You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ (Judas Priest cover)
• Breaking the Law (Judas Priest cover)
• Living After Midnight (Judas Priest cover)
• Strike of the Viper
• One More Shot at Glory
• Hellfire Thunderbolt
• Heading Out to the Highway (Judas Priest cover)
• Beyond the Realms of Death (Judas Priest cover)
• The Sentinel (Judas Priest cover)
• Victim of Changes (Judas Priest cover)
• Turbo Lover (Judas Priest cover)
• Raise Your Fists

Christopher Hurley is a multimedia sports journalist and concert reviewer who covers local sports, the Bruins, and rock music.