W.A.S.P./KK’s Priest: Fox Performing Arts Center - Riverside, CA - 9/12/26
Heavy metal bands W.A.S.P. and KK’s Priest announced a tour together. W.A.S.P. will be playing the hits from their first four albums from their 1984 self-titled debut album to 1989’s The Headless Children. KK’s Priest features Judas Priest alumni and legend KK Downing as well as ex-Judas Priest singer Tim “Ripper” Owens. The third stop on the tour was at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, California.
KK's Priest came out and played a snippet of one of Judas Priest's best songs, "You Got Another Thing Comin'." The fans were on their feet and cheered to see two legends on stage. The first full song was another one of Judas Priest's best song and one of the greatest songs in metal, "Breaking the Law." Fans were chanting the chorus that is easy to sing along to and memorize. To continue the Judas Priest assault, they next played "Living After Midnight." Once again, fans loved singing along to the chorus and rocking out. To mix it up a bit, the band played some songs off their records. Some of those songs included "Hellfire Thunderbolt," "One More Shot at Glory," and "Strike of the Viper." The entire band was on point and sounded like a classic heavy metal band. Going back to Judas Priest classic, they continued the show with "Beyond the Realms of Death," "The Sentinel," "Victim of Changes," and "Turbo Lover." Singer Tim "Ripper" Owens did a phenomenal job nailing the high notes required to sing the songs. Guitarist and metal legend KK Downing still plays to perfection and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Their performance came to an end with "Raise Your Fists." The band thanked the audience for coming out and then left the stage. Halfway done and now time for the main band of the night.
The lights went out and the packed venue cheered as the members of W.A.S.P. made their way to the stage. The first song performed was a Uriah Heep cover of "Easy Livin'." After that, they jumped into the W.A.S.P. catalog starting with "Fistful of Diamonds" followed by "The Flame." Blackie Lawless' huge mic stand is always impressive to look at. For the third song, Blackie made note on how he wrote this song when he was 18 and was sued for it, but was now performing it for himself. That song was "Mr. Cool" and it was a real treat to have on the setlist since it was performed live for the first time ever! The show continued with the classics including "B.A.D.," "Thunderhead," "Forever Free," and "The Headless Children." Blackie Lawless told the audience to have a good night and all seemed quiet. After a few minutes, W.A.S.P. came back out to play some more classics. Up first was "I Wanna Be Somebody" which is easily their most popular song. It was no surprise to see the audience singing along. The next song to sing along to was L.OV.E. Machine and is also one of the best songs performed live by W.A.S.P. and easy to rock out to. During the ending of "Inside the Electric Circus," Blackie removed a tarp on an object which revealed a character strapped to an electric chair who was inevitably shocked. One thing you'll notice is how parents brought their kids to the show to raise them on good music and continue the tradition of going to shows. Nearing the end of the show, W.A.S.P. played "Wild Child" and the fans once again loved singing along to this awesome song. The grand finale of the show was when W.A.S.P. played “Blind in Texas.” W.A.S.P. finished their set, thanked the audience, and then left the stage. Two amazing metal bands together makes for a legendary night. The tour is still underway, so be sure to go check out the tour if it comes near you!
