W.A.S.P. Praises Trump, Freedom of Speech at NYC Concert-Turned MAGA Rally

W.A.S.P. Photo by Florian Stangl from Bayern, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons | Donald Trump Photo by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

W.A.S.P. Praises Trump, Freedom of Speech at NYC Concert-Turned MAGA Rally

ConcertsOlivia Perreault4 months ago

Heavy metal band W.A.S.P. boasted freedom of speech during a gig in New York City over the weekend, transforming the concert to a pro-Trump rally during the final song of the night.

W.A.S.P. performed at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday in celebration of the 40-year anniversary of their self-titled debut. Throughout the night, the group played the LP in its entirety, but before performing their final song “Blind in Texas,” frontman Blackie Lawless delved into a patriotic speech, hailing president-elect Donald Trump.

Lawless addressed the crowd, noting that “we are in the appropriate city to do this.”

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“When I was a little kid, growing up across the bay over here in Staten Island, I never, I never ever imagined that my time would come where I would be thrust into a situation where I had no control over,” Lawless said. “Now, it will be 40 years next year, there was a situation that happened, and it was called the PMRC. And there were hearings, there were hearings done in Washington, D.C. And two days later, Frank Zappa and myself stood on a stage just around the corner here and we talked about the evils that would come about them. Because censorship is an ugly, ugly thing. And it ain’t just in music. It happens in all forms of life.”

Lawless touched on the first amendment, which “guarantees freedom of speech.” He said that “our founding fathers were genius enough to know that if you can control speech, you can control thought,” calling them “great men.” However, over two centuries later, he said “we have a situation in the last six, eight years, we find censorship again rearing its ugly, ugly head.”

“Tonight, you may not be aware, but right next door to us over here in the Garden, there is a man who has undergone attempt after attempt, assassinations on his life, and this man has stood up for this country,” Lawless said, speaking of Trump, who was attending the UFC fight.

“Now, I got two things that I’m passionate about the most,” Lawless continued. “One of them is freedom of speech. And the other one is about being a patriot. Because I’m here to tell you, I don’t care if you’re Republican, Democrat, Independent, you need to be a patriot of this country. I’m willing to die for this country. I believe in it that much. And that man next door, he believes in it too.”

Following Lawless’ speech, the band transferred into their final song, revealing a backdrop of four giant “Trump 2024” banners. Additionally, the screen behind the band displayed a photo of Trump raising his fist in the air after he was grazed in the ear by a bullet in an assassination attempt earlier this year.

| READ: Will the Election Impact Live Nation’s Antitrust Case? | 

The final song looked more like a Trump rally than a concert. While some of the crowd cheered in unity, and others raised their middle fingers at Lawless.

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W.A.S.P. fans took to social media to share their opinions on the politically-charged speech. Opinions were mixed; some praising the band, and others others called the events “cringe” and said the band “ruined” the show.

Political opinions have been in high focus this year in the entertainment industry; Green Day triggered the wrath of right-wing commentators online for railing against the “MAGA” agenda and Trump during a concert in Washington D.C. earlier this year. During the show, a fan tossed frontman Billie Joe Armstrong a mask of Trump with the word “idiot” written across the forehead. Armstrong held it up to the crowd and roared.

| READ: Op-Ed: Choosing Between an Artist and Politics at a Show | 

Additionally, during “American Idiot,” Armstrong changed the lyrics from “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of a MAGA agenda,” referencing Trump’s notorious slogan: “Make America Great Again.” Conservatives took to social media to express their frustration, with many focusing on the mask of Trump being held by Armstrong in an “insensitive” way just two weeks after the former president was targeted by an assassination attempt at a rally.

Tenacious D also made headlines after Kyle Gass made a comment referencing Trump’s assassination. When asked what he would wish for on his birthday, Gass told the Australian crowd: “Don’t miss Donald Trump next time.”After a furious conservative reaction to the comments, bandmate Jack Black issued a statement saying he would never condone violence, and the duo’s remaining tour dates were called off.

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