In the aftermath of Donald Trump being elected president a second time, we’ve seen multiple major musicians speak out against the man who’s been called a “wannabe dictator” by Jack White and a “convicted felon, rapist, bigot” by Madonna, but at least one well-known musician is a fan of his, and that’s Blackie Lawless, leader of the veteran heavy metal band W.A.S.P.. Lawless ended W.A.S.P.’s show at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday night (11/16) by giving a lengthy speech in praise of Trump before going into their 1985 song “Blind In Texas,” with Trump banners on stage behind the band and the photo of Trump standing up after being shot at in Pennsylvania projected onto the screen behind them.
“We’re gonna do something a little different tonight,” Lawless began. “We are in the appropriate city to do this. You know, it was Shakespeare that said, ‘Some are born to greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them.’ It was the Greek historian Herodotus who said ‘When it comes to tragedy and things like that, we do not rule circumstances. Circumstances rule us.’ Now 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. Now, it will be 40 years next year, there was a situation that happened, and it was called the PMRC,” he said, referring to to the infamous “Filthy Fifteen” list published by the PMRC (Parents’ Music Resource Center) in 1985 that had W.A.S.P.’s “Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)” on it, alongside songs by Madonna, Prince, AC/DC, Twisted Sister, Black Sabbath, Cyndi Lauper, and others that the committee deemed objectionable.
“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.”
“Now, down the street here in lower Manhattan, there’s a chapel down there,” Lawless continued. “It’s called the St. Paul’s Chapel. We now know it as the chapel from 9/11. But before that, when George Washington was elected the first president of the United States, after he was sworn in in the federal building, he walked into that street and he walked down to that chapel and he consecrated the United States of America to God Almighty right there on that spot.”
“The very first amendment of our constitution guarantees freedom of speech. Our founding fathers were genius enough to know that if you can control speech, you can control thought. And these men knew this. These were great men. Fast forward a couple hundred years, 250 almost, now we have a situation in the last six, eight years, we find censorship again rearing its ugly, ugly head. Now this time it’s on the internet, and it’s affecting every single one of us.”
“Tonight, you may not be aware, but right next door to us over here in [Madison Square] Garden, there is a man who has undergone attempt after attempt, assassinations on his life, and this man has stood up for this country,” he said, referring to Trump making an appearance at the UFC fight at MSG, as cheers and a “U-S-A!” chant broke out. “He’s right next door right now at the Garden.”
“Now, I got two things that I’m passionate about the most. One of them is that 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 am willing to die for this country. I believe in it that much. And that man next door, he believes in it too.”
“I only got one more thing to say before we go! ‘Cause I’m blind in Texas!,” he then shouted as the Trump banners dropped, the assassination photo hit the screen, and the band went into “Blind In Texas.”
Though W.A.S.P. received audible cheers from the crowd, others in attendance made it known that they did not approve. A photo on Reddit shows several fans in the front row giving Lawless the middle finger. Others on social media have voiced disapproval too. Shayne Mathis called it “the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen at a metal show.” Photographer The Tinfoil Biter, who was covering the show, wrote “Fuck you W.A.S.P” in an Instagram story, and added that photographers were told to stay for this last song “for something special to shoot.”
“I did NOT, as a poc female, consent to be at a spot where things can take a quick turn to be potentially not safe for mental/physical state,” she wrote. “I did NOT sign to come cover a TRUMP RALLY.”
“Fuck Blackie and the band,” wrote music journalist Zena Tsarfin in an Instagram story. “The tour is still going for three more weeks. This is who you’ll be supporting.”
Jackie Bett, vocalist of NJ punk/grind band Come Mierda, shared an Instagram story with a photo from the show and wrote, “FUCK W.A.S.P. Fuck you for ruining your own band for so many people. Fucking uneducated cornballs.”
You can see a video of the whole thing going down here, and pictures from the show by Mathieu Bredeau below:
Lololol you are not going to believe how W.A.S.P. ended their set tonight pic.twitter.com/JPoO7TZIKj
— Shayne Mathis (@MetalShayne2000) November 17, 2024
