Fans following W.A.S.P.‘s 40th-anniversary tour have probably noticed something off about the band’s frontman, Blackie Lawless. The hard-rock singer recently opened up on the W.A.S.P. Nation website about a health issue affecting his performances and offered an update on the band’s tour.
It turns out that Lawless has been performing with a herniated disc in his lower back, something he attributes to an old injury from a badly handled procedure ten years ago. Despite the pain, Lawless has been pushing through the performances, a testament to his sports background, which taught him to tough it out. But the pain has been growing, and it’s becoming more difficult for him to conceal it on stage.
The condition was confirmed via an M.R.I. in Berlin, and doctors strongly suggested that Lawless take a break. But for Lawless, stopping the tour was not an option. The singer even agreed to several Epidural spinal injections, a risky procedure that could lead to paralysis if done improperly. Despite the intense pain of these injections and his pain on stage, he and his doctors devised a compromise to finish the remaining dates of performances sitting down.
Blackie Lawless’ words about W.A.S.P. and his ‘serious setback’ read:
“As many of you already know, I had a serious setback at the hands of a very unqualified doctor here in Europe about 2 weeks into the tour. I’ve been receiving treatment at a hospital in Berlin, and that team of Doctors has been nothing short of fantastic. But, at the same time, they strongly advised me to stop the tour and go back to L.A. and begin my rehab.
But it’s hard for them to understand this is the only 40th Anniversary I’m ever going to get, not to mention the fans that have stood by us this entire time have waited over 3 years, and because of the pandemic, suffered 3 different sets of tour postponements. I go back to Berlin on Friday for 2 days for more treatments which means both the shows in Italy will be missed.”
He added:
“At the start, the doctors there told me without rest and rehab; I would definitely get worse. As hard as I’ve pushed through these shows, they were right. The show last night in Zurich was cut short by 2 songs, and I do apologize for that, but the pain reached a point where I could no longer perform, and it lasted throughout the entire show. My legs were giving out on me, and it got dangerous. I will not be able to stand to do the remaining 5 shows, so the compromise I reached with the doctors was if I would stay seated in a chair to do these last 5, then they would give me clearance to finish the tour and do those remaining 5 shows.
I’ve never done this before, but please understand my intention is to finish this tour, come hell or high water, and give this incredibly dedicated fan base that has been with us from the beginning the show they have all heard about. Plus, we’re going to build the chair into ‘Elvis.’ Hey, he’s been with us the whole time, and he will finish this tour right beside me because he’s basically one of the band.
But, as frustrating as this all has been, I can’t wait to get into rehab and then destroy America again on the 2nd and final leg of the ’40th Anniversary World Tour’!! We are coming back, and we’re coming to hurt somebody!!”
Despite the physical challenges, Lawless is determined to deliver the performances that W.A.S.P.’s dedicated fans await. His resilience is apparent, as is his anticipation for the rehab process and the subsequent American leg of the tour that will undoubtedly take place as soon as he is back on his feet.
