After W.A.S.P‘s 2022 tour was completed, fans started sharing their reviews on the shows and questioning the former members’ opinions. When asked what he thought, the band’s former drummer, Steve Riley, expressed his disappointment with the concerts on Syncin’ Stanley Youtube.
The band celebrated their 40th anniversary with their fans through an America tour after ten years, and people had a few things to say about the performances as Blackie Lawless was observed to use backing tracks. With his confirmation on the topic, fans wanted to know whether W.A.S.P. used backing tracks before, and Steve Riley satisfied their curiosity.
In a video message, Riley claimed they never used backing tracks or lip-syncing when he was in the band. After explaining that the lead vocalist might have needed them to improve the performance due to his age, the drummer stated that Blackie Lawless was, regardless, a good artist.
He started stating his opinions as follows:
“When I was in W.A.S.P. from ’83 to ’87, whenever we played live, we never did any lip-syncing. We never used any backing tracks, and you know what, if Blackie is using that right now, we’re a little bit older; maybe he needs it to make his show go off better. But the guy’s a terrific artist and a great musician. All the power to him, but no, we never used it. We never did any lip-syncing, no backing tracks.”
The band’s former drummer also added that he was disappointed with the 40th anniversary because it did not include the former members Chris Holmes and Randy Piper. Articulating his respect for Lawless again, Riley indicated that this type of anniversary could have been more controlled to include ‘the original guys.’
To express his disappointment, the musician said:
“They also had this 40th anniversary. [It] kind of disappointed me [that] Chris and Randy aren’t doing that. I thought that if you’re going to have that type of anniversary, [you] might as well have a little bit of a controlled 20-40 show things with the original guys. I think the fans would have really liked it, you know what I’m saying. But again, whatever you’re going to do, I got nothing but respect for Blackie. The guy gave me a big break by getting me in the band back in ’83, and I wish them all the luck.”
Steve Riley was disappointed about not seeing Chris Holmes and Randy Piper at W.A.S.P’s 40th-anniversary tour. Still, the drummer appreciated the band and the lead vocalist, Blackie Lawless, for their artistry and performance, wishing them good luck.
