Oh boy, are you guys ready for some serious nostalgia? 🤯 W.A.S.P. just kicked off their “1984 To Headless” 2026 U.S. and Canada tour with KK’S PRIEST, and I’m not sure if I should be excited or concerned for my hearing (and my sanity). The tour started last night (Thursday, September 10) at The Magnolia in El Cajon, California, and from what I’ve heard, it was a wild ride. 🎸
The 17-song setlist was a trip down memory lane, with most of the songs coming from W.A.S.P.’s first four albums – 1984’s “W.A.S.P.”, 1985’s “The Last Command”, 1986’s “Inside The Electric Circus”, and 1989’s “The Headless Children”. They even opened with URIAH HEEP’s “Easy Livin'”, a song they covered on “Inside The Electric Circus” but had never played live before. Because, you know, why not? 🤔
But wait, it gets better. Blackie Lawless and his bandmates also played “Mr. Cool”, a song that originally appeared on a demo from Lawless’s pre-W.A.S.P. band SISTER, which later evolved into the track “Cries In The Night” from “The Last Command”. Yeah, because that’s not confusing at all. 🙄 Before playing “Mr. Cool”, Lawless told the crowd: “I was about 18 years old when I wrote this song. And a bunch of interesting things happened along the way. We did a demo of it. It got released as a single by a band that Chris [Holmes, ex-W.A.S.P. guitarist] and I had a long time ago called SISTER. It got sold for $5,000. And I have never, ever played this song live. So I’m doing this for me, and I hope you like it. This is ‘Mr. Cool’.” Aww, thanks Blackie, we’re touched. 🙏
The Setlist: A Journey Through Time
The setlist for the September 10, 2026 concert at The Magnolia in El Cajon, California was as follows:
01. “Easy Livin'” (URIAH HEEP cover) (from 1986’s “Inside The Electric Circus”)
02. “Fistful Of Diamonds” (from 1985’s “The Last Command”)
03. “The Flame” (from 1984’s “W.A.S.P.”)
04. “Mr. Cool” (pre-W.A.S.P. demo song)
05. “B.A.D.” (from 1984’s “W.A.S.P.”)
06. “Thunderhead” (from 1989’s “The Headless Children”)
07. “Forever Free” (from 1989’s “The Headless Children”)
08. “The Real Me” (THE WHO cover) (from 1989’s “The Headless Children”)
09. “The Headless Children” (from 1989’s “The Headless Children”)
10. “Mephisto Waltz” (from 1989’s “The Headless Children”)
11. “I Wanna Be Somebody” (from 1984’s “W.A.S.P.”)
12. “L.O.V.E. Machine” (from 1984’s “W.A.S.P.”)
13. “Inside The Electric Circus” (from 1986’s “Inside The Electric Circus”)
14. “I Don’t Need No Doctor” (Nick Ashford cover) (from 1986’s “Inside The Electric Circus”)
15. “Golgotha” (from 2015’s “Golgotha”)
16. “Wild Child” (from 1985’s “The Last Command”)
17. “Blind In Texas” (from 1985’s “The Last Command”)
Blackie Lawless: The Mastermind Behind the Madness
In a February 2026 appearance on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, Blackie stated about the “1984 To Headless” tour: “It was an idea that we had back in, like, 2018, but when we started doing the groundwork on it, we were rudely interrupted by COVID. And so all that had to be pulled, and when it was time to go out again in ’22, it was time to move on because that was our 40th anniversary. So we took this idea and we put it on the back burner. And so we’re gonna do it again right now.” Yeah, because the world was just missing a W.A.S.P. tour. 🙄
Blackie also talked about the setlist, saying: “Oh, yeah. The best-laid plans of mice and men — you never know what’s gonna happen until you get into rehearsal. But if I have my way, we’re gonna start with some of the tracks off ‘The Headless Children’ and work backwards from there. So, I wanna establish that upfront, that you’re gonna hear stuff that you have not heard probably for 39, 40 years. So, to me, like I said, I wanna establish that upfront.” Wow, I’m so excited to hear songs that I’ve never heard before… said no one ever. 😴
When asked if he had already given any thought as to what W.A.S.P.’s setlist might look like for “1984 To Headless”, Blackie said: “It’s hard, because every time you put a setlist together, you’re asking yourself, ‘If I was coming to a show, what would I wanna hear?’ And you gotta be careful not to get into deep tracks too much, because you have to take kind of an average of what you think people wanna hear, because… And I’ve told this story a bunch of times as well, but it always bears repeating that you hear people that wanna hear obscure B-sides; I mean, we’re talking deep, deep tracks now.” Yeah, because that’s exactly what people want to hear – obscure B-sides. 🙄
Blackie continued: “It’s hard, because you have to be careful not to get too self-indulgent to do the things that they wanna do because those people… I look at it nowadays. It’s not just the money for the ticket. People have been working all day. They gotta get up, get off their butts, get out there. That’s the big thing. And if you’re gonna coax ’em to go into those shows, you better give them what they came there to hear. So if you’ve got inklings of trying to be self-indulgent and playing deep, deep, deep stuff off those records, you might wanna rethink that again. Because, like I said, you got an obligation to give people what they want. Hey, they’re the ones — like I said, they’re not just paying for it. They’re paying for it with their time to get up, get their butts ready and get to that show. It’s a lot of preparation.” Wow, Blackie, you’re so considerate of your fans’ time and money. 🙏
After host Eddie Trunk suggested that W.A.S.P.’s fanbase is composed of “an older audience for the most part”, Blackie said: “Well, we’ve been lucky because we’ve been able to turn audiences over. But I would say probably a third of our audience is maybe some of the original people that were there. So whether it’s them or whoever it is, I would imagine they’re getting their money from somewhere, so they probably got a job. So, like I said, to get them out of the house, especially on a weekday, you better give ’em what they came for.” Yeah, because that’s exactly what older fans want – a bunch of old songs they’ve heard a million times before. 🙄
When “1984 To Headless” was first announced in February 2026, Blackie said in a statement: “It’s hard to express the genuine excitement I’m feeling in describing the ‘1984 To Headless’ U.S. tour. Playing those songs from those first four albums in a combined package like this is something we’ve never attempted before. In addition to the songs, the entire stage show will look like the album covers from those records will come alive… right right before your eyes! Complete with all the history and bombastic live presentations that’s made this band one of the great live bands in the theatrical rock world. When elements of those album covers start to come alive, right on the stage before the people, it’s gonna be something they’ll not soon forget!” Wow, that sounds like a real blast from the past… said no one ever. 🙄
Blackie also added: “I’m also equally thrilled to bring KK’S PRIEST and those iconic hits onboard for all the fall 2026 U.S. shows. Both bands together on the same stage on the same night — where do I get my ticket? It’s gonna make the ‘1984 To Headless’ tour one for the rock ages!” Yeah, because what’s more exciting than two old bands playing a bunch of old songs? 🙄
W.A.S.P. is again offering fans VIP tickets that give fans a chance to meet Blackie, get a personal photo with Blackie, autographs, a W.A.S.P. traveling museum with new items added since the last U.S. tour, and take part in a very personal Q&A with Blackie. VIP tickets can be purchased at waspnation.myshopify.com. Because, you know, who doesn’t want to pay extra to meet Blackie and get a bunch of overpriced merchandise? 🤑
W.A.S.P. will take the “1984 To Headless” tour to Europe and the rest of the world in 2027. Because, you know, the world just can’t get enough of W.A.S.P. 🌎
In conclusion, if you’re a die-hard W.A.S.P. fan, you’ll probably love this tour. But if you’re anyone else, you might want to stick with something a bit more… modern. 🤷♂️ Either way, it’s gonna be a wild ride, and I’m just here for the memes. 🤣
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
