W.A.S.P. To Play First-Ever Audience Request Set At U.K. HARD ROCK HELL Festival

The organizer of the U.K.'s Hard Rock Hell festival has revealed to Rock Radio that he has persuaded Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P. to play the band's first-ever request-only set at this year's event, which is scheduled to take place in December at Pontins in Prestatyn, Wales.

Promoter, organizer and director John Davis said: "We asked the fans what bands they wanted and for many reasons W.A.S.P. came top of the list. So we had a chat with Blackie and he wanted to do it. We said, 'We need to make it special because Hard Rock Hell is special.' So for the first time even he's going to do 'an audience with W.A.S.P.,' where the audience pick the track listing. It's a big thing for us. Some people might think it's not a big deal — but if you know how difficult things can be, it is a big thing. The problem is, I know what number one on the list is going to be — and it's a track he doesn't like to play. It's also a track I can't mention! But I believe Blackie used to do a stint with the NEW YORK DOLLS [who are also playing this year's Hard Rock Hell] — so you never know what might happen there."

You can listen to Rock Radio DJ Tom Russell's interview with John Davis at this location.

W.A.S.P. last year completed the European and North American legs of "The Crimson Idol Tour", which kicked off on October 26, 2007 in Thessaloniki, Greece. The band performed the 1992 album in its entirety while never-before-seen video footage was being shown throughout the show. After a short break the group returned for another a 30-minute set of W.A.S.P. classics.