The eagerly anticipated second leg of ARMORED SAINT‘s North American tour supporting W.A.S.P. has been canceled due to extensive back injuries suffered by W.A.S.P.‘s Blackie Lawless during the latter band’s recent European trek. The North American tour will be rescheduled for spring 2024 so Lawless can complete a full recovery. Tickets and VIP packages can be refunded at the point of purchase.
ARMORED SAINT vocalist John Bush comments: “To say we are super bummed about the tour being canceled would be an understatement. We were all prepping hard, and I was looking forward to turning 60 years old in Wheeling, West Virginia. That being said, we understand Blackie‘s physical condition and we stand behind him and hope for a speedy recovery.
“Thank you to all the fans who purchased tickets and VIP packages. The concert tickets and VIP packages can be refunded at the point of purchase. ARMORED SAINT VIP Upgrade holders should go to www.national-acts.com for a full refund. Thank you for all your loyalty as always!
“I’m gonna turn a negative into a positive and let you know that this little snafu has allowed us to start writing songs for a new record. It’s sounding killer!”
During a book-signing event for Brian Slagel‘s latest book, “Swing Of The Blade”, on July 13 at Book Soup in West Hollywood, California, Bush was asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for ARMORED SAINT‘s follow-up to 2020’s “Punching The Sky” album. He said: “We kind of started writing some songs a little bit, [ARMORED SAINT bassist] Joey Vera and myself. We are kind of like the catalyst to get the songwriting going. We kind of move slow — very slow — but I say it’s quality over quantity. So even though there’s not a lot of ARMORED SAINT records, they’re all great. Tracy, who’s Joey‘s wife and is the president of Metal Blade and is an amazing person, has kind of tried to give us a kick in the ass to hurry up a little bit. And I am gonna be turning 60 next month, so it’s, like, time is not our side.”
ARMORED SAINT was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame on July 13 at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. The event was hosted by 95.5 KLOS DJ Marci Wiser, and featured performances by WEAPONS OF ANEW, Sergio Michel and DECONSTRUCT, surprise guest appearances and an all-star jam.
Two months ago, ARMORED SAINT‘s long-awaited documentary, Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers”, had its world premiere in the band’s hometown at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, California.
Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers” celebrates the 40-year career of ARMORED SAINT and the 50-year friendship the bandmembers have shared from school in El Sereno, a Los Angeles suburb.
Many friends of the band have given interviews, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich from METALLICA tell tales of their early days touring, Scott Ian of ANTHRAX talks about seeing ARMORED SAINT in 1985, QUEENSRŸCHE members Eddie Jackson and Todd La Torre talk about the shared history. Key music industry figures and producers, A&R men, roadies, record label executives and family share thoughts and stories about the band’s 40-year history.
ARMORED SAINT‘s eighth full-length album, “Punching The Sky”, came out in October 2020 via Metal Blade Records.
ARMORED SAINT released the “Symbol Of Salvation Live” CD/DVD in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. The release came in celebration of the seminal album’s 30th anniversary. “Symbol Of Salvation Live” was a combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York City’s famed Gramercy Theatre during its 2018 tour.