Wild WASP and High Priest Bring the Thunder to the Tuscany Copa Room!

The Wild WASP tribute and High Priest Judas Priest tribute played the Copa Room at the Tuscany Hotel and Casino on Saturday, October 17, 2026.

It’s been over a year since Count’s Vamp’d closed down, but the Tuscany’s Copa Room has turned itself into one of the top spots in the Vegas Valley for all things rock and metal. You’ll be hard pressed to find a finer spot in Sin City to bang your head these days. My thanks as always to the awesome team keeping the hard and heavy stuff alive on these parts, including Mitch, Grayson, Mike, and Brian. Aside from one snafu we’ll get to later in this article, it was a fantastic night of rock.

This evening brought not one but two tributes to classic heavy metal icons to the Copa Room’s stage; a local one I’ve seen many times and been enjoying for years, as well as some out-of-town talent taking to the stage paying tribute to band that doesn’t get enough credit.

Kicking things off was the set from California’s WASP tribute, Wild WASP. I’d never seen these guys before but have been a fan of WASP for years, having finally seen Blackie Lawless doing his thing on a live stage back in 2022 at the House of Blues (and funnily he’ll be back there in about two weeks). The band members had costumes and wigs to fit the occasion, as well as some stage decor. WASP in the old days was infamous for their wild stage shows, but understandably stuff like that has to be toned down for modern audiences and smaller venues. So, while there may not have been any raw meat being flung into the audience or flame-blasting codpieces, these guys did the best they could with what they had, complete with the guy playing Blackie having buzzsaw blades extending from his forearms and crotch (you can’t make this stuff up!)

The four-piece band played a set consisting entirely of tracks from WASP’s first four studio albums: WASP, THE LAST COMMAND, INSIDE THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS, and THE HEADLESS CHILDREN, as well as a song recorded by the band for their first live album, LIVE… IN THE RAW. This meant getting to hear classic cuts like “I Wanna Be Somebody,” “LOVE Machine,” “The Flame,” “Wild Child,” “Blind in Texas,” and “Mean Man,” all done up in fine form by an energetic band. Did I mention their lead guitarist took a few trips out into the audience mid set, still shredding all the while? The guy playing Blackie alternated between on-stage antics (which included him wearing a set of “wings” and some “laser pointer” finger attachments) and playing rhythm guitar, and encouraged crowd involvement throughout. They didn’t shy away from deep cuts either, with fare like “Ballcrusher” making the set, complete with a sexy woman with a skin-tight black outfit and a whip taking the stage for the occasion!

I would definitely see these guys again. Some great tunes from the WASP catalogue I’d love them to dig out for future performances include “The Manimal,” “Tormentor,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (not to be confused with the Metallica song of the same name), and the one biggest and most criminal omission; the legendary “Animal (Fuck Like a Beast).” And while we’re at it, why not a tune or two from 1992’s legendary concept album/rock opera, THE CRIMSON IDOL?

Next to take the stage were Las Vegas’ own High Priest, a tribute to Judas Priest that’s been rocking Sin City for many years now. Faces like Paulie Walnuts (of local favorites Smashing Alice), Max Fermandez (who replaced former drummer Robert Wiggin), David Fisher (also of the Dio Rising tribute), and Andy Heilman will be immediately familiar to anyone who’s followed Vegas’ rock scene over the years. There have been many Judas Priest tribute bands playing the Vegas Valley over the years, some local, some from out of town (there are no fewer than two on the Vegas scene nowadays), but High Priest always manages to impress by digging deeper into the vault than many of their contemporaries.

No one on the stage at a High Priest concert will ever be mistaken for any member of the real band, but these guys bring it where it counts – The MUSIC. You’d expect your average Judas Priest tribute band to simply walk the straight and narrow path and play nothing but the hits; on American radio the Priest is known for a mere three songs or so. But a High Priest setlist only contains a small dose of the “radio hits.” “Breaking the Law” was by far the most popular song the band played, but the real pleasure of this evening was everything else, with tunes including “Rapid Fire,” “Sinner” (the opening cut from the Roger Glover-produced SIN AFTER SIN album), and a few cuts from the band’s legendary sophomore album from Gull Records, SAD WINGS OF DESTINY, which of course included the anthem “Victim of Changes,” which Priest plays in concert to this day. High Priest hits the high notes every time they take the stage… so much so that their gigs aren’t even limited to Las Vegas anymore!

Unfortunately, there was one unpleasantry on this evening that does need to be addressed, and this is absolutely not the fault of the musicians on the stage. This show was advertised as starting at 10:00 PM (already too late for a show to be starting as is), but for some reason, the actual show didn’t start until 10:30! This is unacceptable. I can understand if a show starts five minutes late, but this is insane. Due to the late start time, I didn’t even last for the whole High Priest set. Vegas may be the city that never sleeps… but they people who live here still need to. Shows need to start on time… and preferably at an earlier hour (though this issue isn’t limited to a single venue).

Aside from the show starting 30 minutes late, the gig was an excellent one. This headbanger is hoping to see Wild WASP return to the City of Sin, and High Priest is always a welcomed addition to any rock and roll venue. I’ll never stop venturing to the Copa Room for my rock and roll fix; no other spot in Vegas has stepped up their game like this since the closure of Vamp’d last year. Both of these bands do a damn good job paying tribute to heavy metal legends… so do yourself a favor and catch them on stage!

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Dave Childers for ZRockR Magazine – @2026 – All Rights Reserved.