Up next this weekend on BraveWords' Streaming For Vengeance, we chat with legendary Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffman who talks about finally getting back on the road, with their Too Mean To Die - Tour North America 2022, kicking off on September 29th in Nashville. In a humourous except from the chat, Hoffman talks about the band’s stage outfits over time when it became just as important to dress heavy metal while playing heavy metal.
“Yeah we’ve gone through changes,” Hoffman looks back. “Initially in the ‘70s and the ‘80s it was real leather and the first band that I ever noticed doing it was indeed Judas Priest. We actually opened up for Judas Priest in 1980, believe it or not. And that really influenced us a lot. I remember walking by their dressing room and they had this roadie that was rubbing leather conditioner on to preserve the outfits. So everything smelled like leather, even just walking by their dressing room. So we needed to have leather as well and it was really hard to find stuff. We had to go into the porn stores and the gay outfit stores just to buy a leather vest or a leather belt. Even the belts were hard to find in those days.”
BraveWords: Like the Reeperbahn!
Hoffman: “Yes! In Hamburg at the Reeperbahn. You can still find some very cool clothing there by the way. So we wore the leather and then there was a time of spandex. Everybody discovered spandex including us. That’s not maybe the best look for nowadays.”
BraveWords: What is the most comfortable?
Hoffman: “Spandex for sure. That is the most comfortable; it’s basically pantyhose if you think about it.”
BraveWords: Judas Priest no doubt influenced you again with the Turbo era and outfits.
Hoffman: “Yeah, and then it went a little bit too far I thought. In the late ‘80s, especially the hair. When everybody started it looked so pretty and we fell into that for a little while, but looking back it was a bit too much I thought.”
BraveWords: Jake E. Lee told me a really funny story when Metallica we’re opening up for Ozzy Osbourne during the Master Of Puppets / The Ultimate Sin tour. Sharon told Ozzy and his band members that they should not go out on stage “looking like the punters”, because Metallica went out thrashing with their cut off t-shirts and jeans. Sharon said ‘you’re going out there looking like your fans.’
Hoffman: “Yeah, that’s right, that was the model back then. Of course it’s changed now dramatically. Nowadays you can dress with whatever you feel like. There’s no dress code anymore at all.”
Stay tuned for more with Wolf Hoffman and his “London Leatherboys” tales by watching Streaming For Vengeance this Saturday, September 24th at 3:33 PM EST on the BraveWords Facebook page or the BraveWords YouTube channel.
For more information about Streaming For Vengeance, visit this location.
Last year, Accept released their 16th studio album, Too Mean To Die, which landed them on the top of the charts (#1 - US Hard Music, #2 - Germany, #3 - UK (Rock), etc.). The band, which includes guitarist and founding member Wolf Hoffmann, has defined the international genre since they formed in Solingen, Germany in 1976, reigning as one of the most important German rock bands in the 80s alongside the Scorpions, while also influencing bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Guns N' Roses and Iron Maiden.
Now, the metal legends are coming back to the US and Canada, poised to kick off their headlining Too Mean To Die - Tour North America 2022 this fall, featuring Narcotic Wasteland as openers. Watch a new trailer video below.
Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann comments: "After two difficult years, I am very much looking forward to returning to the USA and playing in front of our American friends again. Let’s rock out and have a great Accept metal party with all of you headbanging metal veterans out there!"
Fans can expect a diverse setlist of new and classic tracks, plus mega-hits "Balls To The Wall", "Princess Of The Dawn", "Fast As A Shark" and many more. See below for all dates. VIP experiences will be available - stay tuned for more information coming soon.
Tour dates:
September
29 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
October
1 - Houston, TX - The Concert Pub North
2 - Fort Worth, TX - Rail Club
4 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse
7 - San Luis Obispo, CA - The Coach House
8 - West Hollywood, CA - The Whiskey
9 - Las Vegas - Vamped
11 - Denver, CO - The Venue
13 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave Ballroom
14 - St. Charles, IL - The Arcada Theater
15 - Westland, MI - The Token
16 - Toronto, ON - The Phoenix Theater
18 - Vineland, NJ - Landis Theater
20 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Penns Peak
21 - Patchogue, NY - Stereo Garden *
22 - Peekskill, NY - Paramount Theater *
23 - Teaneck, NJ - Debonair Music Hall *
25 - New York City, NY - The Gramercy
26 - New Bedford, MA - The Vault
27 - Harrisburg, PA - XL Live
29 - Columbus, OH - King Of Clubs
* no Narcotic Wasteland
