Unlikely as it may seem, in 1985, Connecticut briefly emerged as the frontline of the battle between LA "hair metal" and "street metal". On January 11 of that year, a tour featuring WASP, Metallica, and Armored Saint visited Hartford, Connecticut’s Agora Ballroom, where WASP frontman Blackie Lawless was met with a homemade sign reading "Blackie Ball-less Sucks!" Enraged, Blackie spat at his nemesis, only to receive a spitball in his face by return. When he spotted the members of Metallica and Armored Saint creased up with laughter side-stage, he never spoke to his tourmates again.