I have had the good fortune in my life to see some of the greatest front men in the world perform. Last night was no exception as Rob Zombie was simply phenomenal. I arrived at the Murat about 8:00 PM. I was able to catch one of the opening acts, Nekromantix, and they weren’t bad. They had a very unique ska/metal sound and good stage presence. The bassist/vocalist was able to keep rhythm while singing and kept the crowd in it. Their drummer was precise and kept the beat better than most I have seen in my life. Their guitarist played solid riffs and had enough energy to keep the allure of the band going. They were a rare three piece that can actually pull it off.
After they played the intermission came and it appeared that the show was not going to be as packed as expected. Well I was wrong as slowly the theatre filled to capacity. I was in the balcony and during the opening act about half the seats was filled but by the time Zombie got on stage it was full. He comes on stage in his normal high energy and opens with “What Lurks on Channel X”. That song started a fire among the fans that would not be quenched until he left the stage.
After the first song the abuse ensued. He criticized his manager for booking a show with seats. I somewhat agree seats do make it hard to have a mosh pit. He criticized the fans for messing with their phone and getting into the experience as fully as possible. He even stated at one point this is not a Miley Cyrus concert. He was in full form being the great metal legend he is. The energy in this place was higher than I have seen in a show since watching the sod throwing at the Stone Sour show at Verizon.
The second song he played is one of his greatest, “Superbeast”. This song in my opinion goes down as one of the greatest metal songs ever. Its thrashing riffs and catchy lyrics will light up any crowd. Something that was unique is that he played several songs off his new album that hasn’t even been released yet. It was like a movie trailer but for a CD. He played several of his classic songs like, “Living Dead Girl”, “More Human than Human”, “Never Gonna Stop”, “Thunderkiss 65”, and closed the second encore with “Dragula”.
You heard that right, he played not one but two encores. It felt like this bliss of metal was never going to stop which frankly perfectly fine with me. Rob Zombie put on one of the greatest shows I have ever seen last night. I have been a Rob Zombie fan for as long as I can remember but never before had I been able to see him live. I will truly treasure the experience for as long as I live because it was truly timeless. The one thing about Zombie that sticks out more than most artists is his ability to incorporate movie clips in his show. Last night on the three giant screens in the background was a constant stream of movie clips. It was mostly horror and anime but none the less very entertaining. The drummer, Tommy, was amazing last night. I don’t think he missed a beat all night and he was truly the foundation to the energy last night. The guitarist, John 5, played that axe like he was trying to abuse it. The thrashing riffs were nothing short of genius.
The bassist, Piggy D, slapped that bass and kept rhythm perfect. Rob Zombie for the time length he was on stage was a god to the throngs of people below him. He had them sitting on his every word. He ventured to the crowd to get them involved, to show his love for the fans. Instead of having his normal cage go-go dancers he actually brought up women from the crowd to dance and sing back-up vocals. I have said this before but I feel the need to reiterate, Rob Zombie was amazing last night. In closing I would like to say if you are a fan of metal and you have never went and seen Rob Zombie, you are crazy. Go see him, don’t be like me and wait 27 years to see one of the greatest metal shows ever.
Setlist:
What Lurks on Channel X?
Superbeast
Super-Charger Heaven
Living Dead Girl
Demon Speeding
More Human than Human
Sick Bubble-Gum
House of 1000 Corpses
Never Gonna Stop
Scum of the Earth
What?
American Witch
Thunder Kiss ’65
Encore #1
Werewolf Women of the SS
The Lords of Salem
Encore #2
Dragula