Another year brings powerhouse shock-rock icons Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper together again for another leg of the “Freaks on Parade Tour,” rounding out the summer with a heavy lineup of rock, metal, and industrial.
The American Family Insurance Amphitheater in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin was packed on a Tuesday night for the legendary collaboration. There was no wind off of nearby Lake Michigan to offer any reprieve from the heat and humidity of one of the hottest nights of the year so far. This wasn’t enough to stop the turnout, even for the early acts, and this crowd wasn’t afraid to sweat and get rowdy.
Filter opened the show, with front man Richard Patrick trekking through the heat; face hidden by glasses and a black jacket with a hood up. Looking like an everyday fan but, in his heart, nothing short of a celebrity. The short set only included “Obliteration” off of their newest album The Algorithm, but gave them enough time to play their fan-favorite tracks. “Take a Picture” surprised the crowd, with Patrick commenting that they probably didn’t realize it was a Filter song. Understandably so, with most of the tracks being more aggressive and industrial in nature, like the final song of the set, the intense “Hey Man Nice Shot,” which was a definitive crowd-pleaser.
The industrial rockabilly icons Ministry took to the stage next. Their latest release, Hopiumforthemasses, got decent support in the set, with “Goddamn White Trash” being one of the most recognizable for fans, and offered an easy chorus. The rest of the set leaned on the essentials from the 1992 hit album Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs. “N.W.O.”, “Just One Fix,” and “Jesus Built My Hotrod.” Out of all of the acts on the card, Ministry was able to get the mosh pit going despite the oppressive heat.
The legendary Alice Cooper’s silhouette entered the stage before he did, as he burst onto the scene from behind a large “wanted” poster suspended from the ceiling before kicking off with “Lock Me Up.” The follow-up, “Mr. Nice Guy,” already had the crowd singing along, firmly in Cooper’s grasp. With no stopping, the show continued, and the set unfolded like a stage play, moving from set piece to set piece, with each bit as its own story.
Guitarist Nita Strauss got a solo section but wasn’t the only band member given a chance to shine. All of Cooper’s guitarists had plenty of moments to show off their unmatched talent during his full-length set. Yes, his pet snake made an appearance, as did monsters, ghouls, and demons throughout the fantastical set. He was even joined by Marie Antoinette, played by Cooper’s wife, before being sent to the guillotine and beheaded during “Killer,” only to return for “I Love the Dead” and finally “Elected.”
The night wouldn’t be complete without the ultimate Cooper classic “School’s Out,” which closed the set, and included a snippet of The Who’s “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2.” At 76 years old, the man still gave a performance with such a youthful, fun energy that you wouldn’t believe his age if you didn't already know how long of a career he’s had. The crowd was loud and unstoppable, and as a co-headlining act it would be hard to top the theatrical performance of Cooper, but the final set of the night was right on the mark.
As the video boards flashed with ZOMBIE in all capitals, the final curtain dropped to reveal the man himself, Rob Zombie, bathed in red light atop a massive structure performing “Demon Speeding” as the crowd was immediately whipped into a frenzy. The wild “Feel So Numb” saw the first moments of pyro of the night, as flames erupted behind the crazed Zombie as he ran and danced across the front of the stage.
More creatures and large monstrosities graced the stage throughout the set, offering a level of theatrical performance coupled with the pyro and ceaseless flashing video walls featuring animated clips, old television shows, and, in true Zombie fashion: monster movies. Referencing his favorite monster films, the singer-turned-director named his favorite as a child, which led to “The Satanic Rites of Blacula,” with its fun chorus of “scream, Blacula, scream!”
The final solid 20 minutes of the set touched on the last of Zombie’s biggest hits, from “Living Dead Girl” to the most popular White Zombie tracks. For “Thunder Kiss ‘65,” Zombie left the stage and returned wearing a Milwaukee Brewers jersey with “Zombie” and the number “65” on the back. The essential “Dragula” closed out the show, with the entire crowd losing the last shred of a voice that they had left. There’s a reason that Zombie can hold his own next to the legendary Alice Cooper, and it’s the sheer ferocity and intensity of his set, which never slows or ceases to surprise.
