Rob Zombie *concert review*
I don’t often post concert reviews, but a friend of mine attended the recent Rob Zombie show in Louisville and wrote a great review. Thanks, Jason!
Rob Zombie live in 2007
***
Horror, Psychos, and Madmen Make For A Perfect Concert Experience
A review of the Hellbilly Deluxe 2 tour by Jason Saint
November 25th, 2k9
It was mid-to-late September when I heard about the madness that was about to ensue at Broadbent Arena on November 24th, 2k9. Not only was Rob Zombie coming to town, but he would be accompanied by psychobillies Nekromantix as well as rockabilly country punks Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures. The mere thought of it was enough to lift me out of my chair. I think it goes without saying, the show did not disappoint.
Broadbent Arena has got some ass backwards management. My girlfriend Kris and I got to the arena at 4:30 PM to make sure that we had a good spot in line to make it up front for the show, which the doors opened to at 6. However, upon getting inside, we were told to go to the back of the arena to get wristbands, then make our way back up to the front. Needless to say, this pissed off a good portion of the floor ticketholders. Another thing that bothered everyone is the fact that cameras were banned from the show. Really. Kris and I made our way to the front of the crowd and squeezed our way against the guardrail. At 7:30, Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures took the stage.
Right off, the crowd didn’t seem too thrilled by the country punks. A lot of people were expecting something much heavier considering the stage outfits of the band, which included everyone in black jackets with skeletons on them accompanied by white facepaint with dark patters around their eyes. However, the crowd soon warmed up to the bluegrass-inspired heavy metal that banged out of the Texas four-piece. Lead singer Captain Clegg asked how the crowd was doing after the second song to a barely lively response. However, after each band member showed a quick sample of their talents as the band led into their song “Dr. Demon”, the crowd started to warm up quite a bit.
It was a sample of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” that got the crowd excited, followed by a lead-in from “Zombie A Go-Go” into the Misfits’ “Hollywood Babylon”, then straight back into the band’s original track. By this point, the crowd was cheering loudly following each tune. When the band spoke of their appearance in Rob Zombie’s “Halloween 2”, the crowd responded heavily, but even more so when mentioning that they did the music for the fictional band Banjo & Sullivan from Zombie’s 2005 outing, “The Devil’s Rejects”. The band then performed the song “I’m At Home Gettin’ Hammered While She’s Out Gettin’ Nailed” from the B&S album, including a sample of Johnny Cash’s classic “Folsom Prison Blues”. By the time the band ended their 30 minute set, the crowd had completely bought into Captain Clegg and cheered them as they left the stage.
Next up were the Nekromantix. If you haven’t heard the Nekromantix, then you simply haven’t heard them. There’s no comparing them to any other band with the music they’ve created over the years. This year, the band is celebrating 20 years together, and despite several line-up changes, original frontman Kim Nekroman has managed to stay original and persist on with his classic style of psychobilly madness.
The band hit the stage with their 2002 single “Gargoyles Over Copenhagen”, paying homage to Nekroman’s hometown in Germany. Immediately, I started dancing along with the band and singing as loud as I could without my voice cracking. Nekroman’s self-made coffin bass has a very deep sound which holds very true live as guitarist Franc shredded away on a bat covered hollowbody guitar. I’ve not heard many solos from psychobilly bands that disappointed and this one was no different. On the drums was new female member Lux, who was thoroughly impressive throughout the entire show. In between songs, she would keep the beat going from tom to tom, never missing a single beat and doing so in a pair of high heels with a smile on her face. Truly one of the most impressive sights I’ve seen.
Unfortunately, the crowd reaction didn’t seem to be what the Nekromantix were expecting. During their set, there were two fights in the crowd which prompted anyone on the floor who was nearby to turn and watch. For a guy like myself who was at the rail, it only irritated me as I kept having the oversized stomachs of security guards in my face every time some drunken moron decided to try to look tough. Either way, the Nekromantix pushed on, playing the single from their latest album “Life Is A Grave & I Dig It”, titled “Horny In A Hearse” followed by the classic “Devil Smile” and another fan favorite from their 2002 album, “Subcultural Girl”. Nine songs into their set and 30 minutes later, the Nekromantix finished up and left the stage without so much as a “thank you”. As disappointing as it was, I could understand the disingenuity. The crowd just wasn’t feeling it for some reason and the beer was starting to take its effect, which led to the drunken behavior of just a few jerks that would ruin everyone around them’s good time.
At 9:00, it was time for the Hellbilly himself to hit the stage. A snippet from his recent animated film “The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto” played for a bit, followed by a medley of Zombie’s intros from his first 3 solo albums. During which, the band started to hit the stage including Piggy D. of former Wednesday 13 fame on bass, Tommy Clufetos from the Alice Cooper band on drums, legendary guitarist John 5, and the Superbeast himself, Rob Zombie. The band hit the stage and immediately kicked into “What Lurks On Channel X?”, followed by “Superbeast” from Zombie’s first solo album, 1998’s “Hellbilly Deluxe”. The crowd was simply electric. Every person in attendance was pumping their fist and screaming along with each word Zombie spoke. When the band moved onto “Demonoid Phenomenon”, Zombie left the stage to stand on the rail while holding the hands of the fans, leaning down to scream along with anyone who was close to him. I personally got to scream “GET IT ON!” from the chorus, which reminded how it felt to be 15 again when heavy metal was more than fast guitars and breakdowns.
Always a crowd pleaser and a hell of a front man, Zombie marched from one side of the stage to the other non-stop, moving his body along with the sounds coming from his band. Guitarist John 5 showed that he wasn’t afraid to get dirty as he let spit dangle from his mouth, sometimes spitting it up into the air only to catch it in his mouth again. Halfway into the set, Tommy was left alone by the band to do a drum solo accompanied by strobe lights and smoke machines. It was absolutely incredible the way that he could move from one side of the set to the other by the time the first drum had stopped ringing. After his solo, the band rejoined and kicked straight into “Never Gonna Stop” from 2001’s “The Sinister Urge”. When I saw Zombie in 2005, Sherri Moon joined the band onstage to do backup vocals but opted out this time around. “Living Dead Girl” was up next, which ignited the crowd to scream along and of course all the females to show off their upper assets. This didn’t bother Zombie so much as it seemed to give the rockstar more energy. The screens onstage then started to play clips from “House Of 1,000 Corpses” as the band started to play the song sharing the same name.
The band winded down to play a few new tunes from the upcoming “Hellbilly Deluxe 2”, which is the reason for this particular tour. New songs “What?” and “Sick Bubble-Gum” had the crowd attempting to sing along, but a majority of them just watched and applauded afterward. He then went from future to past as “More Human Than Human” came from the speakers as the robot from the video joined the band, followed by “Thunder Kiss ’65”. All the old school fans in attendance, such as myself, were pure bliss to the White Zombie anthems of old. It was a surreal moment seeing these songs performed and looking around to see so many people singing along. Even the people who had seats were standing, dancing, pumping their fists and singing the words along with the American Nightmare. During “Thunder Kiss ’65”, Rob left his band to venture into the crowd, leaving John 5 to deliver one of the best solos I’ve ever seen in my life… and I’ve seen Van Halen! He finished it off by dropping his guitar pick (which I later got) and picking the strings with his teeth, playing the national anthem to the crowd’s approval. Absolutely amazing.
The band then left the stage, giving the crowd a chance to scream for an encore. After about three minutes, the band returned and ripped into “Super-Charged Heaven” followed by “Demon Speeding”. Leaving the stage again, the lights in Broadbent Arena went black as the crowd started to scream for yet another encore. This time, it was a few minutes before the Superbeast would return, letting the crowd chant his last name for a good 5 minutes. Finally, the screens kicked back on as a clip from the 60’s TV show “The Munsters” started to play. While most of the crowd seemed puzzled, I knew what was coming next as I recognized the vehicle shown in the clip. Sure enough, the band returned to play one final song: Zombie’s first solo single, “Dragula”. The crowd went insane. Rob started to dash from one side of the stage to the other and back again, jumping off monitors, then running down and along the side of the guardrail, making sure he looked everyone in the eye on the way. He rejoined the stage as the song finished up while Tommy, Piggy, and John played a fantastic lead-out to end the show. Afterward, the band saluted everyone by throwing out picks, signed drumheads, and drumsticks before leaving the stage as the arena filled up with light.
Afterward, I got the chance to meet all of the bands outside the arena. It was truly awesome to meet Nekroman again considering the first time around, a friend of mine neglected the camera in the car. It was about midnight by the time Rob and his band came out, but he was a very polite guy, very soft spoken. Needless to say, I was stoked to meet him for obvious reasons, but the main being that he’s done all of the things I want to do with my life, including his animations, his movies, and his music. He gave every fan a chance to speak before moving on, but the band had to be on their way.
I’d give the show a 9 out of a possible 10, docking one point only because of the dead crowd during the Nekromantix set. Zombie’s energy was enough to carry the entire show by himself, only made better by the incredible stage show and highly talented members of the band’s current line-up. I look forward to seeing Captain Clegg again as his brand of music is very seldom seen; same goes for the Nekromantix. Given the fact that he hasn’t disappointed yet, I will of course see Rob Zombie and his band for the third time when given the chance. Only if I’m in the mood for a great show. -SAINT
***
Rob Zombie
About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
Related Posts
Louder Than Life Announces Slayer as 2025 Headliner →
Artifex Pereo Signs to Tooth & Nail Records →
Rob Zombie Talks Halloween, Hockey and…. Puppies →