This was an evening I was very excited for and my expectations were by far exceeded!
The venue was filling up fast as Filter took to the stage and opened their set with, “The Drowning” from their new 2023 album, The Algorithm. With their industrial rock sound, Filter mixed the new with the old. Though a short set, they left the crowd standing and cheering when they finished with, “Hey Man Nice Shot"
Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart
Filter members are:
Richard Patrick – lead vocals, guitars, bass, programming, keyboards
Jonathan Radtke – guitars, backing vocals
Bobby Miller – bass, backing vocals
Elias Mallin – drums
Setlist:
The Drowning
For the Beaten
Obliteration
Take a Picture
Welcome to the Fold
Hey Man Nice Shot
Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart
It had been a few years since I had last seen Ministry and they reminded me right from the start, of the intensity of their industrial metal sound as they opened their set with “Thieves” from their 1989 album, The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste. Their set was condensed but with songs like, “N.W.O” and “Just One Fix”, Ministry’s powerful set left their fans wanting more.
Ministry members:
Al Jourgensen
John Bechdel
Cesar Soto
Paul D'Amour
Roy Mayorga
Monte Pittman
Set List:
Thieves
The Missing
Deity
Stigmata
Supernaut @Cover
N.W.O.
Just One Fix
Goddamn White Trash
Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart
Waiting for the curtain to drop, I went back 50 years to the summer of 1973. I was in the Navy stationed in San Diego, California. This is where I experienced my first Alice Cooper show. His Billion Dollar Babies tour.
At 75 years old, the word retirement is not in Alice’s vocabulary. When the curtain dropped, there was a giant newspaper clipping hanging from the ceiling with the headline, “Banned in Colorado! Trial Set: For Deeds Against Humanity”. Alice stepped through the clipping with a tease of, “Lock Me Up” then he moved right into the classics with, “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “I'm Eighteen”. What I saw over the years was Alice’s theatrics on different tours, he rolled them all into one evening. From handling his large snake and being wrapped up in a straitjacket. But, the show would not be complete without beheading Alice on the guillotine by Marie Antoideath played by his wife, Sheryl Cooper.
Throughout all that was going on, the music did not suffer. The musicians backing Alice are some of the best in the business. He likes to highlight them throughout the show. A fan favorite Nita Strauss returned for this tour and wowed the crowd with a blustering solo.
Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart
Finishing the evening, Alice reminded everyone that, “Schools Out”. Everyone lined up arm in arm at the front of the stage and took their bows to a roar from the crowd that could be heard a long way away. It was an incredible evening!
Alice Cooper – lead vocals
Touring members:
Ryan Roxie – guitars, backing vocals
Chuck Garric – bass, backing vocals
Tommy Henriksen – guitars, backing vocals
Glen Sobel – drums, percussion
Nita Strauss – guitars, backing vocals
Setlist:
Lock Me Up @Info[First verse and chorus only]
No More Mr. Nice Guy
I'm Eighteen
Under My Wheels
Billion Dollar Babies
Hey Stoopid
Lost in America
Snakebite
Feed My Frankenstein
Poison
Vincent Price The Black Widow Intro @Tape
Guitar Solo @Info[Nita Strauss]
Black Widow Jam @Info[Band only]
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Devil's Food / Killer / I Love the Dead @Info[Band only; Cheryl Cooper cuts Alice's head off in the Guillotine]
Elected
School's Out @Info[with a snippet of Pink Floyd's “Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2” and band introductions]
Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie have been friends and have worked together for many years. Seeing them together on the same tour is a real treat for me.
Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart
I could not imagine what Rob Zombie had in store for everyone as far as his stage production would go. When the curtain dropped, so did my jaw! It took a minute to locate where Rob was amongst all the various-sized video screens about the stage. He was high up on a riser that looked like some kind of creature with “ZOMBIE” in huge letters across the top.
Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart
Throughout his set, the video screens displayed a variety of wild images and some clips from his movies. As Rob, Piggy D, and Mike Riggs roamed the stage, the lights danced, and flame throwers shot out balls of fire. Drummer Ginger Fish, who had started out high on a riser, was now lower and easier to see. Rob seemed to never slow down, dancing across the stage and working up the crowd. Zombie finished the night with the ever-popular “Dragula” to a crowd that was going as crazy as Rob had been doing.
What a way to close out an awesome concert!
Zombie members:
Rob Zombie – lead vocals
Piggy D. – bass, backing vocals
Ginger Fish – drums
Mike Riggs – guitars, backing vocals
Setlist:
The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition)
Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown
Feel So Numb
Well, Everybody's Fucking in a U.F.O.
What Lurks on Channel X?
Superbeast