Rob Zombie has been a staple of the summer amphitheater concert circuit for decades- dating back to the Ozzfest and Mayhem Festival days and he often goes out with acts similar to him- Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osborne, etc. 2024 saw him hit the road once again with Cooper as a co-headliner, bringing the Freaks on Parade Tour to Noblesville.
Two years ago, when Zombie hit Noblesville, he was scheduled to bring Powerman500, Static-X and Mudvayne with him but a trailer fire caused Static and PM5K to scrap their sets and also shortened Mudvayne’s, so the Indiana fanbase was rabid for a full show and, with Ministry and Filter opening, the stage was set for a night of throwback rock that would live up to the hype.
After Filter and Ministry played sets loaded with nothing but the hits, the black curtain lowered to cover the stage and the lights went down for Alice Cooper to take the stage.
Behind the curtain was a giant newspaper-styled curtain with news articles about the horrible atrocities the Alice Cooper character has committed and the man himself walked through it to start his set.
The stage was adorned with staircases reminiscent of an old, haunted mansion and the set was loaded with all the classic Alice Cooper production stunts- the beheading, the straitjacket, the swords, daggers, murders and dancing Frankenstein. Mix all of that with a hit-loaded setlist and it was the perfect Alice Cooper set.
It’s hard to believe but Cooper’s set actually made people question if Zombie could follow it, but he did and knocked it out of the park.
With a new band following the departures of longtime staples bassist Piggy D and guitarist John 5, Zombie’s set was exactly what anyone who hadn’t seen Zombie before could possibly want and anyone who missed out on a full set last time around were desiring.
Loaded with pyro, hypnotizing production, dancing aliens and other creatures, it was like watching an old monster movie come to life. He even threw in a few songs he hasn’t played live in a long time, like “Feel So Numb,” which saw the stage engulfed in pyro.
In the end, it was exactly what was billed and was a show that fans wouldn’t forget for a longtime and left them ready for Zombie to come back again.
-Reggie Edwards