Show Review, Photos: Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper Bring Epic 'Freaks On Parade' Tour To Concord
Rob Zombie
Alice Cooper
w/ Ministry, Filter
September 22nd, 2023
Concord Pavilion
Concord, CA
Review and Photos by Jaime Schultz
On Friday, September 22nd, two of the biggest acts in metal and hard rock, Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper, brought their highly anticipated co-headlining “Freaks On Parade” tour to the Bay Area’s Concord Pavilion. The iconic shock rockers took the stage to a packed house on Friday night, bringing along two excellent openers in the form of Ministry and Filter.
The show was opened by Filter, the 90s industrial rock-tinged four-piece. Despite playing a short set, they sounded great. Ministry took the stage next, bringing forth a high-energy performance that got the crowd moving. The Al Jourgensen-fronted industrial metal group were fun to watch and played well to the audience. Both of these openers have been around for decades and have clearly done a great job mastering their sound and live performances.
Theatricality abounded onstage as Alice Cooper made a long-awaited return to the Bay Area. Only at an Alice Cooper show can you see Marie Antoinette slice someone’s head off with a guillotine, giant zombies, American flags, and a live snake all in one setting. Classics like “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “Feed My Frankenstein”, and “School’s Out” rounded out the sixteen-song set, complete with costume changes, special effects, and confetti. Twenty-nine albums in (including this year’s Road) and there still isn’t anyone who puts on a rock show quite like Cooper.
Beginning his horror-themed set atop what looked like a graveyard display, Rob Zombie launched into “The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition), backed by a band donned entirely in clown makeup. Much like Cooper, Rob Zombie is a natural showman, who pulled out all the stops to bring his impressive heavy metal roadshow to life. Utilizing pyrotechnics, props, and video walls, Zombie brought thirteen of his biggest songs to the masses, including the addition of two White Zombie tracks (“More Human Than Human” and “Thunder Kiss ‘65”). After showing a trailer that highlighted the twentieth-anniversary re-release of Zombie’s debut horror film House of 1000 Corpses, the frontman closed his show with a catalog staple, “Dragula”. He walked off stage as the crowd chanted “Zombie! Zombie!”, their battle cry for more echoing well into the night.
Rob Zombie Set List
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
Demonoid Phenomenon
The Lords of Salem
House of 1000 Corpses
Living Dead Girl
More Human Than Human (White Zombie cover)
Thunder Kiss ’65 (White Zombie cover)
Dragula
Alice Cooper Set List
Lock Me Up
No More Mr. Nice Guy
I’m Eighteen
Under My Wheels
Billion Dollar Babies
Hey Stoopid
Lost In America
Snakebite
Feed My Frankenstein
Poison
Black Widow Jam
Killer
I Love The Dead
Elected
School’s Out
