What more can you say about this tour? Rob Zombie put one hell of a package together. with nostalgia on the mind all the way. The perfectly name “Freaks on Parade Tour” brought Powerman 5000, Static-X, Rob Zombie and after over a decade away the returning Mudvayne. I grew up listening to each one of these bands. So I was absolutely beyond words when I heard this tour announced.
First up was Powerman 5000, most people know but some may not Frontman of Powerman 5000 is Rob Zombie’s brother Michael Cummings who goes by the stage name Spider One. Starting with “Footsteps“, “Voices” and “Nobody’s Real“. As fans kept pouring in they were definitely ready to party. Ending their set with the mega popular “When Worlds Collide“.
After a quick break, Static-X came to the stage. It is different without Wayne Static, but Xer0 does him justice. I especially love that he doesn’t try to be the “new singer” but embodies who and what Wayne was in this band. Dawning a “Wayne Static” death mask and signature hair style. Playing the classic favorites like “Bled For Days“, “Push It“, “Cold” and “Wisconsin Death Trip“, they kept the memory alive and kept the band going on.
Finally, it was time for Mudvayne to take the stage. A huge sheet with the Mudvayne logo was raised and put in front of the stage. The lights go down and you here singer Chad Gray and the other members of Mudvayne hit HARD with the first few notes of the mega popular song “DIG” as the sheet fall to the ground. Within about a minute Gray hopped down and got right into the audience face screaming the lyrics of “DIG“. I do believe he finished the song with the crowd. “Under My Skin” followed with Mudvayne’s performance exploding like a volcano. Lead guitarist Greg Tribbett rocked a black and red face paint with goggles and his signature liberty spikes. Bassist Ryan Martinie rocking the devil horns and black with silver accent eye makeup. Drummer Matthew McDonough with a white face and black stripes. From what I have seen and read these paints vary from show to show. “-1“, “Death Blooms” and “Internal Primates Forever” follwed. Then the lights went down and a Tribute video started to play. “Cowboys from Hell” blasted in the arena. Chad Gray got on the mic and Talked about how today was Dimebag Darrels birthday and how fitting it was that they are playing on his birthday in his home state! It was destiny. Mudvayne put on one hell of a show despite being away for so long. The intense energy and passion make them a “do not miss act.”
Next was the man that put this whole crazy freak show together… Rob Zombie! What can you say about this guy. He’s done just about everything. Whether you like it or not everyone keeps wanting more of whatever this man will put out there. Sadly, on this night instead of our usual 3 songs from the pit we were only allowed to do 2 songs so it was a rush to get what we could in 2 songs. Zombie definitely let’s his stage be the star of the show. Starting the night off on top of a huge ZOMBIE stand in the center of the stage with his latest hit “The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition) Followed by Superbeast. Even though we only got 2 songs here I believe they gave us a lot to cover. It was a great show and then I was able to just enjoy the rest of my night. John 5 is one of the best guitarists out there and his solo towards the end of the night was bar none! I highly recommend a Zombie show anytime you can catch him.
I guess I missed out on that hard hitter show. Next time though.