TVD Live Shots: Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Ministry, and Filter at the Concord Pavilion, 9/22

The San Francisco Bay Area let their freaks flag fly this past Friday night when co-headliners Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper brought their “Freaks on Parade 2023 Tour” to the Toyota Pavilion at Concord for a sold out (or close to sold out) show that clogged the streets of Concord as the fans clearly bailed on work early to catch Filter’s opening set.

Ministry absolutely crushed it, running through a set of classics including “Stigmata” from The Land of Rape and Honey as Jello Biafra sang along in the wings. While his appearance was surprisingly toned down without the face piercings, Al Jourgensen remained a commanding presence on stage as the band absolutely dominated the set, spinning up what was probably the only band of the night to muster a circle pit. Ironically, with Monte Pittman crushing it on guitar, the fans were probably much closer to seeing Madonna than anyone probably realized.

Alice Cooper and his band took the stage a few minutes early with Alice slashing through a curtain with a sword … “Trial Set: For Deeds Against Humanity” as the band tore into “Lock Me Up.” From there, “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “I’m Eighteen” whipped the Concord crowd onto their feet. As expected, Alice was in fine form as, not missing a beat through the numerous costume changes and on stage antics which featured a giant-sized Alice Cooper Frankenstein during “Feed My Frankenstein” and a giant boa constrictor for “Snakebite.”

Cooper always does a great job of featuring the stellar musicianship in his band and this night was no exception, letting them shine on several instrumentals as his wife Sheryl eventually dispatched him with a guillotine. Throw in sword play, giant balloons, and a confetti cannon and you’ve got yourself a tough act to follow.

If anyone was up to the challenge of following Alice Cooper it would be the King Freak, Rob Zombie. Kicking the set off atop a giant platform with “Zombie” emblazoned across the top, Rob proceeded to wow the Concord crowd with his ferocious hour and 20 minute set. The blazing LED screens that covered every inch of the stage provided the perfect backdrop for Rob along with Piggy D, Riggs, and Ginger Fish to have some fun as they tore through a career spanning set that paid tribute to Zombie’s horror films along the way.

And as if the sensory overload from the LED screens wasn’t enough, the burps of flames set the whole vibe over the top for those yearning for a little classic Zombie with “More Human That Human” and “Thunder Kiss ‘65” as the perfect tee-up for the encore, “Dragula,” which had the crowd singing along whether or not they wanted to.

It’s rare to see such a stacked lineup these days and “Freaks on Parade” well-worth the price of admission.

FILTER

MINISTRY

ALICE COOPER

ROB ZOMBIE

Rob Zombie 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
Demonoid Phenomenon
The Lords of Salem
House of 1000 Corpses
Drum Solo
Living Dead Girl
More Human Than Human (White Zombie)
Thunder Kiss ’65 (White Zombie)
Dragula

Alice Cooper Setlist
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
Vincent Price Intro
Guitar Solo
Black Widow Jam
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Killer
I Love the Dead
Elected
School’s Out