Photos/Review: w/ Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper & Ministry, @ PNC

Rock legends Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper brought their devilish fun Freaks On Parade Tour to PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, on Saturday, September 7th… bringing along Ministry and Filter. The second summer, this stacked lineup toured together.

Unfortunately, the opener of the evening, Filter, was missed by many, including myself, as they went on a bit earlier than expected. So I was only able to hear snippets from the parking lot. But I was later told they put on an awesome set, and thanks to YouTube, I could check out some clips, including frontman Richard Patrick exclaiming before their massive closer “Hey Man Nice Shot,” “We’re the band Filter. We’re like the lube before the fucking. Haha, I’m just kidding.“ Bummed to miss these guys who were an important part of many of our soundtracks in the ’90s.

Next up was industrial metal pioneers Ministry who never disappoint. They rocked three off of their latest politically charged release HOPIOMFORTHEMASSES and five classics that got the fans pumped and dancing. At 65, “Uncle Al“ Jourgensen and his five piece, including the original bassist of Tool, Paul D’Amour, are still going strong. Their set ended with their iconic “Jesus Built My Hotrod,” which has not been played live in five years… a welcomed addition to the mix.

Ministry

Photo Credit: Melinda Oswandel

The Godfather of Shock Rock, Alice Cooper, was the first headliner to greet the packed crowd. From donning a snake around his neck during “Snake Bite,” a straight jacket during “Ballad of Dwight Fry,” and having his head chopped off with a guillotine during “Killer / I Love The Dead,“ his onstage theatrics continue to be unmatched. Not to mention a thrilling solo by his guitarist on and off for ten years, guitar goddess “Hurricane Nita“ Nita Strauss. Although the guillotine act has been performed for decades, this time, it was Alice’s wife, Sheryl who did the dirty work while dressing up as Marie Antoinette… Presumably, paying tribute to Gojira’s unforgettable performance at the Paris Olympics last month. The bottom line is that Alice Cooper proves that he is still killing it at 76, and this makes us feel like “we’re (truly) not worthy.“

Alice Cooper

Photo Credit: Melinda Oswandel

The last, but certainly not least, was everybody’s favorite undead rockstar, Rob Zombie. With lots of pyro, giant creatures dancing around while fake snow was falling and screens spread throughout the stage flickering with psychedelic horror and sci-fi scenes, he and his ensemble always put on an electrifying good time. At one point, Rob even instructed his fans how and when to headbang… “Remember when we did this thing called fucking headbanging? Where did it go? Did you get too old? Everybody, let’s see it.“ Three iconic White Zombie hits were played, including “Thunder Kiss ’65,” which was restarted at Rob’s request… “I think I fucked it up. I never fuck it up. I want to do it again. Start over! I was having too much fun!“ And an encore with “Dragula“, the track that put his debut solo album “Hellbilly Deluxe“ on the map 26 years ago.

This exciting thrill ride of a night filled with heavy hitters ends on September 18th in Fort Worth, Texas. Catch it while you can. Hopefully, it will be back again and dominate next summer.