Review Tuesday: Freaks On Parade Tour 2023

 

Freaks On Parade Tour

 

Months ago I was checking an email from Groupon and saw this. Tickets for the FREAKS ON PARADE TOUR at Jones Beach Theater??? Years ago bad weather deprived us of Rob Zombie at that very same venue, so here we go again! These were ridiculously cheap tickets to see FILTER, MINISTRY, ALICE COOPER and ROB ZOMBIE?!?! YES!!! Of course, in the days leading up to the show weather reports were saying we could see a repeat of those same weather conditions. UGH!

 

FILTER

Filter has always been an intriguing band to me. The two founding members worked with NIN and wanted to contribute more, but Trent wasn't interested. So they formed FILTER. Since then, the band has taken various shapes and been through a bunch of members. At one point Richard Patrick even left his own band to work with members of Stone Temple Pilots for ARMY OF ANYONE. But that was then. This is now. Like I said before, figuring out band members of  FILTER is like keeping track of musical chairs. The band took stage at 6:10 for a show that the doors officially opened at 6 PM.  

Setlist

1. The Drowning
2. For the Beaten
   
3. Obliteration
4. Face Down
5. Take a Picture
6. Welcome to the Fold
7. Hey Man Nice Shot

Yes, Filter, the band that used to fill stadiums was the opening act for this show. Their set was about 30-35 minutes. Their levels were pretty good although, the guitars seemed a little low. It was Richard on vocals, a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. Richard never picked up a guitar even once during the show. His voice, was as good in the last song as it was in the first. This wasn't the first time I have seen this band. Previously I saw them art a smaller, more intimate venue on Route 110. Back then, Richard seemed to reflect on his musical career with some regret, perhaps. This time, however, he seemed awfully defeated. Regardless, he put on a good show and kicked off the night onto a strong path. 

 

MINISTRY

I had tixx for the big industrial tour with Ministry and KMFDM headlining. The COVID hit. The Ministry cut loose all the industrial bands. So I got my tickets refunded. Fuck you, Al[ien] Jourgensen. Considering that this guy is of Cuban descent, he loves his leftist politics. 

Setlist

1. Thieves
2. The Missing
3. Deity
4. Stigmata
5. Supernaut (Black Sabbath cover)
6. Burning Inside
7. N.W.O.
8. Just One Fix
9. Goddamn White Trash

They performed most of the songs I ever wanted to hear them play live. They had a really good sounds and have interesting visualizations on the screens. Mrs. Baxojayz commented that they were WAY harder than she expected. Good stage show. Too bad Al is politically retarded.

 

ALICE COOPER

Okay. This was the big surprise of the night. What fan of rock isn't familiar with Alice Cooper? I mean, I know a bunch of his songs that get played on the classic rock station, but never really thought about him or his music all that much. I was in for a crash course on stage presence!

Setlist

1. Lock Me Up (1st verse and chorus only)
2. No More Mr. Nice Guy
3. I'm Eighteen
4. Under My Wheels
5. Billion Dollar Babies
6. Hey Stoopid
7. Lost In America
8. Snakebite
9. Feed My Frankenstein
10. Poison
11. Guitar Solo (Nita Strauss)
12. Black Widow Jam
13. Ballad of Dwight Fry
14. Killer (band only)
15. I Love the Dead (band only)
16. Elected
17. School's Out (with "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 by Pink Floyd)

This was a huge spectacle! Lights. Imagery on the screens. Huge props. Three THREE guitarists! Okay, I am not a big fan of Alice, but this set knocked my socks off! It was just an outstanding set. Great sound! In an aside, Nita Strauss is one of the three guitarists and her beauty can be really distracting as well as her prowess on the guitar. 

 

ROB ZOMBIE

This was the reason we came. Rob hit the stage by 9:45. NO RAIN. NO THUNDER. NO LIGHTNING. He even joked about the how they were forced to cancel the show due to weather the last time he visited Jones Beach Theater. This was another set that was very theatrical. Lots of imagery. Impressive props. Pyro effects. Giant devils walking around on stage.

Setlist

1. The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition)
2. Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown
3. Feel So Numb
4. Well, Everybody's Fucking in a U.F.O.
5. What Lurks on Channel X?
6. Superbeast
7. Demonoid Phenomenon
8. The Lords of Salem
9. House of 1000 Corpses
10. Drum Solo
11. Living Dead Girl
12. More Human Than Human (White Zombie song)
13. Thunder Kiss '65 (White Zombie song)
14. Dragula

We were surprised with this set. Rob took the stage with a drummer, a bassist, and the original guitarist is back. There was a LOT of stage that didn't get used. The guitarist hardly moved. The bassist was all over. Rob seemed to keep to the three platforms set up front for the most part. Rob was way more high energy than expected. The sound was pretty good. I would say the entire act of his set was pretty amazing. 

This concert was really good. I finally got to see Ministry, now I can scratch that off the list. Got to see Rob Zombie, that was a lot of fun. Alice Cooper totally amazed me. Well worth the price of admission! 

 
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