By: Darius

Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie celebrated Halloween with a hometown show at the Hollywood Palladium this past week. It was phenomenal; the best show I have ever seen at this horrible venue. He was in an especially good mood, noting that Halloween is not only his favorite holiday, but his wedding anniversary as well. For those of you who don’t know, Zombie is married to the beautiful Sheri Moon, who has played numerous roles in his films and music videos.

Rob Zombie and Sheri Moon

I’ve seen Zombie play Ozzfest a couple of times and thought he was pretty good but now I understand why a headlining show is really the only proper way to see him perform. Very little expense is spared at a headlining Rob Zombie gig. I have been to hundreds of shows and have never seen this kind of expensive production in a club sized venue in my life. There were multiple screens behind him, showing various horror clips and scenes from Zombie videos past. Tons of pyro and lights, the whole nine yards. You really need to see it to believe it. The tickets weren’t too pricey ($45) either so he isn’t creating this spectacle at the expense of the fans, which is refreshing.

Sir Robert Zombie's Stage Setup

Zombie’s band needs a special mention in this column. It’s clear that Rob Zombie is the star, but his bandmates are not the usual rented sidekicks that solo artists often employ. Bassist Piggy D. and drummer Tommy Clufetos kill it on stage. Clufetos is especially entertaining to watch and played a ridiculous drum solo mid-set. I’ve been a longtime fan of lead guitarist John 5, dating back to his days with Marilyn Manson. He was great in that lineup, but to nobody’s surprise, clashed with Manson and left after a couple of album cycles. John 5’s an outstanding fit with Zombie though and is allowed much more freedom on stage. He was playing guitar solos behind his head, with his teeth, all the while running all over the stage.

The set list was fantastic as Zombie effectively mixed songs old and new. “Superbeast”, “Living Dead Girl”, “More Human Than Human”, “American Witch”, “Thunderkiss ‘65” were all played. The lead single off the new record, “Sick Bubble-Gum” was really good. Despite the inane title, “Sick Bubble Gum” is one of their best tracks in years. The band closed out with “Dragula”, took a bow onstage, and than Zombie threw Halloween candy into the audience from one of those pumpkin pales we all used as children; a fitting touch to a memorable evening. Needless to say, this show destroyed the Black Angels gig I saw last year on Halloween.

If you’ve never seen a Rob Zombie headlining show, than now is the time. With his budding film career, he doesn’t need to do the requisite recording and touring like most artists. Plus, the new material is fantastic. I’m looking forward to hearing the full length record, Hellbilly Deluxe 2, when it’s released. For now, everyone should go see this tour; it’s a really great show for a decent price and you can’t go wrong.

** Also possibly of interest...**

• March 15, 2010 -- Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe 2 CD Album Review (0)