Earlier this year artists Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper announced the co-headlining Freaks on Parade Tour featuring bands Filter and Ministry. And a few months later, the tour stopped at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado on September 16.
Upon entering the venue the sound of classic rock music fills the atmosphere while people start heading to their seats. While waiting for the first performance to start, voices of excitement can be heard buzzing from each sitting section in the venue.
A few moments later rock band Filter took the stage and started to perform two songs from their latest album The Algorithm. Kicking things off was the song “The Drowning,” the best part was how the vibrations from the bass guitar shook the ground with great authority while lead singer Richard Patrick wailed out the lyrics with pure emotion.
Shortly after performing the opening song, the band started performing “For The Beaten,” which is also from the The Algorithm album. As a whole, the drum playing stole the show, each drum beat bringing the heavy rock sound that fans enjoyed.
Later on, Filter performed their classic tune “Take a Picture.” A magical about the song that had people singing along, taken back to a place where ’90s music became nostalgic for them. Also the live version of “Take a Picture” sounded better than the original because the vocals and instrumentation brought more harmonic vibes.
Another classic piece Filter performed was “Hey Man Nice Shot.” What was lovely about the whole performance was how the bittersweet instrumentation brought a solid harmonic and rock vibe, while Patrick’s vocals dazzled people’s minds with sincere melody. “Hey Man Nice Shot” closed Filter’s performance on a high note as the band’s passion for music could be felt through each song.
After the stage personnel finished setting up for the next set, metal band Ministry emerged on stage. Starting their performance with their vein jolting song “Thieves” was truly amazing and hearing the wild-high pitched shouting from lead singer Al Jourgensen excited the crowd. Throughout the whole song, each vocal pitch by Jourgensen brought a soul shaking sound while the instrumentation created mayhem on stage.
Soon enough, the band started to perform “Stigmata” and as a whole it was fantastic. The instrumentation brought the heavy metal vibe most were wanting to hear live. Aside from the vocal performance, the lead guitar sizzled the air with electrifying notes while the bass guitar and drums shook the background with great power. Most of Ministry’s fans noticeably enjoyed the set as they were head banging along to the music.
The best part about Ministry was hearing the band performing a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut.” The original cover is a classic in its own right but Ministry’s version brought more metal, the guitar and drum playing brought more heaviness and craziness to the piece. Ministry’s love for Black Sabbath could be felt through the whole set. “Supernaut” was well received by the audience as they happily sang along with the band.
Ministry ended their show with their latest single “Goddamn White Trash” and as a whole, the performance was stunning. Jourgensen uses his voice to share his feelings about the social, political and economic changes that are happening in the world. Based on his voice, Jourgensen was showing his anger toward the people who are supposed to make things better in our society. Ministry has not lost their touch performing live. Each set was filled with high energy, strong instrumentation, a bold vocal performance and relatable lyrics.
A few minutes later it was Cooper’s turn to dazzle the audience’s minds with classic shock rock music. When the venue became dark and Cooper’s band started to perform the opening part to “Lock Me Up,” spotlights captured Cooper’s shadow hiding behind a newspaper curtain.
A voice reminded the artist he was banned from Colorado and asked Cooper what his plea was. The singer responded with “guilty” and then he tore the middle of the curtain with his knife and started to perform the set. The intro, in true Alice Cooper fashion, was delightfully theatrical, leaving no room for audience members to look away.
The third song performed was “Eighteen,” the live version bringing more vibrant rock music. Throughout the whole thing, Cooper’s vocals remained strong, singing and shouting the lyrics while each guitar note and drum beat shook the whole venue with deep classic rock.
One of the best performances by Cooper was “Billion Dollar Babies,” the whole set complementing the theme. The money cannon shooting dollar bills to the audience created a rich atmosphere; leading into Cooper testing his sword fighting and dancing skills while his band continued to play on.
Another great performance was “Lost In America,” the live version was sonically more powerful with strong instrumentation that brought a heavy kick of rock and metal. The face smacking guitar riffs from Ryan Roxie, Nita Strauss, Tommy Henriksen and Chuck Garric shook the venue with amazing sound while Glen Sobel dazzled with his thunderous drum beats. The audience enjoyed hearing the band playing their hearts out.
Shortly after “Lost In America” the venue became dark and a rattlesnake could be heard, threatening, before Cooper appeared on stage to perform “Snakebite” while holding a boa named Shed Bundy. Bundy seemed to enjoy being on stage, as he was slithering on Cooper’s arms, hands and head. Throughout the set, the snake remained calm while Cooper was singing.
When Roxie, Strauss and Henriksen finished blowing the audience’s minds with their performance of “Black Widow Jam,” Cooper emerged onstage wearing a straightjacket, ushered in by two characters who kept a close eye on the artist during the “Ballad of Dwight Fry.” This performance was amazing, Cooper acted as the character throughout the entirety of the song.
Cooper managed to free himself from the straight jacket after singing, stabbing one of the characters with a knife before being captured by his wife Sheryl, who was the character Marie Antodeath. Once captured, Antodeath quickly sent Cooper to the guillotine. After his death, Antodeath picked up the singer’s head and started to show off the body part while the band started to sing “I Love The Dead.”
After his own death, Cooper emerged from the darkness while still wearing the straightjacket and started to perform the song “Elected.” Ditching the jacket, he stood atop a high platform telling the audience why he should be “Elected” for Presidency. Throughout the whole performance, Cooper and his band were having fun as they interacted with the audience. The whole set was engaging and entertaining fun to watch.
Before leaving the stage Cooper and his band performed “School’s Out.” The set was well received by the audience, everyone singing and clapping along while people in the mosh pit were sprayed with confetti from balloons Cooper popped with his cane and knives. When the set ended, Cooper and his band left the stage as people eagerly awaited to see Zombie close things out with a bang.
Once the lights went out, eerie sounds could be heard from the speakers along with images showing the captions: “The Triumph of King Freak.” A few seconds later Zombie appeared on a high platform singing out the lyrics while his band created a high energetic buzz that was filled with electrifying guitar and killer drums. The whole set welcomed people to Zombie’s musical world of endless madness.
The most engaging performance Zombie did was “Well, Everybody’s Fucking In a U.F.O.” because the lyrics tell a story about people discovering a U.F.O. The words “Singin’ I’m gonna get my 20 bucks / And vacation in Japan / Look out! / Well, everybody, everybody, everybody / Everybody’s fucking in a U.F.O.,” shows how Zombie isn’t afraid to use his creativity to write a humorous song.
The performance of “House of 1000 Corpses” was by far one of the best by Zombie, the visuals matched the theme of the singer’s movies and in ways, each frame brought a foreboding feeling of fear before Zombie and his band performed the song. The best part about the performance was hearing how the instrumentation incorporated the blues into the eerie metal atmosphere as Zombie sang out the lyrics. “House of 1000 Corpses” is a perfect song for those who truly enjoy horror music.
Getting toward the end of the show Zombie performed “Living Dead Girl” and the live version sounded way better than the album, the instrumentation created a bolder electronic metal vibe while Zombie sinisterly sings out the iconic lyrics. Looking around, just about everyone was singing and dancing along to the killer music. “Living Dead Girl” is one of Zombie’s classic compositions that has touched the hearts of many people in the venue.
Right before the encore, Zombie performed White Zombie’s tune “Thunder Kiss ‘65” and as a whole, the visuals portrayed just how scary the theme really was. Each scene visually showed the horror characters had endured while Zombie and his band performed the song. The reason why “Thunder Kiss ‘65” is a seriously scary piece – it is about a demon taking control of people’s lives either through possession or death. The performance was in fact entertaining to watch because Zombie was having fun interacting with the audience.
Of course, the last song of the evening was “Dragula” and while listening, the singer’s voice remained authoritative, while his band played the anthemic piece. “Dragula” closed the evening with a bang, the crowd singing along to the musical madness Zombie and his band were creating on stage. The whole performance was wonderful, everyone had a chance to see an artist who is not afraid to express himself on and off stage.
When Zombie left the stage, everyone began to leave the venue, a smile on their faces as the Freaks on Parade Tour continues without them. The whole show was fantastic and surely people will not be disappointed when the tour arrives in their city.
Filter’s Setlist
- The Drowning
- For the Beaten
- Obliteration
- Take a Picture
- Welcome to the Fold
- Hey Man Nice Shot
Ministry’s Setlist
- Thieves
- The Missing
- Deity
- Stigmata
- Supernaut
- N.W.O.
- Just One Fix
- Goddamn White Trash
Alice Cooper’s Setlist
- Lock Me Up
- Eighteen
- Under My Wheels
- Billion Dollar Babies
- Hey Stoopid
- Lost In America
- Snakebite
- Feed My Frankenstein
- Poison
- Guitar Solo (Nita Strauss)
- Black Widow Jam ( Band Only)
- Ballad of Dwight Fry
- Devil’s Food/Killer/I Love The Dead
- Elected
- School’s Out
Rob Zombie’s 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 Cover)
- Thunder Kiss ‘65
- “House of 1000 Corpses” re-release trailer
- Dragula
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