Photos by Chris Besaw
Review by Kelly Besaw
Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie brought their Freaks on Parade Tour 2024 to the Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse, NY on Wednesday September 4th. They brought along with them opening acts Filter and Ministry.
Nineties rock band, Filter, kicked off the evening. For a show with an early start time, 6:15pm, the front of the amphitheater was well packed with fans waiting to see Filter perform. Although they only played a short set, with lead singer Richard Patrick describing the band as the “evening’s appetizer,” they managed to sneak in several hits including “Take a Picture,” “Welcome to the Fold” and of course the well-known “Hey Man Nice Shot.”
Up next was the pioneers of industrial metal music, Ministry. Lead by Al Jourgensen, the only remaining original member, Ministry got the crowd up and moving with their bass heavy songs such as “Goddamn White Trash” and “Just One Fix.” Ministry did a great job getting the crowd warmed up for the night’s main acts. They ripped through an eight-song setlist in less than forty minutes ending with “Jesus Built My Hotrod.”
Up next was the legendary master of the theatrical stage performance and the self-proclaimed “owner” of Halloween, Alice Cooper. I am going to be honest that I am likely biased as I love everything about Alice Cooper and his incredible band. The man has the most commanding stage presence and the most unique macabre stage persona of any musician I have ever seen. While Cooper is certainly at the center of it all, his band is no joke. They dominate their instruments all while entertaining the crowd, throwing out pics and playing into Cooper’s stage antics. I find it commendable that they really seem to get along onstage and you can feel the synergy.
The band consists of Ryan Roxie (guitar), Chuck Garric (bass), Glen Sobel (drums), Tommy Henriksen (guitar), and Nita Strauss (guitar). As an extra special addition to the show, Cooper’s wife Sheryl joins the band onstage during “Killer” and “I Love the Dead” where she gets to behead her husband with a guillotine and parade his head around the stage. Imagine “beheading” your significant other almost every night onstage? It’s actually sweet that they get to be on the road and work together.
Despite a smaller stage setup, Cooper, his band, and the entourage of other stage performers still manage to create ghoulish theatrics that leave their fans entertained. They played a sixteen song setlist in just over an hour ending with fan favorite sing-along “School’s Out” where giant balloons were bounced around by the crowd until they came too close to Cooper, and he popped them with a knife. It’s hard to believe that Cooper is 76 years old. He still looks and sounds as good as when I saw him over twenty years ago. I hope he has many more years of touring to come and if you have never seen him and his band, don’t miss out, it is a one-of-a-kind experience.
Setlist:
Lock Me Up
No More Mr. Nice Guy
I’m Eighteen
Under My Wheels
Billion Dollar Babies
Hey Stoopid
He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)
Snakebite
Feed My Frankenstein
Poison
Guitar Solo
Black Widow Jam
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Killer/ I Love the Dead
Elected
School’s Out
It was time for the final band of the evening, horror, shock-rock musician, writer, and film director Rob Zombie. Talk about elaborate stage production. Zombie takes it to another level. There were video screens everywhere playing clips of horror movies, music videos, anime and more. There were a variety of mic stands with goat heads, red eyes, a multi-armed skeleton, and Mike Riggs (guitar) and bassist Rob (Blasko) Nicholson had Nosferatu mic stands. Ginger Fish (drums) sat way up high on an escalated mobile platform that moved up and down. Oversized puppets wandered around the stage during multiple songs and there were loads of pyrotechnics, flashing lights and sparks throughout the set. It is a lot to take in.
Zombie kicked things off with “Demon Speeding” and the White Zombie hit “Super Charger Heaven.” One thing I can say about Rob Zombie is that he does not stop moving. He dances, moves, and works the crowd the entire performance. The visuals during “Well, Everybody’s F*cking in a U.F.O.” were incredible. A massive U.F.O. appeared on the large screen at the back of the stage with a white light shining down and cows kept getting sucked up into the U.F.O. Simultaneously, aliens appeared on the smaller screens at the front of the stage. It’s a fun song and the visuals made it amazing.
The crowd was treated to a pounding drum solo from Ginger Fish about halfway through the set. Rob Zombie and the band ended the night on a high note with some of their most well-known hits, “More Human Than Human,” “Living Dead Girl” and Thunder Kiss ’65.” Fans did not want the night to end and cheered and pounded on the seats. Zombie obliged returning to the stage for the get up on your feet and dance hit, “Dragula.”
Setlist:
Demon Speeding
Super-Charger Heaven (White Zombie song)
Feel So Numb
Well, Everybody F*cking in a U.F.O
What Lurks on Channel X?
Superbeast
The Lords of Salem
Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown
The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition)
Drum Solo
The Satanic Rites of Blacula
More Human Than Human (White Zombie song)
Living Dead Girl
Thunder Kiss ’65 (White Zombie song)
Encore:
Dragula
It was an amazing night of rock and performance art. It left me feeling ready to celebrate the upcoming Halloween season.
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