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05/22/2010 The Gruesome Twosome Tour: Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper (Lewiston, NY @ Artpark)

By Eric | May 25, 2010 3:53 pm

When this show got announced, I felt it was something I ought to see, given that I’ve never seen Rob Zombie, nor Alice Cooper, and the two of them on the same bill? Money. Along with Sara and two of her friends, we found our seats at the back of the center section, about 20 rows back. Perfect place to watch the entire stage from, which for this show, was easily much more important than a usual concert. Alice Cooper was on first, and almost as a warmup he played three of his biggest hits to whip everyone up early. School’s Out, No More Mr. Nice Guy, and I’m Eighteen were played pretty much straight up, with no theatrics. But then the real show started, as Alice got into the act that made him famous, playing a deranged madman that at various times was shot up with a huge needle by a zombie nurse, beheaded by a guillotine, hung from a noose, ran through with spikes in a box-like contraption, and tied up in a straightjacket. Between these unfortunate ends, Alice played master showman, at one point bringing out a wagon filled with beads (which were flung into the crowd) and dolls (whose heads got chopped off) for Dirty Diamonds and Billion Dollar Babies, and donning an outrageously shiny suit while stumping for his platform during Elected. I only knew about half the songs, but it didn’t matter in the least, because the *show* was engaging. Excellent stuff. I’m sure it would have been something to see when it was new and cutting edge in the 70’s, but 40 years later it still holds up.

[flickr-gallery pagination=”0″ mode=”tag” tags=”2010-05-22, alice cooper” tag_mode=”all”]

Alice Cooper setlist: School’s Out, No More Mr. Nice Guy, I’m Eighteen, Wicked Young Man, Ballad Of Dwight Fry, Go To Hell, Guilty, Cold Ethyl, Poison, From The Inside, Nurse Rozetta, Be My Lover, Only Women Bleed, I Never Cry, Black Widow Jam, Vengeance Is Mine, Dirty Diamonds, Billion Dollar Babies, Killer, I Love The Dead, Elected, Under My Wheels.

Nurse Rozetta:

Elected:

The show was pretty great just with Alice, but then the night got even better. Again, this was my first time seeing Rob Zombie, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. What I got was a huge video screen behind the drummer (who for this tour was none other than Slipknot’s Joey Jordison!), and smaller LED-looking screens in front of the drum riser, amp stacks, and stage monitors. All of which were used to great effect throughout the set. Each mic stand was an elaborate skeleton, Rob’s in particular. The video boards were all used for classic and campy horror movie clips interspersed with other graphics that had the effect of being on some “carnival ride of doom”. Visually stunning, to say the least! After an intro jam, Superbeast was the first song, and that really set the tone for the rest of the set. As if all those visuals weren’t enough, motorized robots started driving around on the stage, some of which were spewing smoke! In addition to his solo stuff (Living Dead Girl, Scum of the Earth, Never Gonna Stop, House of 1000 Corpses, etc.), he also played the two biggest White Zombie tunes in Thunder Kiss ’65 and More Human Than Human. During Thunder Kiss, guitarist John 5 did an extended solo while Rob ran up one of the aisles, all the way up onto the lawn, then back down the aisle on the opposite side! Jordison got a drum solo, and wasn’t mentioned by name, rather being referred to as “The Ghost of Michael Jackson”. For the encore, we got a fake trailer for a movie called “Werewolf Women of the S.S.” before a performance of the song of the same name, and the closer was Dragula. Much like Alice Cooper’s set, this was FUN. Loud, driving, and fun. I can’t really describe it any better than that!

Rob Zombie setlist:
Tape: Call Of The Zombie, Sinners Inc, Sawdust In The Blood

What Lurks on Channel X?
Superbeast
Scum of the Earth
Living Dead Girl
More Human Than Human
(White Zombie song)
Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy)
Mars Needs Women
House of 1000 Corpses
Demonoid Phenomenon
Sick Bubble-Gum
Thunder Kiss ’65

Encore:
Werewolf Women of the SS
Dragula

More Human Than Human:

Dragula:

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