On September 10th, the Freaks On Parade tour came through town. This tour, of course, was co-headlined by Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie with special guests Ministry and Filter. The tour previously came to Virginia Beach in 2023, but this time they played in Bristow at the Jiffy Lube Live venue. 

Filter, the hard rock opener, started at 6. Because of traffic, my friends and I were late and only caught the last two songs of their set: “Welcome To The Fold” and “Hey Man, Nice Shot.” While not entirely familiar with this band, I recognized “Hey Man, Nice Shot” from the video game Guitar Hero World Tour. Both songs were great and the band was very energizing. I’m sure they were a great opener.

Next up was Ministry. Originally a synthpop band, they transitioned in the late 80s to industrial metal. They opened their set with the three songs from their latest album HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES. I looked around and it seemed that most people in the audience didn’t know these songs very well, however “B.D.E.” and “Goddamn White Trash” are some of my favorite Ministry songs. They then went on to play some of their bigger hits, such as “Thieves” and “Just One Fix.” The crowd was much more receptive to these. During their last song, “Jesus Built My Hotrod,” my friend and I noticed a mosh pit on the lawn near us and we decided to join. There were maybe 7 or 8 of us but it was still fun taking turns body slamming each other. I hope one day I can see them in a headlining position. Overall, I give this an 8/10. I was disappointed that the cameras never showed the band on the screens, but otherwise it was very good.

The first headliner, Alice Cooper, was next. I got to see him perform in 2017 and actually meet him at a convention in North Carolina in 2018. Unfortunately, this show had nothing on the 2017 show. While I enjoyed the music, this was not his traditional theatrical shock-rock show. This was much more of a classic hard rock show. When I think of Alice Cooper, I think guillotines and electric chairs, blood and gore. The most this show had was a short guillotining and a couple photographers getting stabbed. It probably has to do with the fact that Alice Cooper is 76 years old. He looks like he’s wearing a mask of his own face, but his vocals are still very good. One of his guitarists, Nita Strauss, was the best part of the show for me. She is a fantastic guitar player, one of the best in the world I think. I saw her own band in Annapolis in 2019 which was very cool. My favorite song from Alice Cooper’s set was “Hey Stoopid,” a song that helped me get through a tough time in my life. Overall I give this a 6/10. While his backing band was very good, Alice Cooper himself was not on his usual level. I can’t say I blame him though, as this show was near the end of the tour and it must be exhausting at his age. 

Finally, Rob Zombie. I was going to see him in 2022, but we had to leave early so we only caught his first song that time. This was my favorite act of the concert. He opened with “Demon Speeding,” a crowd favorite. He then played “Super-Charger Heaven,” a White Zombie song. White Zombie was Rob’s first band, formed in 1985. He also played two other White Zombie songs. The audience was very enthusiastic about this. There was a certain sense of nostalgia in the air. Mike Riggs and Blasko, the original guitarist and bassist, were finally reunited for the first tour since 2001. John 5 used to play guitar for Rob Zombie, but he left in 2022 to play with Motley Crue. I was slightly disappointed about this as I love John 5, but it was very cool seeing original members of the band as well. My favorite song they played was “Never Gonna Stop,” one of former WWE wrestler Edge’s theme songs. He closed the show out with “Dragula,” one of his biggest hits. Honestly, I think it was the weakest of their set. It just didn’t have the same feel of the rest of the show. That aside, I gave this performance a 9/10. It was energetic, the musicians were on point, everyone was having fun, and it was nostalgic for those who grew up listening to him.

This was a very good show. Ministry and Rob Zombie have been on my bucket list for bands I have been wanting to see so it was nice to cross those off. The Freaks On Parade tour has come to an end on September 18th in Fort Worth, TX.