Sep 22, 20234 min read

Freaks on Parade Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper invade Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre In Greenwood Village

Updated: Sep 27, 2023

This was an evening I was very excited for and my expectations were by far exceeded!

The venue was filling up fast as Filter took to the stage and opened their set with, “The Drowning” from their new 2023 album, The Algorithm. With their industrial rock sound, Filter mixed the new with the old. Though a short set, they left the crowd standing and cheering when they finished with, “Hey Man Nice Shot"

Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart

Filter members are:

Richard Patrick – lead vocals, guitars, bass, programming, keyboards

Jonathan Radtke – guitars, backing vocals

Bobby Miller – bass, backing vocals

Elias Mallin – drums

Setlist:

The Drowning

For the Beaten

Obliteration

Take a Picture

Welcome to the Fold

Hey Man Nice Shot

Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart

It had been a few years since I had last seen Ministry and they reminded me right from the start, of the intensity of their industrial metal sound as they opened their set with “Thieves” from their 1989 album, The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste. Their set was condensed but with songs like, “N.W.O” and “Just One Fix”, Ministry’s powerful set left their fans wanting more.

Ministry members:

Al Jourgensen

John Bechdel

Cesar Soto

Paul D'Amour

Roy Mayorga

Monte Pittman

Set List:

Thieves

The Missing

Deity

Stigmata

Supernaut @Cover

N.W.O.

Just One Fix

Goddamn White Trash

Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart

Waiting for the curtain to drop, I went back 50 years to the summer of 1973. I was in the Navy stationed in San Diego, California. This is where I experienced my first Alice Cooper show. His Billion Dollar Babies tour.

At 75 years old, the word retirement is not in Alice’s vocabulary. When the curtain dropped, there was a giant newspaper clipping hanging from the ceiling with the headline, “Banned in Colorado! Trial Set: For Deeds Against Humanity”. Alice stepped through the clipping with a tease of, “Lock Me Up” then he moved right into the classics with, “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “I'm Eighteen”. What I saw over the years was Alice’s theatrics on different tours, he rolled them all into one evening. From handling his large snake and being wrapped up in a straitjacket. But, the show would not be complete without beheading Alice on the guillotine by Marie Antoideath played by his wife, Sheryl Cooper.

Throughout all that was going on, the music did not suffer. The musicians backing Alice are some of the best in the business. He likes to highlight them throughout the show. A fan favorite Nita Strauss returned for this tour and wowed the crowd with a blustering solo.

Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart

Finishing the evening, Alice reminded everyone that, “Schools Out”. Everyone lined up arm in arm at the front of the stage and took their bows to a roar from the crowd that could be heard a long way away. It was an incredible evening!

Alice Cooper – lead vocals

Touring members:

Ryan Roxie – guitars, backing vocals

Chuck Garric – bass, backing vocals

Tommy Henriksen – guitars, backing vocals

Glen Sobel – drums, percussion

Nita Strauss – guitars, backing vocals

Setlist:

Lock Me Up @Info[First verse and chorus only]

No More Mr. Nice Guy

I'm Eighteen

Under My Wheels

Billion Dollar Babies

Hey Stoopid

Lost in America

Snakebite

Feed My Frankenstein

Poison

Vincent Price The Black Widow Intro @Tape

Guitar Solo @Info[Nita Strauss]

Black Widow Jam @Info[Band only]

Ballad of Dwight Fry

Devil's Food / Killer / I Love the Dead @Info[Band only; Cheryl Cooper cuts Alice's head off in the Guillotine]

Elected

School's Out @Info[with a snippet of Pink Floyd's “Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2” and band introductions]

Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie have been friends and have worked together for many years. Seeing them together on the same tour is a real treat for me.

Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart

I could not imagine what Rob Zombie had in store for everyone as far as his stage production would go. When the curtain dropped, so did my jaw! It took a minute to locate where Rob was amongst all the various-sized video screens about the stage. He was high up on a riser that looked like some kind of creature with “ZOMBIE” in huge letters across the top.

Photo Credit: Terrell Stewart

Throughout his set, the video screens displayed a variety of wild images and some clips from his movies. As Rob, Piggy D, and Mike Riggs roamed the stage, the lights danced, and flame throwers shot out balls of fire. Drummer Ginger Fish, who had started out high on a riser, was now lower and easier to see. Rob seemed to never slow down, dancing across the stage and working up the crowd. Zombie finished the night with the ever-popular “Dragula” to a crowd that was going as crazy as Rob had been doing.