Featured Live Music Artist of the Week - ROB ZOMBIE

Okay, figured with Flashback Weekend in Rosemont starting tomorrow – and the focus is on the Horror Films of “Halloween” – what better choice for this week’s feature than Rob Zombie!!!  The director of the Halloween 1 and 2 retellings.  I’m not going to say remake, and certainly not that overused term redux, or the corny “re-imagined” – so we’ll say “retellings”.

But this is a blog entry about music – specifically Live Music!  Let’s put it this way – Ozzy is my all-time music hero.  Jim Peterik is my all-time song-writer.  The Beatles are The Beatles – nuff said.  But Rob Zombie is BY FAR my all-time LIVE MUSIC hero.

The only way to describe a Rob Zombie concert is a full-on hardcore musically psychotic carnivalistic high energy crazy “goes to 11” over-the-top perfect ASSAULT on ALL 5 senses!  Yes – all five of them!!

1. Sight.  Crazy animation, stop-action videos, full action videos, fire, go-go girls in cages, horror show go-go girls, giant monsters on stage, strobe lights, not-so-subliminal video excerpts, crazy costumes, crazy/horror show painted backdrops and did I mention fire
2.  Sound.  Talk about the most in-your-face music around!!  IN-YOUR-FACE.  And so unique as well – if Heavy Metal existed in the 1950s – this would be what it sounded like.  Songs about cars and horror films – it’s like the 1950s meet metal.  Or Frankenstein meets The Devil’s Rejects!
3. Taste.  You can almost taste the music!  (not really sure how to fit that in – but trust me – somehow it fits in
4. Touch.  Well, the arena is filled with fog and smoke –and you can touch that.  You can feel the heat from the stage.  No, not symbolically – LITERALLY!  That’s one hot smokin’ show!  Literally!  In addition – you literally can FEEL the music – the bass and the drums and the lead and the vocals – literally make your heart pound.  If one’s heart were to stop – the music would naturally keep it pounding
5. Smell – well, fire creates smoke – and you can smell smoke.  Plus, I swear, if it was possible – his concerts are utilizing the classic “smell-o-vision” techniques used in the 1950s/1960s horror films

Did I mention – on top of all of this – there is Rob’s band – always filled with top-notch musicians who are rocking the place like there is no tomorrow.  And sometimes, while watching the videos and the stage show, you might believe there really will be – no tomorrow!!  Rob himself, the most energetic bg-name performer I’ve ever seen.  Now, remember, Ozzy is my music hero – and in his prime (and even when others called him past-his-prime) he was pretty darn active on stage (along with Zakk Wylde).  BUT – Rob Zombie is those 2 times 1000 in terms of energy on stage!

I saw him once with the full extravaganza show – opening for Ozzy of all people.  And, to be honest, when Rob was finished – I was exhausted – JUST FROM WATCHING!!  Seriously, if they said “show’s over go home” – I would have left perfectly happy.  However, they didn’t and Ozzy came on and rocked the place too.

I also saw him headline the Second Stage at an OzzFest.  So, not quite the full sideshow extravaganza – but still – FULL ON IN YOUR FACE METAL!!!!  And, who would have expected this??  He throws BEACH BALLS into the audience – yes Beach Balls.  But, there is a twist, with the faces of Captain Spaulding on them.  Talk about FREAKY!!!!

Seriously, his show is a SHOW.  It is the most high-energy thing I’ve seen – it’s like being trapped in the craziest haunted house, with the coolest metal music, and a live band performing, and stuff just happening everywhere.  It’s like a musical insane asylum in your head!!!!

The amount of work that Rob Zombie puts into his stage show (not even including the music) is amazing beyond words.  This is clearly a guy who wants to put on the greatest show on stage – no question about it!  And, then you add the hard-rocking 1950s-themed horror-themed craziness of Rob Zombie music???  WOW – FREAKING WOW!!!

It is cars and rock and girls and fire and horror-exploitation, and creepiness, and fire, and dancing, and monsters, and LIVE MUSIC!!!  All rolled up into one massive unstoppable train of craziness!!   And – that’s a good thing!!!!  A haunted house set to metal...and go-go dancing!

And yes, he has always played Thunderkiss ’65 when I’ve seen him.

I’m exhausted just remembering his shows.................