Article by: Wendy Podmenik Darugar
Photos by: Glenn Woodell and Wendy Podmenik Darugar
PORTSMOUTH, VA- Musician, screenwriter, and director, master of shock Rob Zombie took his fans on a roller coaster ride into a Halloween fantasy land that crawled with aliens, vampires, and other nefarious ne’er do wells of the darkness.
The night kicked off with Zombie’s drummer Ginger Fish playing as DJ, spinning popular tracks from artists such as Guns and Roses and Rammstein, with the intent of pumping up the crowd for the main event. Crowd reaction was not strong, as many folks were expecting an opening band.
The stage set up was fantastic with a strong colorful light show and multiple video screens playing clips from music videos, cartoons and retro movies that coincided with a set list that explored nearly every one of Zombie’s hits over the years. At times pleading to audience members to put down their cell phones and enjoy being in the moment with the show, Rob Zombie leaped from riser to riser, dancing and commanding the evening. Tossing out massive balloons and inflatable green aliens for the pit to bounce around, Zombie showed us that this is fantasy all in fun.
The evening lost a bit of momentum toward the end of the show when Zombie halted the concert for 10 minutes while a distressed concertgoer in the pit was attended to by venue staff. His attentiveness and his concern for the well being of his fans was commendable. Advising, “If you are gonna get f*cked up, you’ve got to know the point where you ruin it for yourself”, he worked towards building the energy back up to conclude the evening, which featured two encores.
Catch the overwhelmingly popular Rob Zombie and his creepy crew of characters at the following dates:
