The Freaks on Parade 2024 Tour was highly anticipated for Northeast Ohio, with many of every generation gathering for the four-act lineup. With Filter, Ministry, Alice Cooper, and Rob Zombie performing, it was sure to be a lively and loud show.
Filter started the night off with a short but exciting set, ensuring we knew the band had been formed in Cleveland back in 1993. Ministry followed, amplifying the energy with an intense yet honest performance featuring songs from their most recent albums, ‘HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES’, ‘Moral Hygiene’, and ‘Jesus Built My Hotrod’.The crowd was restless for more after the two opening bands.
A pair of plague doctors crossed the stage ringing their golden bells. The floor to ceiling front page of a newspaper was revealed: “Banned in Ohio! Alice Cooper”. “Lock Me Up” began and each member of the band had their moment before Cooper’s silhouette shone through the paper. The singer sliced through it with a sword clad in skulls and his iconic tophat. “No More Mr. Nice Guy” followed and the sword, stuck in the stage, was traded for a baton which Cooper later tossed to the pit.
It is well known that the legendary singer has a number of years under his belt with this being his 33rd tour. However, you wouldn’t know it based on anything but the clear experience it takes to put on such a captivating show. “I’m Eighteen” played into the age, with Cooper using a crutch as his prop of choice to pump up, point with, and play air guitar on.
With live snakes, stabbed photographers, and Jason from the horror franchise Friday the 13th, Cooper’s performance lived up to the theatrical and compelling experience everyone was hoping for. When he was revealed to be in a straight jacket for “Ballad of Dwight Fry”, we all knew what was on its way. Cooper broke out of his confine, running to a plague doctor to stab him and kissing a lady in elegant Victorian fashion. We later found out that she is Sheryl Goddard, Alice’s wife, and the other woman dancing around the stage is Calico Cooper, his first-born. And so, the moment that happens in almost every one of his shows occurred: Alice Cooper was beheaded by guillotine. Well, a doll version of him was. Sheryl paraded the head around.
“Election” lifted the theatrics to the next level, with a balcony Cooper sang to the rally from, U.S. flags, and confetti. Following was an ironic “School’s Out” where Alice paused to introduce the band and his family, finishing the song with a portion of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2” before bidding us farewell with, “May all your dreams be horrific!”
Rob Zombie took to the stage in dramatic fashion as well, with a giant curtain falling to reveal himself on a platform, with the drums being on a platform as well. Opening with “Demon Speeding” the singer never let off the gas in terms of energy. Sparkler rain and fire lit up the stage in contrast to the screens which set the tone with immersive imagery. Once lowered to the floor, Zombie joined the crowd headbanging and jumping around to the music.
Zombie was sure to note that Ohio was the U.F.O. abduction capital of the world, which sent the fans wild for the following song “Well, Everybody’s Fucking in a U.F.O.”. The setlist had a mix of Rob Zombie hits like “Feel So Numb”, “Superbeast”, and “Living Dead Girl” with some song from White Zombie “Super-Charger Heaven”, “More Human Than Human”, and “Thunder Kiss ‘65”. A massive goblin figure joined the artist on stage and the audience cheered especially for the song Zombie “did not understand why everyone likes”; “The Satanic Rites of Blacula” had many singing and many more headbanging along.
Rob Zombie closed the evening with “Dragula”, his most popular song yet. His performance was not only enlivening, but also showcased his ability to tell a story visually and audibly. In addition to being a musician, Zombie–also known as Robert Cummings–is a film writer with credits for “House of 1000 Corpses”, “Halloween (2007)”, and most recently “The Munsters”. Needless to say, Zombie’s performance left us all with stories to tell.
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