Front Row Pics: Rob Zombie @ Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT
RZ himself
As most of you know, Rob Zombie and his three partners in crime ~ John 5, Ginger Fish, and Piggy D ~ are favorites of ours here at FW and frequently grace the pages of our site in one way or another…and whenever we review an RZ event (like his Rob Zombie’s All American Nightmare, which longtime contributor devildresseddown covered as only a true Zombie fan could ~ check out just a couple of his articles for FW, of course complete with live pics, here and here ) or live performance, there’s no way of capturing the show without words like “spectacle,” “unrivaled theatricality,” “a stage show ~ complete with monsters, movies, pyrotechnics, and so much more ~ that is deliciously over the top and could only come from the twisted, genius mind of RZ…”
Ginger Fish
Thursday’s capacity crowd was witness to a slightly different RZ show, though, and as much as I love his signature productions, as I think it’s safe to assume everyone in the audience does as well, it was really cool to have the focus shift from the usual insane visual thrill-ride to the music itself ~ vocals and instruments alike. With an opening DJ set performed by Ginger Fish right through the final encore, it seemed like the first time that RZ was letting his music do the talking ~ and for those of you out there who claim RZ makes distracts the audience with all the “extras” to hide his and his band’s lack of musical prowess, I bring out my simple statement (which we know is really standing in for a statement that is just as simple but a bit more…unladylike): “You’re wrong.”
Piggy D
Now don’t go picturing a barren set with just 3 mics and a drum set ~ costumes and make-up, energy beyond belief, King Kong, Frankenstein, and their monster friends looming huge on the backdrop, big balls released into the audience, the now-familiar emaciated statues, dramatic lighting…it was all there, just reigned in a little ~ which let the bands’ mastery of their instruments, sense of humor, non-stop use of every inch of the stage, individual yet cohesive styles, and, to put it plainly, fuckin’ awesome stage presence rule the night (here’s a little video so that you can check it out yourself, thanks to a very shaky cell phone!).
We wouldn’t trade the full-on Zombie treatment for anything, but every once in a while, it’s nice to be reminded what the Frightful Four are at their core: outstanding musicians.
John 5
…and this just in, keep in mind that you’ll be looking at photos of the “Vanguard Award” recipient at July’s Journeys Alternative Press Music Awards. #APMAs! For more info and details on how to get tickets, head here!
Enough talk, here are the photos…ENJOY!
Special thanks to Abby Reutzel and to the crew at The Landsdowne Pub at Mohegan Sun for always taking extra good care of us before every show!