All aboard the Crazy Train, as one of the most anticipated tours of the Winter, featuring two Rock and Roll veterans Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie rolled into The DCU Center in Worcester for a blockbuster night of pure old school Rock and Roll.
Rob Zombie -
The concert got off to an early start at 7:30 P.M. with In The Moment opening. Anticipation filled the air, as a whole new generation of fans witnessed the Rob Zombie sideshow. One thing is for certain; Rob Zombie has that certain knack for entertaining a crowd with his slick stage performance and spectacular stage show. Rob Zombie brought his old school production of vaudeville back into Rock and Roll. Complete with pyro, a twelve foot dancing robot, dancing girls, 7 big screens filled with your different segments of your favorite horror shows like "Night Of The Living Dead", drummer Tommy Clufetos perched on a twelve foot drum rise set on a demonic monster head, and catchy Zombie hits that held the young audience spellbound amidst a background of pink tinsel.
Zombie in action
Opening with "American Witch" off of his hit album,” Educated Horses", Zombie and company never let up the momentum. The once Haverhill native, certainly knows how to get the party started. What makes Rob Zombie's show so exciting is his line-up of stellar musicians including Piggy D on bass, John 5 on guitar, and Tommy Clufetos on drums.
The rhythm section of Piggy D and Tommy was thunderous, as the band performed Zombie hits such as," Super Beast", "Living Dead Girl", and "House Of A Thousand Corpses" and "Never Gonna Stop." During the show, Rob yelled, "Turn the lights on everyone". As he suddenly jumped into the audience and roamed through the crowd shaking hands.
One of the most exciting aspects of a Rob Zombie show is witnessing the guitar solos of John 5. The classical trained musician wooed the crowd with his stellar, guitar technique, shredding the strings with much precision and breathing the old White Zombie hits such as "Thunder Kiss 65 new life.
American Witch on Letterman
Highlight of the night would have to be seeing John whip out the violin bow on his twelve string during,” The Devil Rejects". Rob and company performed with much enthusiasm, as Rob led his band to the grand finale of "Dragula". Last time I saw Rob Zombie perform was at the Palladium in Worcester. Tonight he brought his high-energized show to the DCU Center and did not disappoint.
ROB ZOMBIE SETLIST
Sawdust In The Blood
American Witch
Demon Speeding
Living Dead Girl
More Human Than Human
Superbeast
House of 1,000 Corpses
Drum Solo
Let It All Bleed Out
Never Gonna Stop
Thunder Kiss ‘65
The Devil’s Rejects
Dragula
Ozzy -
It is not very often that you get to witness the Godfather of Rock and Roll in an indoor arena setting. Most of the times, I have seen Ozzy perform was at Ozzfest. Tonight the Prince of Darkness brought the party indoors to the DCU Center. Relying on a stripped down stage show, and on the pyrotechnics of Zakk Wylde's performance, Ozzy proved why his legend has survived over 40 years in the business.
Trying to relate to a generation of reality show addicts, opening the show was a video of Ozzy taking on the role of many different characters such as stud, pirate, executive, and a contestant on "Dancin With The Stars". The entertainer surely showed all of his different personalities all wrapped in one.
As the cross-studded curtain dropped, Ozzy dressed in his signature black turned the DCU Center into a crazy train of excited fans holding them in his power. Opening with his Grammy nominated hit, "I Don't Wanna Stop" off of his latest CD,"Black Rain", Ozzy proved he could still rock with the best of them. As Ozzy announced,” I have been in the business forty years".
Whipping the audience into frenzy with "Crazy Train", and fists in the airs, the momentum of the night did not let up. It was clear to see, that Ozzy still enjoys doing what he does best, entertaining. His classic prankish antics of throwing water on the crowd, and spraying his fans with foam caught everyone off guard.
The popular Mr. Crowley roared as the stage setting turned into a burning cross. Ozzy's partner in crime, guitar virtuoso wailed on the solo. Ozzy's touring band featured Zakk Wylde on guitar, Mike Bordin on drums, and Blasko on bass, and keyboardist Alan Wakeman. Who was featured on the melodic,” Here We Go". "Road To Nowhere" received a huge applause. It was nice to see Ozzy's softer side on both songs.
One of the driving forces behind Ozzy's longevity in the music business is Zakk Wylde. Tonight's performance showcased Zakk's skill as one of the great guitar virtuosos of our generation. One of the highlights of the set was,” Bark At The Moon", and Zakk's skull crushing guitar solo. During the solo, Zakk performed a blistering rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner", in which he received a standing ovation.
The Ozzy 75-minute set flowed with hit after hit including,” I Don't Know" and "I Don't Want to Change The World". Ozzy announced,” The crazier you get, the longer we play. I can't hear you". As the crowd cheered for more, the band returned for two encores. Including the song that started the legend of Ozzy and Zakk,"Mama I'm Coming Home". Zakk pulled out his twelve strings and whipped the strings into an acoustic finger picking frenzy, proving that he may be on one of the world's top guitar shredders, but he is also skilled with the precision of being able to perform acoustically with a flawless passion.
the Wyldeman
It was clear to see the bond between Zakk and Ozzy is truly genuine. As Ozzy introduced his main guitar man. The 18-year-old guitar player from Jersey has certainly come a long way from the early days. In a previous Ozzfest interview Zakk told me how it all began. Zakk commented," I was playing a club one day, in Jersey and this guy Dave came up to me and he said,"Hey Zakk my name is Dave, [this is] my buddy Mark Weiss. Mark is a famous photographer and is doing some photo shoots right now with [Ozzy]. Ozzy is looking for a guitarist. Why don't you take a picture of yourself and send in a photo. I can't promise you nothing." I was working in a gas station at the time, playing crappy clubs. I thought I got nothing to lose. So my sister Amy took some pictures of me with some Polaroid’s on my Mom and Dad's porch. I ended up sending that in, and I recorded a bunch of Ozzy's songs like "Crazy Train", "Mr. Crowley" and sent it to him. Then the next thing I know, Sharon called my Mom and Dad's house, they
Ozzy cools em off
flew me out to LA, I met Ozzy, I crapped my pants, and then the rest is history."
Ozzy ended the night with only one tune of his Black Sabbath era,” Paranoid". As the song ended the fireworks filled the stage with a huge bang, as the band took their bow. It has been awhile since the working class city has experienced a production of this magnitude. The double bill of Ozzy and Rob Zombie proved a night full of excitement and magic, as we returned to an era when rock and roll shows entertained the audience and guitar solos ruled the world.
I Don’t Wanna Stop
Crazy Train
Suicide Solution
Mr. Crowley
Road To Nowhere
Bark At The Moon
Zakk Wylde Guitar Solo- Star Spangled Banner
I Don’t Know
Here For You
I Don’t Want To Change The World
Encores
Mama, I’m Coming Home
Paranoid
