Return of the Dreads Tour - Live at Lakeview Amphitheater [Saturday, 8/27/16] [Review]

Seeing this concert at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, New York is quite honestly one of the best things that I have ever done. Several months ago (probably late winter / early spring), my best friend mentioned this concert to me in passing, and I thought to myself, "It's definitely worth looking into." After all, I had been wanting to see Korn for a long time since seeing Jonathan Davis (the frontman) play an acoustic set at a smallish venue back in 2007. I had never seen Rob Zombie live in any kind of capacity, so that was an exciting prospect, as well. What really, truly sold me, however, was the discovery that one of my favorite bands, In This Moment, was opening for them. I immediately decided, "Okay, we are going." I bought both of our tickets, and plans were made, and as I said, I sure am glad that I did because this was a spectacular show that I will never, ever forget. Although In This Moment was the act for which I was the most excited, all three were fantastic, especially In This Moment and Rob Zombie, and that is rare. Whenever I go to a concert, it is usually the case that there is at least one act that (a) I am not familiar with, (b) I am not all that into, and/or (c) isn't all that great live. When I saw Otep, for example, local band after local band after local band preceded her, none of whom I had ever heard of prior to the show (although Circle the Suffering wasn't bad). When I saw Kelly Clarkson, Gavin DeGraw opened for her, and although he was pretty good live, I am not really a fan. Those of you who follow my blog on a regular basis know that I saw Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Panic! at the Disco, and Weezer back in June this year, and Weezer was quite honestly pretty boring live. I could go on, but the bottom line is that this was an exception; all three bands were fantastic.

In This Moment opened the show with "Sick Like Me," the lead single from their latest album Black Widow. As soon as Maria Brink (the band's frontwoman) entered the stage, I was in awe. This was my first time seeing In This Moment live, and I was pleasantly astounded by the theatrical nature of the band's act. It was the type of show that you usually see from artistic pop acts like Lady Gaga and Madonna, not usually from metal acts. Throughout just about every song, Maria was supported by backup dancers who not only fit perfectly with the mood of each song but also moved perfectly to each song's groove and rhythm. I, shortly after seeing the concert, read that Maria apparently developed a love for theater when she was younger and consequently adapted theatrical aspects into her shows, which definitely showed. There were only two aspects of the show that hindered its quality, neither one of which was the fault of the band: (1) Since the band was the first to play, they played while it was still daylight, and I think that the stage would have been even more visually appealing (see above photo) and the show would have been better overall if it were at night. (2) Because they were opening, they only played seven songs. In This Moment's setlist was as follows:

1. Sick Like Me
2. Black Widow
3. Adrenalize
4. Burn
5. American Horror Story: Freak Show Interlude
6. Sex Metal Barbie
7. Whore
8. Blood

They did play many of my favorites, but I definitely would have liked to have seen a full setlist. Now that I have seen them once, however, it is my dream to see them a second time with a full setlist because they were that good. (By the way, yes, they used American Horror Story: Freak Show music and dialogue as an interlude. That was awesome and was definitely a highlight of the entire show.)

After In This Moment (unfortunately) wrapped up, we waited quite a long time for the next act. My understanding had been that In This Moment was first, then Korn, then Rob Zombie. That was how it was printed on my ticket after all, and it was also printed that way on t-shirts. (If, in fact, you look at the official tour logo at the top of this entry, Korn is listed first.) When the second stage set was being assembled, therefore, I thought that it was Korn. I was surprised, however, when it was actually Rob Zombie. Rob also put on a fantastic show. Backed by psychedelic greens and purples and a large decorative boombox, Rob was full of energy. I had never, as I said, seen him live before, not even via a recording, so I honestly hadn't been expecting this lord of darkness to be so nimble and sprightly. I remember my best friend (the one with whom I attended the show) saying that one reason why she wanted to see Rob live was because at fifty-one years old, he wasn't getting any younger. It is my belief, however, that he won't be quitting this business anytime soon if he can help it. He was so energetic and seemed legitimately happy to be performing on stage. He was also very interactive with the audience, going to the extent of calling certain people out. He even got off the stage and walked around the theatre at one point. When he returned to the stage, he asked the audience to put their phones away for "three fucking minutes," promising that their Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. would survive without them. He was sprightly and hilarious.

Decked in his usual semi-goth, semi-hippie garb, Rob did classic numbers like "Dragula" (his best-known song), "Living Dead Girl," "Thunder Kiss '65," "More Human than Human," "Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy)," etc. He also performed tracks from his new album The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser, including "The Hideous Exhibitions of a Dedicated Gore Whore" and "Well, Everybody's Fucking in a U.F.O." The full setlist is as follows:

1. Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown
2. Superbeast
3. In the Age of the Consecrated Vampire We All Get High
4. Wild Thing
5. Living Dead Girl
6. Well, Everybody's Fucking in a U.F.O.
7. More Human than Human
8. Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy)
9. The Hideous Exhibitions of a Dedicated Gore Whore
10. House of 1000 Corpses
11. Thunder Kiss '65
12. The Star-Spangled Banner / We're an American Band
13. Dragula

His new album has become one of my favorites, so I enjoyed both the old material and the new material. His love for old horror films and related media was apparent (something that is also apparent in his films, as his characters are often seen watching them), as clips from Nosferatu, Dracula, The Munsters etc. were displayed on the video screen behind him and his band (which includes previous Marilyn Manson members Ginger Fish and John 5). Also in typical Rob Zombie fashion, much of the show's visuals revolved around science-fiction, especially during his performance of the aforementioned "U.F.O." song. The only aspect of Rob performing live that I wish were different is his tendency to shout some of the lyrics rather than sing them like he does on the studio recordings. I also noticed this when I watched his live video release The Zombie Horror Picture Show recently. It was especially noticeable in songs like "Living Dead Girl" and "Dragula." The songs were essentially stripped of their melodies, which were, as I said, basically shouted rather than sung. I still really enjoyed seeing him live, though, and would love to see him again. I have been a casual fan for years but have been deeply invested and maybe even obsessed since seeing him live.

Once again, we waited a really long time in between sets, and the third and final act was Korn. This was the band for which I was the least excited, not because I don't like Korn but because as I said, I had already seen Jonathan Davis live before. This was still a pretty new experience for me, though, because it was my first time seeing the band in full. Although not quite as exciting as In This Moment and Rob Zombie, perhaps primarily because the stage was the most basic and least decorated of the three, the band still put on a really great show. Each and every song was performed with zest and heart, and the setlist was composed of:

1. Right Now
2. Here to Stay
3. Rotting in Vain
4. Somebody Someone
5. Coming Undone
6. Y'all Want a Single
7. Dead Bodies Everywhere / Make Me Bad
8. Insane
9. Shoots and Ladders / One
10. Blind
11. Twist
12. Got the Life
13. Falling Away from Me
14. Freak on a Leash

Highlights included "Coming Undone," "Y'all Want a Single," "Shoots and Ladders," and "Freak on a Leash," a well-known single with which they closed. The band said goodbye to everyone as they ended their set and effectively the show in general and encouraged the crowd to purchase their new album, The Serenity of Suffering, which drops on October 21st. (They performed two songs from it - "Rotting in Vain" and "Insane.") The only aspect of the band's setlist that surprised me was the fact that they didn't perform "Twisted Transistor," which I would argue is probably their biggest commercial hit, but I was satisfied with the setlist overall, especially since they didn't perform a single song from The Path of Totality, their 2011 metal meets dubstep effort that I have listened to and tried (keyword: tried) liking more than once.

I can't stress enough how happy that I am that I attended this concert. Not only was it an amazing show that never stopped being enjoyable (something that, as I said, is usually pretty rare), I believe that it was also the first time that I have seen a show with my best friend since the Jonathan Davis show in 2007, nine too many years. We both had such a great time that we have pledged to (a) try to do this more often and (b) see In This Moment again, preferably with a longer set, which brings me to the best part about having seen this show. Prior to the show, Dani (my friend) had never really listened to In This Moment, so she went in not knowing what to expect. Now? She is irrevocably obsessed and recently dropped $80 on all five of their albums. I had been trying for months to expose the band to her by, for example, putting three of their songs on a mix CD that I made for her because they seemed like something that she might like, and I finally succeeded by going to see them live with her. That's how good they were live; they intrigued her enough to build an obsession. The only aspect of this adventure that set our day back was all of the waiting and the hassle that was required to get to the show and leave the show. Because some genius decided to book the show while the New York State Fair was happening practically next door, there was no parking, and we had to park at a remote location and then take two consecutive shuttle busses to the show. We waited in a line to board a bus for what had to have been close to an hour after the show ended, so I will make an effort to avoid shows at this venue that coincide with the New York State Fair in the future; this show, however, was definitely worth it.