Rob Zombie & Megadeth with Volbeat
Hartman Arena
Park City, Kansas
May 25, 2012
By Jeb Wright
Volbeat Set List
A Warrior’s Call | Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood | Another Day, Another Way | Sad Man’s Tongue | Hallelujah Goat | The Mirror and the Ripper | I Only Want to Be With You | Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza | Sweet Unicorns | Still Counting
Megadeth Set List
Never Dead | Head Crusher | In My Darkest Hour | Hanger 18 | Trust | She-Wolf | Angry Again | Sweating Bullets | Whose Life (is it Anyways?) | Public Enemy N0. 1 | Symphony of Destruction | Peace Sells
Encore:
Holy Wars…The Punishment Due
Rob Zombie Setlist:
Jesus Frankenstein | Superbeast | Scum of the Earth | Living Dead Girl | More Human than Human | Drum Solo | Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy) | Sick Bubblegum | American Witch | Mars Needs Woman | Pussy Liquor | Thunderkiss ‘65
Encore:
Dragula
A Heavy Metal Hell Ride cruised through Wichita, Kansas on its way to Rocklahoma. Three bands, Rob Zombie, Megadeth and Volbeat took the stage, the fans responding by giving all of their energy to their musical heroes.
The crowd was sparse, truth be told. The masses were either traveling south to Rocklahoma, or the show was not properly promoted. The people who did show up, however, were ready to rock and loudly supportive and aggressive. Things never went over the edge, however, as the mosh pits swelled up out of nowhere like a Kansas thunderstorm, but, more often than not, the storm only lasted a few moments. Five or six peeps were brave enough to crowd surf but they didn’t make it to the front before the crowd petered out and left them sailing, unexpectedly, to the floor.
Volbeat began the evening with their eclectic mix of Hard Rock, Pop and Metal and the crowd enjoyed what they had to offer. “Only Want to Be with You,” the famous Dusty Springfield tune, was the biggest hit of the set with “Still Counting” also bringing cheers.
As good as an opening act as they were, Volbeat was quickly forgotten once the iconic Dave Mustaine took the stage. A true innovator, Mustaine led the band through the opening number “Never Dead.” The band is in great form with Shawn Drover on drums and Dave Ellefson on bass laying down the perfect soundscape for both Mustaine and Chris Broderick to solo over. From the opening schizophrenic guitar interplay of “Head Crusher” to the ending jam of “Peace Sells,” the crowd was treated to a symphony of distortion that had heads banging and fists in the air.
Mustaine recognized the small crowd but still gave his all. The highlights of the performance were “In My Darkest Hour,” “Hanger 18,” “Sweating Bullets,” “Public Enemy No. 1,” “Symphony of Destruction” and “Peace Sells” with the later featuring amazing fretboard theatrics from both axemen. The band returned for an encore, slamming out “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due.”
Megadeth is a ferocious live band and with founding bass player Dave Ellefson back in tow, much of the spirit of the original band is reflected on stage. Looking back, Metallica sure screwed up letting Mustaine go but, as it turned out, he created something totally new on his own, and like Frank Sinatra, he did it his way. This band is not only tearing it up live, they are still writing and recording albums, the most recent titled TH1RT3EN, that are every bit as loud and aggressive as their past catalog.
Where Megadeth prefer to depend on sheer volume and musical attack to prove their wares, Rob Zombie adds another dimension to his set. In addition to the music, Zombie presents a full on visual assault that pounds those in attendance into submission with ghoulish imagery, over the top lighting and vintage boob shots! The music is repetitious, rudimentary and aggressive and the stage show is Alice Cooper on acid. Tonight, despite the half empty arena, Zombie gave his all. He performed with the same excitement and bravado as if he were headlining a packed house in Madison Square Garden.
The show really got going with “Scum of the Earth,” Living Dead Girl” and “More Human than Human” being played one after the other. The Zombie loving Kansans, many dressed in bloody clothes with a black mark on their forehead, were into the show from note one.
Zombie split the crowd having one half chant ‘rock’ and the other half chant ‘mother fucker’ several times before going into the hit tune “Sick Bubblegum.” By the time the set got to “Mars Needs Woman” the crowd had been subjected to dozens of black and white old school horror clips, as well as videos, and even a scene from the famous movie Carrie. “Pussy Liquor” was a huge hit but the set ending White Zombie tune “Thunderkiss ’65” brought the house down, as Zombie admitted that it was Megadeth who took them on the road twenty years earlier and gave them a chance. In fact, Zombie stated, “The crowds hated this song then, but you will probably like it tonight.”
During the tune guitarist John 5 performed a guitar solo that proves he is one of the best in the business. Most of the evening John 5 is loyal to the original tunes, but this moment was his chance to shine. During the solo, Zombie went through the arena, up and down the stairs and all the way to the back giving high fives to fans and breaking down the fourth wall, merging reality with his ghoulish stage show.
The evening ended with the iconic tune “Dragula” as confetti flew from the ceiling. Wichita may not have supported the bands by selling out the arena, but those that were there were singing along with every word and banging their heads.
At the end of the day, these three bands on the same bill were an odd mix, but when Zombie perched himself atop a huge podium and blasted out “Dragula,” it was a perfect end to an ambitious evening of music. While there was no clear cut winner, all three bands gave solid performances despite the low attendance, proving they are all professionals and truly care about their fans, whether it be one or ten thousand in attendance.
