Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper spark Mansfield monster mash

Music

The “Freaks on Parade Tour” served fans of all ages a virtual smorgasbord of both sights and sounds, satisfying the crowd in Mansfield.

Rob Zombie performs at Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival on Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, at Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

MANSFIELD — When it comes to the shock rock genre, Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper make for one entertaining creature double-feature.

Cut from the same razor-sharp cloth, the two hard-rock and horror aficionados pulled out every trick in the book, during an electric co-headlining set Friday night at Xfinity Center.

The “Freaks on Parade Tour” served fans of all ages a virtual smorgasbord of both sights and sounds, satisfying the capacity crowd of roughly 15,000 in attendance.

“It’s almost Halloween,” said Cooper. “May all of your nightmares be horrific.”

The Godfather of shock rock, Alice Cooper had the crowd eating out of his prop-wielding hands. The 76-year-old took the aggressive lead in this terrifying tango. He entered the stage cutting through a newspaper frontpage that proclaimed him “Banned in Massachusetts,” before launching into the set opening intro of “Lock Me Up.”

Sporting a red velvet riding jacket and black top hat, Cooper cut to the chase when it came to dishing out the hits. He provided a lethal dose up front jumping into the anthemic “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” before backing it up with the fist-pumping energy of “I’m Eighteen.” Cooper conjured some old school flair, delving into early 70s singles “Under My Wheels” and “Billion Dollar Babies,” with an equally frenzied zest.

Ever the showman, Alice added his own unique brand of theatrical humor throughout, walking the line between vaudeville and the macabre. At one point, the raspy-voiced vocalist appeared to impale an annoying paparazzo with his microphone stand. The ageless rocker also got to show off his boa constrictor, before cavorting with a 12-foot Frankenstein monster.

Alice paid homage to Jason Voorhees of “Friday the 13^th” fame with a clever rendition of “He’s Back (the Man Behind the Mask).” He got assistance from the big guy himself, who appeared after an overzealous fan rushed the stage. The hockey mask-wearing monster came to the singer’s rescue with machete in hand. Jason appeared to slit the intruder’s throat much to the delight of the bloodthirsty audience.

Arguably the biggest pop in the set came when Alice took a shot of “Poison,” a song written in 1989 during the height of the glam metal era.

Cooper was backed by a solid veteran outfit. Lead guitarist Nita Strauss got to showcase her fretboard wizardry, proving that even girls can shred. She was complimented by longtime Cooper cohort Ryan Roxie on guitar along with Tommy Henrickson. Bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel held the back end, with all five performing an impromptu jam.

In the middle of the chaos, Alice returned to the stage in a straitjacket for the “Ballad of Dwight Fry.” It was another vintage 1971 cut from his album “Love it to Death.” The song came to a triumphant climax with Cooper literally losing his head on the guillotine. But as history has shown, you just can’t kill Alice Cooper. He reemerged pledging his political aspirations on “Elected,” before dismissing his class with “School’s Out,” setting the bar very high for the Zombie squad.

A Haverhill native, Rob Zombie picked up Cooper’s decapitated head and ran with it.

The dreadlocked singer sported plenty of bravado from the outset, performing from a raised pulpit bearing his name, during the pyro-sparkled opener “Demon Speeding.” Guitarist Mike Riggs provided added buzzsaw bodaciousness on the energetic rocker “Feels So Numb,” before turning the channel on the visually stunning “What Lurks on Channel X?” backdropped by a wide array of TVs that littered the stage.

Following an act like Alice Cooper is no small feat, but Zombie was up to the task.

What Zombie may have lacked in stage props and presentation, he more than made up for in terms of sheer production. Everything was bigger, bolder, louder, and in keeping with the spirit of the night, more blood-curdling and colorful. Zombie basked in the glow of the mayhem he created, bathing the audience with a sweeping wall of sound, eye-catching graphics, and plenty of pyrotechnics to boot.

Zombie’s band was backed by multiple big-screen video boards spotlighting everything from serial killers and Japanese anime, to alien encounters, go-go dancers, and classic-B movie madness. The singer also managed to pull out several mascots including a massive 12-foot Robot Monster, several demonic mentors, as well as an assorted group of confetti-gun-wielding ghouls, upping the ante in terms of pure absurdity.

Drummer Ginger Fish took flight on an elevated drum riser, maintaining the frantic kick of “The Satanic Rites of Blacula.” But with all due respect to Zombie’s solo material, his signature White Zombie tunes “More Human Than Human” and “Thunder Kiss ‘65” continue to be the real crowd-pleasers here. Their infectious cadence and crackling buzz created a ripple effect that permeated the crowd.

Zombie maintained his momentum down the home stretch, resuscitating the “Living Dead Girl,” before going for the jugular with “Dragula” for the encore, capping a memorable Mansfield monster mash.

Setlist for Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie at Xfinity Center, Sept. 6, 2024:

Alice Cooper

Lock Me Up (partial)

No More Mr. Nice Guy

I’m Eighteen

Under My Wheels

Billion Dollar Babies

Hey Stoopid

He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)

Snakebite

Feed My Frankenstein

Poison