August 27, 2016 – “You are about to enter a new dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into the wonderous land of imagination.” Next stop, the Lake-view Amphitheater located a stone’s throw from the NYS Fairgrounds in Syracuse’s western suburb of Geddes, NY. With the pristine Onondaga Lake as a backdrop to this recently constructed venue (Sept. 2015) and more than adequate seating of 17,500 including an expansive lawn section, this gem of a venue is ideal for the best summer outdoor festivals in New York state.
The weather could not have been more perfect, with temperatures in the mid-eighties and slight breeze originating in an almost cloudless sky. A perfect early evening for Maria Brink and In This Moment to open the show with “Sick Like Me” and “Black Widow”. Combined with the wailing riffs of both Chris Howorth and Randy W
As the sun began to fall below the western horizon, the crowd’s listlessness and eclectic anxiety was ever apparent as the crew put the finishing touches on the stage, as Rob Zombie, John 5, Piggy D and Gingerfish got their game faces on for one of the best to date performances ever seen by myself and most who attended. Storming the stage with their new hit “Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown”, these boys pulled out all the stops in their horror and suspense show with precise spine-tingling drum loops and hair-raising guitar riffs to include John 5’s solo prior to the band’s thunderous beginning of “Thunder Kiss ‘65”, when Rob Zombie began his signature meandering through the crowd, lighting up the wild-eyed fans with his handheld spotlight. During the sixth song “Well, Everyone’s Fucking in a UFO” (from their latest disc ‘The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser’ released in 2016), beach balls were replaced with life-size green alien blow-up dolls, which were cast into the audience and became lifetime keepsakes to those fortunate that were able to covet, deflate and keep out of sight from those in close proximity. Wrapping up their set with “Dragula”, Zombie and crew proved to the tens of thousand fans, on this night that just when you thought you had their theatrics down pat, they simply up their game with even more mind-warping visuals and background videos. An epic performance of which everyone hated to see come to an end.
The hollow feeling experienced after Rob Zombie exited stage left and the lights dimmed, was soon filled to the brim with the closing act of Bakerfield, California’s bad boys Korn. Founded in 1993, Jonathan Davis commanded the audience right from the opening hit “Right Now”, and never released his demonic grip until ending their 14 song set with “Freak on a Leash”, with the ever-thrashing guitar riffs of James (Munky) Shaffer and Brian (Head) Welch
In summary, I give this Return of the Dreads tour a five-star rating, exceeding all expectations in both extreme visuals/theatrics, and the combining of the three of the universe’s top metal masterminds of Rob Zombie, Korn and In This Moment. Add the ingredients of a picture perfect day and the intensity of the interaction of all present, this event forever left me in total appreciation of why I still continue my insatiable appetite to be a small part in the music industry, which by far contradicts a recent quote by another one of Rocks and Roll’s giants who was quoted saying “Rock is dead.” It’s far from it in the eyes of the journalist!