Zombie Rocks the Night

Jesus "BUD" Castilleja, staff writer

Rob Zombie topped the summer off with a bang.

For all who occupied the club South Beach in Lubbock to see Mastodon and Rob Zombie, it was a night to remember.  Zombie opened the show on August 24 with Demon Speeding, a song from Rob’s former band White Zombie. The excitement was in the air, along with the bodies of several crowd surfers. My eyes burned from the sweat that had poured into them. The sweat drenched both me and most in the crowd of 1,000 attendees. Zombie commented on the dark, slimy atmosphere, of hypnotic violence that surrounded us all. Even though ticket availability was only for one day, the show sold out.

Dedicated fans such as myself waited in line for hours in 90-degree weather.  The tickets went on sale at 6 pm on the sixth day of the sixth month. Lubbock radio station KFMX-FM made up for the heat by providing cold drinks for everyone and giving away posters of Rob Zombie’s newest film, “The Devil’s Rejects,” to the first 100 in line.

The anticipation almost hurt, seeing the ticket every day for months, and knowing there would only be eight shows across America like this.

After introducing replacement guitarist Johnny-5 of Marilyn Manson, Astro-Creep Zombie explained to screaming fans why he chose Lubbock over other cities such as Dallas, Austin, and Houston.

He said “I noticed how Lubbock is often overlooked, but has the most amazing vibe when it comes to rock music.”

The crowd went nuts, including the ones sitting on the balcony so as not to spill their drinks as they started to chant and cheer. It was at that moment I knew this was the concert of the summer, the one worth waiting for. Even with Atlanta’s Mastodon kicking the show off loud and heavy, their set would not come close to the intensity of Rob Zombie’s set.

As soon as all the equipment was ready, the crowd squeezed together like sardines, leaving barely enough room to breath. With the music blasting, and the frequent head banging, the show went on with a pureness of everything you could want in a concert.