Rob Zombie tells it like it is...

[Harvester]

"Nothing's worse than when I've gone to see bands and they're like, 'We're going to play our entire new album from start to finish!' (You're like) 'Terrific. Thanks, douchebags.'"

 

[Diabolik]

I agree with this 100%. It is what stopped me from seeing Iron Maiden on thier tour before last....I dont want to hear the whole new album. I am also getting tired of the trend of playing classic albums....sure it was interesting and cool when some bands were doing it...now it is like everyone is. Most of the bands who are doing it were bands who stopped playing thier older stuff to cater to the new fans and then realized they lost thier core audience and now trying to win them back by playing thier "classic stuff".

I am not a fan of Rob Zombies music but the man is very interesting in interviews and speaks the truth on so many topics. My favorite thing he ever said was about meeting celebs and musicians. He said that he met when he was young a very famous horror film star....cant remember off hand who it was but they were rude to him and it left a bad taste in his mouth about how you treat your fanbase. He said ever since then he has always tried to be open to fans when they want pics or autographs and stuff. These are the people paying your salary. I always love to hear his interviews.
He is very honest and open. A thing very rare these days.

 

[DTJeff]

I gotta disagree with this, on principle. I was one of the few people 100% backing Maiden when they made the decision to play A Matter of life and Death in 2006. Sure, it sucks for the casual fans, but my attitude has always been fuck 'em. I think it's more important to reward the fans who pay to see you every tour and actually know your material with something they're not going to see all the time. Especially for a band like Maiden, who if they don't play a new song on the tour for its album, they never will - and also once they dump songs from a live set, they're gone until a possible eventual "hits" tour. I think it's a great experience to see a special show and see a whole bunch of songs you'll never see again. I'm proud to say I saw that tour - the tour where Maiden finally grew a sack and did what they wanted to do. I also applauded the decision to play 2 Minutes to Midnight and The Evil That Men Do instead of Run to the Hills and Number of the Beast. That tour made me proud to be a Maiden fan.

Also, I couldn't care less about misinformed people who don't pay attention to anything a band does but go to see them. I feel no sympathy for those people when they are upset. If a band makes it readily available public knowledge that they're doing something like that and someone still buys tickets, shows up, and complains - I think that's just too bad.

 

[OrbWeaver]

I like Rob Zombie, both as a musician (which puzzles the boyfriend) and as a human being. He's quite intelligent, and seems like a very nice guy.

 

[Dragongrrrl]

I love Rob Zombie. His music, his movies, his attitude. Just seems like a very cool, down-to-earth guy who doesn't have his head up his ass (or anyone else's). I'm gonna have to agree with his statement too - especially if an album has just been released. Who the hell is gonna be familiar enough with the material to do anything at the show other than just stand and listen? Mix it up a bit, get the crowd going.

 

[DTJeff]

especially if an album has just been released. Who the hell is gonna be familiar enough with the material to do anything at the show other than just stand and listen? Mix it up a bit, get the crowd going.

I knew just about every word when I saw Maiden do A Matter of life and Death in '06, less than 6 weeks after album release, haha.

 

[BlindPanzer]

 

[DTJeff]

Abso-fucking-lutely loved that when I saw it.

 

[NobleKnight]

I love the trend of playing older albums in full. To me, that is special. I'm going to the Megadeth RiP tour next week and can't wait to hear Rust in Piece in full. I wish more bands would do it.

New albums, yah I don't know, probably not. Its not a classic yet and I think an album should be considered a "classic" before its considered being played in full.

Aaron

 

[nomisofsiman]

Agree with Bob. His interviews are always interesting and speak the truth. Though, I half agree with this statement. I agree that most bands shouldn't play all of their new album but I thought when Porcupine Tree and Mastodon did their latest ones, it worked, probably because each album flowed and were in a sense, concept albums. However, I think when bands do this, they should wait to do it, maybe on a second leg? I don't think bands where the new disc is just a new set of songs should play the new album from beginning to end, and don't even get me started when bands play new songs that haven't been released yet. ugh.

On the flip side, I really wish I had seen Maiden do AMOLAD in its entirety as I really do love that album. I'm really surprised actually with all of the live albums they've done, they didn't make that into a live dvd as it was a different kind of show. That's the only Maiden live dvd I was looking forward to; however, it never happened.

 

[PureXul]

It is what stopped me from seeing Iron Maiden on thier tour before last....I dont want to hear the whole new album.

I was concerned how it would come across beforehand, but honestly, it made me appreciate the album even more. Sure, I would've rather seen them play "Alexander the Great", "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" and a few others that have either never been played live or not for a long time, but it was better than seeing "Run to the Hills" for the umpteenth time.

I am also getting tired of the trend of playing classic albums....sure it was interesting and cool when some bands were doing it...now it is like everyone is.

I agree wholeheartedly with this, it seems like the current formula is to take an old band, get them to reunite, and throw them out on a tour focused on a classic album. However, there are few exceptions to this for me, mostly concept albums:
Blind Guardian - "Nightfall in Middle Earth" (honestly, would anyone complain if they had a reason to play "Curse of Feanor"?)
Edge of Sanity - "Crimson" (it's technically an entire album, albeit one song)
Iced Earth - "Night of the Stormrider"
Nevermore - "Dreaming Neon Black"
Opeth - "My Arms, Your Hearse"

 

[Saladbar]

Has Rob Zombie ever written or been part of an album that is worth paying money to go see it being performed in its entirety?

 

[General Zod]

Has Rob Zombie ever written or been part of an album that is worth paying money to go see it being performed in its entirety?

The first White Zombie disc is pretty bad ass.

His comment sounds like a shot at Maiden specifically, as I can't think of another band who played their current disc from start to finish (save Mastodon). If memory serves, they were on the same Ozzfest together. Perhaps they didn't get along.

Zod

 

[edgeofthorns]

I love the trend of playing older albums in full. To me, that is special. I'm going to the Megadeth RiP tour next week and can't wait to hear Rust in Piece in full. I wish more bands would do it.
Aaron

Me too, I can't wait! For those of us that were 13 years old when Rust In Peace came out, this is special!

~Brian~

 

[skyrefuge]

His comment sounds like a shot at Maiden specifically, as I can't think of another band who played their current disc from start to finish (save Mastodon).

I've seen Red Sparowes, Estradasphere, and Cursive do it. But yeah, Rob Zombie probably wasn't talking about any of them.

If he was, Cursive would have gotten the super-double-douchebag bonus for playing their new album a full 8 months before it was released. In fact, I think they hadn't even recorded it by then. In reality, the fans ate it up, because it was an exclusive, one-off performance, a way to hear the new album before anyone else did, actually played in front of you by the band themselves rather than downloaded from a torrent.

In my ideal world, *all* bands would always play their entire new albums. Here's how music-making in that crazy fantasy-land would work:

1. Artist is inspired to make a statement and share it with the world, so he writes some music.
2. He travels around playing his music, to directly share his passion with people. He doesn't play much old stuff, because that's not where his heart is anymore.
3. For those he can't reach directly, or who want to continue to hear his music after he leaves town, he records that music on an album.

Now, here's how it *actually* works:

1. Artist is contractually obligated to release a new album, or feels he needs "something to tour on", so he mechanically forces out some songs.
2. He records that music on an album, record company pimps it as "the greatest, heaviest, most-ambitious, back-to-the-roots album of his career!!!"
3. He goes on tour, plays a couple songs from the new album, and a bunch of old classics, because, what the hell, he's not actually passionate about
*any* of them, and playing the old hoary chestnuts he's played a million times before seem to do a better job of keeping the cash flowing in.

In short, I'll take a passionate artist with something vital and current to say over one just going through the motions. There's a lot more risk involved for the concertgoer when the artist is playing something relatively new and unfamiliar, but I think the payoff can be so much greater.

Neil

 

[booB]

My favorite time seeing Dio (one of my all-time favorite performers) was when he played Magica from start to finish.

 

[General Zod]

I've seen Red Sparowes, Estradasphere, and Cursive do it. But yeah, Rob Zombie probably wasn't talking about any of them.

Probably not. I suspect he takes issue with bands who have a whole lot of classic material, which the fans show up to hear.

 

[AMBR]

Eh, I wouldn't take Rob's comment too seriously. He's talented, funny, personable, off-the-wall... and probably ADD. I think he was basically speaking for himself. :zombie:

For me, depends on the album and the band, but really, I'd prefer not to listen to an entire album unless it was something extraordinary.

 

[Palabra de Dios]

And that's the thing about that Maiden tour that would have not been for me. I've still never seen Maiden live. If it were my first Maiden experience, I'd probably be a bit disappointed to not have as many classic songs played.

 

[TribunalRecords]

The first White Zombie disc is pretty bad ass.
Zod

by "first" i assume you mean their third album, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music v1.

Unless you are referring to Soul Crusher, Make Them Die Slowly or their indie 12" then i apologize.

the new(ish) box set is nice collection of it all considering the early stuff has been out of print for awhile.