Connect with us

Music

Rain Can’t Drown the Freaks: Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson Kick Off “Freaks on Parade 2026” in West Palm Beach

Published

on

Freaks on Parade March Through South Florida with Rain, Riffs, and a Curfew-Busting Finale – Photos and Review of the Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson Concert at the iThink Financial Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, FL

The 2026 edition of the Freaks on Parade tour got off to a stormy, soggy, but ultimately triumphant start last night at iThink Financial Amphitheater in West Palm Beach. Dark clouds rolled in just before doors opened, and the venue was placed under a weather delay as lightning and heavy rain swept across the grounds. Fans that already made their way inside huddled under pavilion overhangs and merchandise tents while the schedule was thrown into uncertainty. By the time the clouds parted and the music finally began, opener Orgy had been removed from the lineup, but the night still delivered full sets from The Hu, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie, and the final notes rang out almost 45 minutes past curfew, turning what could have been a washout into a marathon of industrial-metal theater.

The first casualty of the evening was Orgy. Scheduled to open the tour with their synth-driven industrial rock, the band never took the stage. As the storm intensified, venue officials made the call to delay the show, and with time slipping away, Orgy’s slot was cut from the running order. When the weather finally cleared enough for the show to begin, The Hu took the stage and immediately changed the atmosphere. The Mongolian folk-metal band brought their unique blend of throat singing, horsehead fiddle, and heavy riffing to the humid Florida night, and the audience responded with roars of approval. Songs like “Wolf Totem” and “Yuve Yuve Yu” sounded enormous in the open air, with chanted vocals and galloping rhythms cutting through the lingering dampness. For many in the crowd, The Hu were the perfect reset after the rain delay: unfamiliar to some, but impossible to ignore, and their set was was fierce, focused, and delivered with total conviction.

Marilyn Manson followed with a set that leaned into his trademark blend of glam, goth, and industrial shock rock. Taking the stage in a swirl of smoke and flashing lights and flanked by upside down LED crosses, Manson commanded the amphitheater with a mix of newer material and the classic anthems that made him a festival staple. “Disposable Teens” arrived early and sent a jolt through the pavilion, while “The Dope Show” and “Mobscene” gave the set a theatrical, almost cabaret-like menace. Manson moved between microphone stand poses and lurching walks across the stage, his voice sounding as strong as ever as the night grew long. The set was lean and packed with hits, and although the infamous stilts were notably absent this time around, Manson was elevated high above the crowd on a giant platform during “As Sick As The Secrets Within“, delivering exactly the kind of spectacle fans came to see.

By the time Rob Zombie closed out the night, the amphitheater had fully embraced the chaos. Zombie’s headlining set was a horror-movie carnival brought to life, complete with pyro, giant inflatable creatures, huge video screens full of classic monster imagery, and a stage production that felt larger than the venue. Opening with “FTW 84” and “Superbeast”, he immediately had the crowd bouncing, and the energy did not let up through “Living Dead Girl”, “More Human Than Human”, and a thunderous “Scum of the Earth”. Zombie was in constant motion, stalking the stage and shouting to the lawn as flames shot out behind him from the back of the set. Even with the show running nearly 40 minutes past curfew, he showed no signs of rushing. The set closed with “Thunder Kiss ’65” and the classic “Dragula“, serving as a final blast of groove-metal that sent the soaked, exhausted crowd into one last frenzy.

In the end, the first night of the 2026 Freaks on Parade tour was not the smooth opening anyone had planned, but it sure was memorable. The rain delay stripped Orgy from the bill and pushed the evening deep into the night, but still, The Hu, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie each gave the South Florida crowd something worth staying late for. As fans filed out into the humid darkness, their wet shoes and ringing ears were proof that the freaks had officially taken over West Palm Beach.

Gleb Barabanov is South Florida Insider's Vice President, Graphic Designer and Webmaster, as well as a Photographer and Writer covering events all over the world. Originally born in Odessa, Ukraine, Gleb now calls the sunny Florida area home, where he attended Full Sail University and received a Bachelors of Arts in Film Production. Gleb is obsessed with music, cameras, guitars, and his Shiba Inu, Yoshi

Music

Malcolm Todd Sees Red

Published

on

Malcolm Todd turns an intimate Fort Lauderdale stop into a theatrical sea of screaming fans on the Do That Again Tour. (more…)

Continue Reading

Music

Surfer Girl Breaks Curfew and Dives Into Midnight

Published

on

By

Carter Reeves Closes Surfer Girl’s Daylong Album Cycle with Darker Grooves, Wiz Khalifa and a Touring Family Fluent in Chaos. (more…)

Continue Reading

Music

Dirty Heads and 311 Keep Summer Loud

Published

on

Joining the Dirty Heads and 311, Atmosphere and Rome helped turn the final So Glad You Made It Tour stop into a humid, psychedelic marathon of anthems, drumsticks and singalongs.

(more…)

Continue Reading

Music

The Movement Never Travels Alone

Published

on

Gary Dread turns a rain-dodging night at Abacoa into a candid conversation about reggae brotherhood, creative growth, Golden’s 10th anniversary and the sacred lesson inherited from his father. (more…)

Continue Reading

Music

Emarosa Rides High at Banyan Live

Published

on

Emarosa Gets Off Its High Horse and Into the Crowd for a Heavenly Night of Alt-Pop Hooks, Nostalgia and Connection at Banyan Live.
(more…)

Continue Reading

Music

High Tide Hits Abacoa with No Brakes

Published

on

By

Surfer Girl Starts the Wave, The Movement Builds It and Pepper Sends Abacoa Overboard.

(more…)

Continue Reading

Music

Goo Goo Dolls Give Hard Rock a Night to Remember

Published

on

The Goo Goo Dolls turned Hard Rock Live into a story-filled millennial mixtape after Neon Trees got everybody talking and the entire room moving.

(more…)

Continue Reading

Music

Fleatwood Mac Goes Its Own Way at Boca Black Box

Published

on

By

The Fort Lauderdale tribute keeps “The Chain” intact with hometown spirit, tangled history and enough personality to make loving fun.

(more…)

Continue Reading

Trending