Spitting into the crowd is generally a bad idea for a band.

Unless you are Rob Zombie and you are putting on the best show that Oklahoma City has seen in recent memory.

The Zombie guitarist John 5, formerly with Marilyn Manson, spat arching wads of saliva into the crowd throughout the show as Zombie called the audience dirty and filthy. The July 12 crowd only cheered louder and harder as Zombie left out all the stops.

Zombie came out for two encores, as the audience refused to leave Oklahoma City's dilapidated State Fairgrounds Arena.

Fans, mostly dressed in black and wearing zombie makeup, filled a line 200 yards long almost three hours before Zombie took the stage. Zombie responded to the energetic crowd for the entire performance.

Rob Zombie danced across the stage like the devil's own jester with horrific clowns' heads, a dancing zombie robot and a 12-foot picture of Frankenstein flanking the stage.

The highlight of the show was during the end of the main show and into the first encore. The Zombie guitarist showed amazing skill and versatility beginning with Zombie-favorite "Thunderkiss '65" and moving into a classic rock medley.

Zombie played tributes to Van Halen, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," and Metallica's "Enter Sandman," which Zombie announced was a song the band wrote the day before in soundcheck.

The guitarist even played Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star Spangled Banner" with his teeth.

If that wasn't enough, the Zombie guitar-extraordinaire came onto the stage with a violin bow and Jimmy Page's legendary dual-neck Gibson guitar.

By that time, all bodily fluid projectiles were forgiven.

Rob Zombie brought a renewed joy of head-banging and heavy-metal rock to Oklahoma City on this tour for his new solo recording, "Educated Horses."

The rocker-turned-director is set to go back to directing after this tour after being selected to direct a re-make of "Halloween," according to the official Rob Zombie Web site.

Grade: A+

-- Jarrel Wade/The Daily

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