Rob Zombie [ tickets ] took lessons from his experiences as a carnival employee and melded them into a fiery rock show that ignited the audience--literally and figuratively--Thursday (4/27) at the Mesa Amphitheatre in Mesa, AZ.

Following an impressive set by opener Lacuna Coil, fans lit clothing on fire and tossed it around the mosh pit. The behavior settled down once Zombie hit the stage for the closing night of his spring tour in support of his latest album, "Educated Horses."

Zombie and his band, which includes former Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5, arrived on stage wearing glow-in-the-dark skeleton masks. John 5, who left his band Loser to pursue a career with Zombie, donned a trench coat and hat to hide his identity through the third song.

Wearing a leather coat with a skeleton torso emblazoned on it, Zombie kicked off the set with "American Witch." It, along with "Foxy Foxy," was one of the few songs he played from "Educated Horses." In interviews, he has acknowledged fans' wishes to hear more White Zombie and Zombie solo hits than new material.

His powerhouse band, which also included Blasko on bass and Tommy Clufetos drums, proved Zombie did not need White Zombie behind him to perform the songs ably. The crowd chanted "John V" for John 5 after a stirring guitar solo during "Thunderkiss '65."

Zombie dedicated "Living Dead Girl" to the females in the audience, who were few; the rendition was the sloppiest part of an otherwise strong show.

"I do not lie when I say we have been waiting all tour for tonight," Zombie told the crowd at one point. "Every time we come here it's quite memorable. Last time we were here we had a big problem. There were 25 completely naked girls on stage and they were all in our way. I had the feeling you weren't even looking at us after awhile."

Women and circus freaks were a big part of Zombie's show. Accompanied by video of topless women, Zombie encouraged the real thing before "Thunderkiss '65." He was considering using the footage for a live DVD, he said.

"We're looking for just the right crowd for this next song for the home video. You may be the right crowd," he said.

For "More Human Than Human," Zombie brought on stage an eight-foot, B-movie-looking monster, which danced with him and John 5. It wandered the stage--sometimes doing the robot--during most of the song, dwarfing everyone else on stage. Zombie sparred with the monster as John 5 encouraged the audience to cheer.

Italy's Lacuna Coil, which features dual female/male lead singers--Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro, respectively--is slated for Ozzfest this summer, and could be the year's break-out band.

Outside the venue, churchgoers protested the concert, many telling ticket-holders that they were going to go to hell for attending the show.