From “up-and-comer” to “been-there” to “consummate entertainer”, the Palaye Royale/MM/RZ Hell Never Dies show in Ottawa was certainly a night of contrasts. From the pleasant surprise of Palaye Royale, a band I’d never heard of before, turning me into an instant fan with songs like “Don’t Feel Quite Right” and “Fucking With My Head”, to the unsettling disappointment of seeing your once favourite shock-rocker, MM, in the throes of the all-too-predictable descent from rock God to antiquated dinosaur. However, it was Rob Zombie who wrapped the evening up in a lovely, black silk bow with his soul-thumping, infectious beats and seemingly endless supply of energy. Songs like “Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown”, “Get Your Boots On” and the classic White Zombie tune, “More Human Than Human”, kept the crowd on their feet only to finish with two covers: “Blitzkrieg Bop” and “Helter Skelter” (which, despite calling for MM to join him onstage who didn’t, nailed the song anyway), blowing up the night with the final “Dragula”. Perhaps I’m being unfair to MM, since the last time I saw him was during the North American Mechanical Animals Tour at Arrow Hall in Mississauga in peak shape and form. I suspect my expectations were far too high for this show, but the long pauses between songs coupled with his lack of enthusiasm on-stage and not supporting fellow rocker Zombie on “Helter Skelter”, just made it appear that he would rather be anywhere else than in front of this Ottawa crowd or onstage period. All told, it was a fantastic evening spent with my step-son, and any time I can discover new music (Palaye Royale) and see two of my favourite entertainers in Manson and Zombie live, is still better than going without.