Remembering the 15th FMX Birthday Bash

I remember that a lot of people did not care for the lineup.

I wish I could remember the lineup for every FMX Birthday Bash. Thirteen and 14 must have been bangers, because I remember that people bitched loud and hard about the lineup.

The date was February 23rd, 1996 at the Lubbock Fair Park Coliseum, and the lineup was White Zombie and Filter. The sticker I have also shows Wickerman and Jim Crow, but I'm pretty sure one of those two bands was a no-show.

So why did people complain? Actually, there were two reasons. One was that White Zombie had not quite reached the status that a lot of people give them today, and two, a lot of people wanted another club show to get wasted at.

So, yeah, they were really bitching and moaning about having to pay medium-dollar for beer. (Trust me, people here have never been charged top-dollar for beer in Lubbock.)

I remember that White Zombie played the show with a minimal set that looked a bit like a strip mall from hell, with Christmas lights haphazardly strung across the top. I also remember it being a really good show and still someone bitching at me as I was coming out that they expected the 'Bash to be in a club.

Doesn't it seem positively strange that people to the very end loved to bitch about club/Pavilion/Fair Park/whatever location shows? I'd go for any show right about now.

We've had Rob Zombie back many times over the years, and due to certain constraints, I'm not really sure if we've ever had his 100 percent stage production. Let's hope there's a day in the future when that will happen.