American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, actor, painter, author, and former music journalist Marilyn Manson is known worldwide as a very controversial personality. His records released in the 1990s, most notably Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals, along with his public image, earned him a reputation in mainstream media as a notorious figure and negative influence on young people. His trademarked name is formed by a juxtaposition of two opposing American pop cultural icons: Marilyn Monroe (an actress, was one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s) and Charles Manson (a cult leader, was responsible for the murder of actress Sharon Tate, as well as several others; and served a life sentence on murder and conspiracy charges until his death in 2017). If that wasn’t enough, Manson is also is a self-identified fan of Anton LaVey, an honorary priest in the Church of Satan and also an advocate of the writings of Aleister Crowley and Friedrich Nietzsche.
At the same time, Manson is lauded as one of the most electrifying rock n’ roll live performers of the last 25 years. Despite decades of crooning with guttural screams, Manson’s vocals remain brave, and even when time has mellowed his shock rocker persona he still puts on a dynamic show. After having the chance to see the Antichrist Superstar gracing the stage of the Hard Rock Live Event Center last week – in a sold out show featuring special guests Ho99o9 – we can confirm there are many reasons for you to catch him on tour while you still can.
The night looked definitely promising and the excitement was evident in the crowd, filled with people wearing costumes of the dark kinds from angels, clowns, to the usual sightings of priest and nuns. The lights went down at 8:00 PM indicating that the show was about to start, and truth be told, we weren’t expecting what came next, since we had only seen the opening band in a magazine ad. Ho99o9, which reads as “Horror”, took the stage and delivered a solid performance captivating the audience – in the era of mumble rap they have a fresh and unique take on hip-hop that – which definitely appeals to broader spectators beyond rap lovers. While listening to their energetic show we got hints of punk, classic hip-hop and industrial sounds reminding us of already iconic bands like Bad Brains, Fear Factory and Rage Against the Machine. Their light show combined with great and rhythmic drumming conveyed a powerful and engaging live experience that captured the interest of many admirers. In our opinion, this band has a very promising future and their music will cause many mosh pits in the years to come.
During the intermission, a very interesting playlist warm up the audience. This playlist is said to be used by US Military interrogators in detention centers to get answers out of the inmates. After the funny and catchy “Meow mix theme” the stage went dark and smoke filled with “Creepin N Lurkin“ song by rapper, Bill $Aber in the background.
After this unusual beginning the Manson and his band came out and swinging with “Cruci-fiction In Space” which instantly fired up the fans and set the tone for the rest of the show. Manson greeted us and thanked everyone for the support throughout his career, which started in the Fort Lauderdale area over almost 30 years ago, so for him to go from $3 shows at local bars to a sold out Hard Rock Live that is a clear sign that rock isn’t dead. Manson’s magnetism seemed to feed the audience, which the front rows eating up every note that the Pale Emperor offered during his hour and 10-minute set. He would scream “Do you want it?” and the whole room would answer energetically “Yeah!”. He took a short break into songs to look around and find interestingly dressed people, and he spotted two women dressed as the twins from the iconic horror movie “The Shining” and brought them from the back of the venue to the front of the stage. A performance peppered by horned creatures silhouettes making the feeling of Halloween even stronger, the whole venue sang along the verses of most of the songs, like the chorus of “The Fight Song”:
“…But I’m not a slave to a God that doesn’t exist
I’m not a slave to a world That doesn’t give a sh*t…”
A concise yet perfect mixture of old and new songs, Manson‘s setlist comprised staple tracks like “Angel With the Scabbed Wings”, “mObscene”, “The Dope Show” and “Great Big White World” with the last segment of the selection including his biggest anthems “The Beautiful People” and “Antichrist Superstar”. After a short encore, he closed the night with his uber-popular rendition of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams”. With great lighting, scenography and his characteristic energetic and powerful performance, Marilyn Manson turned this Halloween celebration into a truly spooky and unforgettable night.
MARILYN MANSON Set-List:
Creepin n Lurkin (Bill $Aber song played over PA) / Cruci-Fiction in Space / Angel With the Scabbed Wings / Rock Is Dead / This Is the New Shit / Tainted Love (Gloria Jones cover) / The Love Song / The Fight Song / mOBSCENE / Say10 / The Dope Show (with “I Don’t Like The Drugs ( But The Drugs Like Me)” intro) / Great Big White World / Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World / The Beautiful People / Antichrist Superstar
Encore:
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Eurythmics cover) / This Is Halloween (Danny Elfman song played over PA)
