02-19-2008, 05:12 PM

All of those criticisms were also visible in Manson's live shows last summer. While still exciting to watch as is the nature of a Marilyn Manson concert, any old school fan could tell he wasn't all in it, and the set list was mediocre at best. BUT THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
As of this tour, Manson's bassist/guitarist from as far back as their roots of playing Florida clubs as The Spooky Kids and as recently as the album Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death) Twiggy Ramirez has rejoined the group, to the extreme pleasure of his fans, myself included. (I mean, I DID name my hedgehog after Twiggy
)It's quite clear that the reunion of the two is a happy one. Twiggy seems to have kicked Manson back into gear and they're rocking like never before. Manson seemed much happier on stage last night at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle than he had last summer, and his set list returned to his days of old.
Joining the masses on the floor, as is my tradition for ANY good show, I was getting crushed well before the house lights had even been turned down in preparation for Manson's entrance. There was a vibe in the crowd that hadn't been present in years, an excitement for the show that would be considered insane by most.
And then it began. A curtain was drawn over the stage, black and emblazoned with a blood red "MM" as the music of Bauhaus came out of the sound system. Slowly the silhouette of Manson could be seen as he crept toward the front of the stage. He was wielding a microphone made to look like a butcher's knife. Then the curtain dropped. And hell was unleashed.
Much to the chagrin of the myriad of Christian protesters outside of the venue, I might add.
The show was absolutely AMAZING. It was truly Manson at his best, showing the true fans that they need not worry--he's still the Antichrist Superstar we've all come to love.
The set list was, dare I say, perfect? No, perhaps not perfect, but the man can only fit so many songs into an hour and a half. This was truly a show for the fans. Only a few singles were played (he even opted NOT to play "The Beautiful People" which is quite unheard of), only two songs from his newest album, and the rest required a thorough knowledge of the band's discography to recognize. Hell, he played almost every song I've ever said "Man, I wish he still played that live" about.
There was plenty of love between Manson and Twiggy. Well, Manson style love. You know, grabbing Twiggy's head and shoving it into his crotch. That kind of love. But these are the things fans should remember! If you were lucky enough to see The Spooky Kids live, or have just read Manson's autobiography, you'll remember Nancy was kept in a cage under Pogo's keyboard. Their love is dysfunctional, but it's love nonetheless.
And now, a few highlights from the show:
- Manson brought back many of his old costumes, including the Dope Hat, which he wore during "The Dope Show"
- During "Heart Shaped Glasses" a robotic version of his present girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood came on stage, which he proceeded to dismember, then decapitate, and sing to
- The big light board was back, flashing 15 foot tall iterations of words such as "drugs" "sex" "corruption" "f***" and so on at a pace just too fast to be able to focus on. Also, during "The Dope Show" it displayed a shower of pills
- A blizzard of black confetti was shot onto the crowd during "Rock Is Dead" that was so dense it looked like we'd been plagued by locusts
- During "Coma White" the crowd, as well as Manson, was coated in faux snow flakes while the theatre was lit completely blue. Very cool to witness
- Some good old Bible burning went down during the title track of Antichrist Superstar
- Also during "Antichrist Superstar" Manson grabbed a video camera from one of the people hired to film the show and proceeded to smash it to bits
- Lots of bare Manson ass
Here's the set list to the best of my memory. I'm not sure on the order except for the first and last songs, and I may be missing a track or two, but this is as good as I can do for you:
Cruci-Fiction in Space
Disposable Teens
Irresponsible Hate Anthem
The Love Song
Great Big White World
mOBSCENE
If I Was Your Vampire
Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Rock 'n' Roll Nigger
Tourniquet
Little Horn
The Dope Show
Rock is Dead
1996
Coma White
Antichrist Superstar
And now, for your viewing pleasure, the photos I took at the show! FYI, for the not-so-Manson-savvy, any image that ISN'T of Manson is of Twiggy, and any with two people in them are, you guessed it, Manson and Twiggy!


















All Photos Taken By, and Article Written By: Luis Urroz










What do you think of the pictures? Those were SO hard to take from the floor--I was getting tossed around like a rag doll