Marilyn Manson: The “I need a Hug” Tour

When I first heard of Marilyn Manson, I was suspicious that they were the goth equivalent of a boy band; riding Trent Reznor's coattails and adding a dose of Alice Cooper showmanship all with the goal of selling t-shirts to teens.

I was wrong. Manson has received well deserved acclaim for both his music and the spectacle of his shows. He always came across focused and intelligent in interviews. Sure it was a fabrication, but it was his. I was a convert. In the past, his shows maintained the aesthetic and energy of the music videos, something that many of his industro-gothic predecessors failed to do. The Burlesque Grotesque tour was one of the best things I've seen live, period.

Much of the press in recent years has focused on his personal life. For its sublime aesthetic, his relationship with Deta Von Teese granted him a place of rock and roll divinity in my imagination, something that had previously been reserved for stars of earlier era. The relationship ended and he moved onto an equally public Lolita fascination. The eventual break-up was chased by photos of a startlingly obese man at rock bottom. His Humbert Humbert story had come full circle, he was left broken, bloated. An Ozzy without a Sharon. Thus, it's with a nervous schadenfreude I approach the Enmore gig.

It was a shit show. There isn't much more to say about it other than that. I particularly hated his cover of Patti Smith's “Rock n' Roll Nigger”. He managed to reduce it to a dull string of profanity. Ever self aware, Manson proclaimed in the encore: “It's not your fault you don't love me half as much as you want to, I'm only half the man I usually am”. I really did want to love him more. His acknowledgment of this was humanising. I'll definitely go see his next tour. If the show had been great, I might not have. He wasn't as fat as he has been. More emo kid pudge than, Meatloaf heft. At one point he asked fans for a hug... Maybe he's morphing into the image of one of his fan demographics? Pudgey emo kids love hugs.

A revealing moment was when he aggressively herded the press out of the photo pit. I felt like he was chasing away the ghost of Brian Warner (his name when he was a rock journo). He was exorcising his demons on stage and appealing to his fans for support. With his dedicated fan-base, one bad tour is recoverable. He's got the opportunity reinvent himself. The strength of his past achievements make me think he'll pull it off.

Additional Comments by Larry Heath:

It really was a shame to see someone who used to be such a dominating force on the stage, produce a performance so... in a word other than shit... uncomfortable. Awkward. An angry young man, trapped in a mid life crisis, looking for a hug.

Nonetheless, he played enough hits to keep the die hards happy (despite a short 85 minute set). In addition to the woeful "Rock n' Roll Nigger," the set included "Disposable Teens", "Rock is Dead", "The Dope Show", "Sweet Dreams" and a single song encore of "Beautiful People".

I also feel the solid support act The Art (featuring ex-Members of The Follow) deserve a mention here. These kids are so good they DON'T have stuff thrown at them by a Marilyn Manson crowd! I wish I was being sarcastic, but that is a serious achievement.

The Sydney band, who include members best known publicly for briefly going missing in the US last year, now spend most of the year in California, and even have a well-tattooed (and damn talented) American drummer. But they were thrilled to be back in town, and pretty damn chuffed about being asked to support Marilyn Manson en route. And deservedly so - for some, I reckon these guys would have outshone Manson himself - at least when it comes to the talent shown off on stage. They're a solid band, who kept the crowd glued to the stage NOT throwing things. Two thousand angry Manson fans can't be wrong! Be sure check to 'em out!