This page may be offensive to some people because of my choice of words. So if that kind of shit bothers you, click the "back" button on your toolbar. Please keep in mind that I wrote this review in 1998 and haven't changed it since then.
After waiting over two years I finally got to see Marilyn Manson live! On November 21, 1998 he performed at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, NY and there was no way I was going to let the opportunity slip by like I did back in '96 when he was on his "Dead to the World" tour. This new tour is his latest attempt to shake the world up and promote his new release "Mechanical Animals" which features the heavily rotated song "The Dope Show". His new image and style portrays the everyday lives we as humans need to combat and survive through... frustration, stress, the disposeable media, and the search for the innosense we all seem to have lost.
The minute I opened my car door in the parking garage before the concert, I had to laugh. It was 7:30pm and all the church bells in the area were ringing. I had visions of people sitting in church praying that the show wouldn't go on, but everyone that was entering the building including myself refused to let them stop us from experiencing a night of fun and good entertainment. At least now I can say I have seen his show and that those rumors everyone has been spreading are false!
(Manson singing "Repent", track 12 on Antichrist Superstar)
Once I entered the civic center I asked the security guards if there was any way I could get right up near the stage since the last two concerts I went to were too crowded for a wheelchair user like me to see anything. They were pretty cool about it and told me to sit to the right of the stage where the fence ends. This was probably the best spot in the place for a few reasons: 1. We were close to the stage and saw it clearly. 2. We weren't getting the shit kicked out of us in the pit. 3. We were right next to the paramedics, so we got to watch them revive some people who passed out. 4. And finally, since I was right at the end of the narrow isle that was between the fence and the stage, I saw all the half-naked chics who threw their clothes at Marilyn on stage. In fact, at the end of the show before all the lights came on, some girl walked by me with only her panties on. I guess she threw more than just her top on stage!
On a more serious note however I'd like to tell everyone (especially the protestors) what really goes on at a Marilyn Manson show.
First of all, many religious groups spread bullshit rumors about his performance. They say he throws puppies and chickens into the crowd so they can be killed, or that he tells everyone to rape others or kill themselves. THIS IS TOTAL BULLSHIT!! These people spread rumors because he doesn't devote his life to god and preaches that people should only believe in themselves. In my eyes... that's the only way to live. In my eyes... Marilyn represents the side of us that we all wish we had the balls to show, but because of our so-called social norms we are labeled "crazy" or "sick" if we choose to be that way. Well, society can go fuck itself because the future is here, it's a future of standing up for ourselves and not being supressed by what others believe is the way we should look, act, or live.
(The stage setup during "I Don't Like the Drugs". Track 9 on Mechanical Animals)
Unfortunately the disposeable camera we snuck into the show didn't take great pictures, but at least they caught a few decent shots. "Repent" is one of the best songs ever created by any artist I think. It's one of those songs that make you just go UHHHHGGGG inside and helps release the tension that each day brings. The next picture was taken during "I Don't Like the Drugs but the Drugs Like Me". This is the second single from Mechanical Animals that is soon to appear on MTV sometime in December '98.
My backstage pass.
I didn't want to go home without trying to get back stage, and luckily I met a girl that knew Marilyn's guard. She was cool and got me the pass. If you know the new CD, you know he got the phrase on the pass from the verse he uses, "I'm not in love, but I'm gonna fuck you til somebody better comes along". If you need help understanding the phrase, I'll translate it for you... This is what most people do nowadays. They date, they fuck, they love each other, until someone better comes along. Ok, anyway. We went downstairs to the lobby outside the dressing room and hung out with Twiggy, Pogo, and Jon. They were the nicest people to hang out with and hopefully someday we'll all meet up again. Marilyn disappeared, but I'm sure I'll meet him someday.