Marilyn Manson & Ours

Feb. 11^th, 2008 – I like to think of Marilyn Manson as a holdout from the days when rock and roll could still be scary. Although I was never convinced that the band’s subversive goth-industrial blend was powerful enough to incite school shootings, the sight of Manson himself riding a pig in the “Sweet Dreams” video did make me wonder briefly if Satan might be real.

    Judging by the pile of typical goth accessories confiscated at the doors of the Uptown Theater on February 11th, Manson still freaks out some folks, including concert promoters. I ran my own spiked dog collar and studded leather belt back to the car to avoid surrendering them to the unsympathetic gatekeepers at Manson’s sold-out performance in Kansas City. Virtually all metal accoutrements were banned from the premises—because studded wrist cuffs make such great weapons. My friend and I even saw a security guard try to get a kid to remove the chains from his facial piercings.

    The security hassles caused us to miss about half of the opening set by Ours, which had apparently kicked off late, anyway. Frontman Jimmy Gnecco thanked the crowd a couple of times for being patient. He failed to acknowledge the folks that were booing his band. Apparently, the amped-up Jeff Buckley vibe of Ours wasn’t aggro enough for some meathead Manson fans behind me. Had they shut up for a minute, they might have appreciated how well lyrics like, “The beast flies tonight,” went with the interior of the room. Undoubtedly Kansas City’s most beautiful venue, the 80-year-old Uptown Theater is full of ceiling-level Victorian statues—perfect for a goth show.

    Of course, the décor complemented Manson’s dramatics, too. And during the main act, the Ours haters re-directed their hostility toward a long-haired chick in a too-tight tank top who perched on her boyfriend’s shoulders and swung her hair around for several songs. “Get the fat bitch down!” became a refrain between songs until a nervous, gray-haired guy in a staff jacket finally accomplished the task with a wagging finger. But other than those rude taunts, I didn’t notice any unusual concert mayhem. Most of the crowd seemed to be mid-‘20s and up—folks from my generation, who’ve been listening to Manson for years and just wanted to have a good time, in their spiky-but-harmless goth costumes.

    And although he did perform “The Fight Song,” Manson hardly encouraged mayhem. Mostly, he just sang his most popular songs, often from within the front row of the crowd. Bassist Twiggy Ramirez, who recently rejoined the band, couldn’t have looked more disaffected. Manson forgot what town he was in at one point and gave a shout out to St. Louis, but he displayed a rather professional engagement in the spectacle. Among the few times he addressed the audience, he complained about how the lull between songs made him feel like he was at a wedding and he had to give a speech.

    Manson never broke out his famous stilts, but certain other images from past tours popped up through the hour-and-a-half long set. The massive light rig behind him displayed his version of the American flag and turned all starry night for songs of Mechanical Animals. For “Mobscene,” he sported a little black cap; he shone headlamps a couple times, including for “Sweet Dreams.” The encore involved a total costume and set change. Manson traded his saggy skeleton t-shirt for a full suit and re-emerged behind a podium, Bible and several microphones in hand, his trademark arrow flags suspended all around. But he didn’t preach. He just did what was expected—ripped up the Bible and soon closed out the night with “The Beautiful People,” thus ensuring that no one left unsatisfied.

 

See more photos from the show on the Synthesis blog.

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