Marilyn Manson
Guns, God, and Government World Tour (Eagle Rock)
By Scott Hefflon
Love him or hate him (or claim you hate him but silently think he’s pretty damn cool, if a little silly), Marilyn Manson puts on one helluva show. Yeah yeah yeah, so did/do Alice Cooper, W.A.S.P., and a whole bunch of other shock-rockers, but Marilyn Manson has the bucks and the vision, and the sheer size of the crowds will flabbergast you. I’d say the near-mental dedication of the fans will too, but if you’ve ever watched Slayer footage, well, you’ve seen chests and forearms carved with band names before…
Manson produced this DVD, and it’s top-notch. Huge sound, flamboyant stage-show theatrics captured from every conceivable camera angle, and plenty of behind-the-scenes footage to make you think you’re seeing the “real” Marilyn Manson. 17 songs filmed around the world, including clips from the band’s private stash (yes, there are some strippers and girls lifting their shirts, but this ain’t Mötley Crüe, ok?), some of which includes protesters, lunch with the Osbournes, a duet with Eminem, and a TV interview with Tammy Faye Baker. Yup, the guy’s had quite a life…
Fans will, of course, love this thing, because it feeds you what you want and throws you scraps of “personal” glimpses showing homesickness, worry, frustration, and pain (tough to stay in character with a knee injury and no painkillers). And naysayers, well, you have to respect the guy’s vision and attention to detail. The make-up, outfits, dancers, stilts, lightshows, and video backdrops are all here. All the makings of a monster arena show by one of the most outlandish performers of our era. Iron Maiden may’ve packed ’em in to see Eddie running around, and now people flock to see Slipknot with Mushroomhead opening doing that whole killer clown schtick, but ya just can’t beat a guy in a corset and fishnets with a weird eye on stilts who’s roaring like a Swedish death metal dude to some really catchy post-glam Goth metal. Sure, Soilwork and Dark Tranquillity write and play circles around Manson, but for sheer visual appeal with quick-cut editing, this is the shit.
(www.eaglevisionusa.com)
