so, i went to see Marilyn Manson last night on the second date of their European tour and although i enjoyed the gig, i couldn't help thinking they could've put on an excellent show instead of just a good one like they did... this was the third time they played here and it was also the third time i felt it could've been better, but they decided not make a difference again, just like the other two times... don't get me wrong, it was still far from average anyway, maybe i just expected too much from them or maybe i read too many reviews before the show...

everyone was hoping they'd eventually bring the whole show with them this time and they did (the other two times it was the band, the music and not much else) and i have to admit the show's pretty entertaining, but not very surprising at all if you've seen any of their videos or other concerts and that's the main problem... i guess it's hard to surprise people these days anyway with the internet and the huge amount of media focus on music (Manson was mentioned in almost every news show on national TV here in Spain which it's sort of amazing)... but at least they could try to create a different vibe in each show by moving the setlist around a bit, instead of playing the same thing over and over throughout the whole tour... i think it'd be really easy for a band like them who have so many awesome songs of their own and the ability to cover other people's brilliantly too...

the show was pretty much alike the American shows i've read reviews of... the Pink Floyd music before the lights went out, the intro music with the vocoder voice, the glittery curtain dropping as Manson appeared and then all the props and (almost?) all the tricks in their book: the stilts during 'Mechanical Animals', the three different glammy outfits, the fake snow thing during 'Lunchbox' and 'Speed Of Pain' when he also wore his hat and trenchcoat, the helmets, podium and flags during 'ACS', the flashing DRUGS sign, the backup singers, the cop outfit during 'Irresponsible Hate Anthem', the shock sign American flag and the same good ol' speeches...

'the reflecting god' was a great opener, but it didn't sound very good and people didn't realize which song it was until the familiar "shoot motherfucker" part, but it was when people recognized the opening notes of 'The Great Big White World' when they went completely nuts and that proved what i already expected: people tend to know the new songs better than the old ones here in Spain, as the new album's selling way more than the other ones ever did (this time there were posters of both the show and the album all over the place: buses, subway etc)... the show was not sold out though, but there were aproximately 9000 or 10000 people in the place and it was sort of weird seeing how many people sang along in English to almost all of the newer songs and most of the old ones, especially 'Sweet Dreams' of course...

i have to say that they absolutely butchered the Patti Smith song (again) and i think they should stop playing it so often and play other things instead, maybe songs they haven't played live all that much (or never for that matter) like they said they were gonna do: how about 'Mr. Superstar', 'Dope Hat', 'Apple Of Sodom', 'Long Hard Road Out Of Hell', 'Cryptorchid', or even Bowie's 'Golden Years'?...

anyway, the sound was really bad here, but mainly because of the venue which is not a place to hold concerts at all, besides being too fucking far away: i vow to go to see a live gig there again no matter what... there was echo everywhere and the sound seemed to bounce from wall to wall which was a drag, cos the sound system was loud enough (it distorted at times) but most of the time you couldn't hear the different parts and instruments, let alone hearing the vocals... i wouldn't blame the band for this though cos their playing was excellent, but they should be more careful when picking the venues out as that can easily ruin their show without them even realizing...

the band are certainly in great shape, very focused and they're very professional at what they do... i wasn't so surprised at Ginger's skills, as i'd noticed he was the key to their live sound when i first saw them, but yes John5 seemed very enthusiastic and integrated with the band... the question is: will Twiggy write and record most of the guitar parts again next time or will he prove himself and stay as a full-time member?... i also noticed the band seemed less self-destructive this time (well, except Pogo hehehehe)... i mean, Manson stills crashes his micstand to the floor every now and then, but there was no trashing of Ginger's drum set (he must've been really happy for once) or any other equipment destroyed... even the bit where he pretends to fuck the backup singers during 'User Friendly' didn't actually happen (in fact, he avoided contact with them when they approached him, so they started touching each other) though he still humps the stage and places the mic between his buttocks quite often... Manson also hollered "drogas" (drugs) in Spanish and asked how many people understood english a coupla times which was kinda funny, but his speeches in general where much more moderate than usual (no preaching or allusions to God or Christianism)... maybe he needs religious protesters or conservative politicians on his back to motivate him and he got none of that stuff here...

all in all, it was a pretty good show, surely the best they've played here, but in my opinion it could've been way better easily if they'd have played a bit longer, with a more diverse setlist and less calculation in some aspects of their performance... and maybe they could also forget about opening bands (if they don't have an interesting choice) and focus on sort of 'an evening with Marilyn Manson'-type of longer show instead... you guys complained about 12 Rounds, huh?, how about having a lame Rage Against The Machine-meets-White Zombie rip-off local band supporting?... we were supposed to have two opening acts here, one being Rob Zombie, even when the promoters knew long before he wouldn't make it and fooled many people into coming to see him, and all we got was 30-plus minutes of Sindicato Del Crimen (booked at the eleventh hour)... but i won't slag them off cos that'd probably be very unfair although i'm still trying to figure out what the fuck they were doing opening for Manson...

the setlist was the usual one, no surprises:

The Reflecting God
The Great Big White World
Cake And Sodomy
Posthuman
Mechanical Animals
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
The Speed Of Pain
Rock Is Dead
The Dope Show
Lunchbox
User Friendly
I Don't Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)
Rock 'n' Roll Nigger
Antichrist Superstar
The Beautiful People
Irresponsible Hate Anthem


btw, just one more thing... red haired glittery singer with bleach-blond sidekick guitarist... a shock sign backdrop... the Omega persona and his backing band the Mechanical Animals... not that i care that much, but it sounds strangely familiar, doesn't it?... shouldn't they try and be a little more subtle instead of relying on their fanbase's age? after all, old books, movies and records are available to anyone these days...doh!...

David