"Drugs, they say, are made in Mil-wau-kee" or....
"who will be the new drummer tomorrow night in chicago?"

i wish i was joking, kids... but if the Man has it his way, bid adeu to Ginger Fish.

of 20 some shows i've seen w/Ginger... this was thee ever so worst. can't say i blame Ginger nor Manson really... but i suppose someone's to blame. stop fer a sec... quickly recall ALL the times you've heard or seen Manson go off on Ginger and said drumkit. now compile all those into one ferocious outburst. boom. that was tonight.

now kids... you can say, "oh that darkone, he LOVES to overdramatize," (which i do) but if it hadn't been for the wide eyes, jaw on the floor, head nodding in agreement from Regina, i wouldn't even be saying this. and if someone at this show would know, it'd be her.

what happened? where did it all come from? hard to say really being that this was my first show of the tour... but let's just say for the record that Ginger kicked into "The Beautiful People" well before Manson was ready. no biggie, right? wrong. dead wrong. in the world according to Manson, this was a mistake w/gargantuan implications.

as Ginger prematurely started the tune, setting off the sequencers, there was no way to stop the song... Manson, double-fisted pointing and screaming at Ginger "you motherfucker you fucking asshole you are fucking history you fucking... " (you get the idea), had to go on... so Manson went on to perform the song... including a swift mikestand slam to the drum riser... and more pointing and screaming at the man behind the kit. the tune ended w/several mikestand smashes to the stage and eventually the drums...

lights down, roadies in code red repairing what damage they could... a short spell later, Manson walks out... John5 on strings to the eerie hymn of that timeless classic, "Sweet Dreams"... the crowd roars. first verse done... and i'm beginning to feel awfully proud of the Man for even returning after that explosive tirade... until...

on his knees hunched over, centerstage, twisting the microphone in his hands, you could see, hell, you could feel *something* ready to happen... like a volcano ready to explode... and explode it did. Mikestand in hand, kiss that drumkit goodbye... and it wasn't a simple atttack... it was repeated death blows over and over full of rage until every drum, every cymbal was marked... Ginger hung in for the first few bursts but even he knew it was time to bail. finally, Manson used his own hands to tear down the 3 bass drum fortified kit... which appeared to be no easy task... but the Man's anger led to his determination to destroy those drums.

as they lay in pieces strewn across the stage... each band member exiting after Manson, you knew this show was over. ..and just maybe some "other" things were over as well. i sincerely hope not... but i will say this: i have witnessed Manson's outbursts and displays of anger from time to time, and this was by far the most frightening. i'm hoping by tomorrow this time, we can chalk this up to yet another "Manson Moment" in the anals of MM tour history.

the show itself? ha... ha... and HA... to those who those who thought the ACS show was a rock opera. (that includes me) Omega & the Mechanical Animals is *thee* rock opera... or soap opera, if you will. what all's been said is true... the show is incredible.... goosebumps kind of incredible... some of you out there know what i mean. i'm too tired to go into all the details but the Dirk Gently look (leather trench and fedora) was a nice touch to "Speed of Pain"... add the lights, confetti, costumes, singers, etc and you've got some serious theatre happening. too bad it all ended on such a dreadful note...

setlist:
reflecting god
great big white world
cake and sodomy
posthuman
mechanical animals (stilts)
speed of pain (costume & confetti)
rock is dead
dope show
lunchbox (glitter)
user friendly
dont like the drugs
rock and roll nigger
antichrist superstar (costume)
beautiful people (barely)
sweet dreams (one verse)
hate anthem (no way in hell)


how was that for a review?

don't miss this show...
"Ginger's last stand" or "Manson *breaks* in a new drummer"
(a la Rocky & Bullwinkle)

i'm out,
d1