Setting : The Dome Arena, Rochester. First time I've been there, a kinda strange place that is literally a dome. Almost seems like it should be a roller rink or something (images of the lunchbox video come flooding in). So I get in, after meeting RevSpook (who seems really cool by the way :) and his friends. Take a quick look at the merchandise and go to the stage. Its really weird.. Its maybe 75 percent of a circle, with the stage taking up the remaining 25 percent. After taking a look around, and examining my physical and emotional stamina, I decide that it really isn't worth trying to fight for a spot on the barrier, so I work my way back to the soundboard.
Looking around, I couldn't help but stare at the people. I still don't think that these people understand _why_ they are dressing the way they do, but I guess it isn't all bad. I can't help but be a bit amused by a group of 3 or 4 little kids walking around with face paint on depicting upside down crosses and the such. Do they understand it? Do I understand it? I saw one person.. I don't know if it was male or female, walking around, dressed a bit like twiggy (no white face tho) being followed by its father. It was so wonderful, because the father really didn't seem that wierded out. I don't know why this touched me so, but it did. :) Now.. on to the performances..
New York Loose. What can I say. I still don't like them for their music. I gained a bit of respect for them today for the mere fact that they pissed nearly everyone in the venue off at the same time. The lead singer (bridgete?) told a story of a fire on their bus, and how they almost didn't make it, and then she said something to the effect of 'and some of you probably would have been happy' at which point 75 percent of the audience cheered. They then went into another song, oblivious to the screams 'fuck you!'. Its was hilarious :)
So NYL ends their set, and the lights go up.. I see pogo's big organ sitting in the back, and.. something came over me.. I started to get excited for the first time this tour(3rd show I've been to), and I realized that it was all in my head. So I work my way up a wee bit, and prepare for whatever awaits.
At the buffalo show, there was a good 10 minutes between when the house lights went down, the intro music started, and manson hit the stage. Just to be an asshole, I decided to take out my watch and time how long it would be before they came out. I'm looking at my watch now, and it reads 37.76 seconds. They came out. I started screaming along. Angel with the scabbed wings, Dogma, everything. Lots of energy (for this tour) being projected from the stage. I don't think manson was getting the response he needed tho.
Tourniquet comes on, and.. I don't know.. Thats my song. Its just so damn emotional.. I'm screaming my head off, on the verge of tears. It was the one time I 'lost myself' in the evening. Thats what I miss from previous tours, is being able to lose myself.. Tourniquet ends, and I'm a wreck. My knees are shaking, my throat hurts, and I can't breathe. The stage goes black.
Something starts coming through the PA.. Nothing I've ever heard before. It sounded a bit like diary of a dope fiend. I get excited, I'm gonna hear diary live! But.. what came really made the night for me. 'I had a little monkey, I sent him to the country, and I fed him on gingerbread' Thats all he said, all the time to that dope fiendish music. After that, I could have gone home a happy boy. They need that song when they play live.. Around this point, it occurred to me. Antichrist Superstar is the first time that Manson has really done 'new' material in many, many years. Almost everything off POAAF was on demos in some form, and they had been perfecting the performance to what we all saw and loved. Perhaps over time, performance of the new songs can be as intense as old shows. There was a definite improvement in this show over cleveland or buffalo. They go through the rest of the songs. They walk around in their silly mixing-bowl-helmets. ACS song sounded extremely good. It was all noise by the end, but it was good noise.. The only thing I can compare it to is the end of burn by NIN.. Its a noise you could listen to all day..
They go offstage for an EXTREMELY short period of time before the first encore.. Cake and sodomy.. I can't place it, but it wasn't quite right. Maybe in my extreme emotional state, I forgot the words, but I find that hard to believe.. Something seemed different about it. Misery machine came out, and seemed to be going fine.. And he had to pick up that fucking mic stand. I knew what was next. I couldn't stop myself from screaming obscenities at the man. I knew it wouldn't be of any use tho.. First swing takes nothing.. Second, nothing. The third gets the microphone over the cymbals. 4th, 5th, all land. Ginger gets seriously pissed, I've never seen him like this before. He starts pounding on the bass drum with his foot. He starts throwing the drums around. I'm not talking about this halfassed thing that he normally does. He appeared sincerely pissed off. He looked like someone who had been pushed too damn far..
And thats the show.. It was sincerely a good experience. And I've decided that its a good thing that Man that you fear wasn't preformed. Its not a good way to end a show, it leaves too much energy in the air. to quote manson 'misery machine is the only way to end it'
I don't know what I feel. It was certainly better than the last two shows.. and it gives me hope.. It was still lacking that one little bit. There was too much hostility in the crowd. I'm happy though.. I have this empty feeling that I haven't had for so long. Its such a good feeling... For the moment, I've worked out all my hate and fear.

-rudy ----------------
Visit the Marilyn Manson Bootleg Discography!
NEW LOCATION!!! http://www.oswego.edu/~rwatkins/manson/
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