Anyway, here's what I have to say. I saw Manson at the Toledo Sports Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 11. It was the first time I've seen Manson live, even though I've been a fan ever since Portrait came out ( No. Wait, let me guess, I didn't know about them before that, so I'm a poser.) It was totally different from any other concert I've ever been to...The props, flags, podium and the acting onstage added to the music in ways that just standing there and playing can't. When we got there, a Christian group was outside spewing the usual b.s. "Jesus loves you. You don't need to be here. Marilyn Manson worships Satan, you shouldn't be here." Buncha shit.

I'm not entirely sure what they opened with, or exactly how the setlist went...I can never remember that kind of shit after a show. I do know they played "Get your Gunn", "Sweet Dreams", "Lunchbox",and "Cake and Sodomy", and possibly "Dopehat"(not quite sure) from Portrait and SLC. They played most of ACS. Some of the performances that stood out in my mind were tourniquet, Irresponsible Hate Anthem, and the Cryptorchid/Antichrist Superstar combo thingy. The stage show was so mesmerizing that for the first time ever, I stepped out of the pit and just watched the entire show... When they set up the podium and the whole Nazi Rally looking thing up, Manson came out in his Hitler outfit, walked up to the Podium and said "Your parents, your teachers, your preachers, they don't want you to be here tonight do they? They want you to be somewhere else. They want you to be in Church don't they? Well, what they don't realize is that you are in Church!" Then he tore up a bible...I didn't see it closely but my guess is that it was another Book of the Mormons or whatever it's called.

Another interesting thing that happened was when they were playing "beautiful people", my friend Ryan was doing those crazy hand movements Manson does in the video...so everybody in the pit kinda stepped back and watched him. Somewhere during the song, Marilyn picked up a spotlight from the stage and started shining it on the crowd, when he got to Ryan, he stopped because Ryan looked like a little island in the middle of the crowd. Ryan slowly extended his arm and gave Manson the finger. Manson just stared at him for a few seconds and then nodded as if to say, "Exactly." Then he set the light down and went back into the song.

I'm not sure what song the closed with, I don't actually own ACS so I don't know the names of all the songs, and some of the ones near the end aren't that familiar, but it was really strange. Manson had all these orchids on his body and his mike stand (No it wasn't Cryptorchid) and when he stood behind the stand all you could make out were his head and arms...There was fake snow blowing on the stage...it was an awe inspiring end...guess you had to be there.

Well that's all I have to say for now. Feel free to rip apart what I said or add your own comments. Just try to use some intelligence when you do.

HELLO,
SKETCH