Just over a week ago, I was having the experience of a lifetime; seeing none other than Marilyn Manson live in Tampa, the place, as fans all know is where his career really began. Prior to his performance, I and my accomplice to the show had to endure sets from both Bleeding Through and Slayer. I am completely aware that these bands both have prominent followings (especially Slayer), but I have to tell you, these bands did just not work for me. Both seemed to have little melody, poor vocals, and repetitive riffs. Although I have a general dislike for these two bands, there are some things that I did enjoy about each. Bleeding Through’s lead vocalist actually had a good voice when he chose to sing as opposed to yell. It would have been nice to have heard that a bit more, as to me, his repetitive tone in his yell did little to make the experience interesting. Slayer’s guitarist is very talented, in fact it was his guitar work which indicated when one song stopped and another began. Each intro was nicely done and different than other songs before it, however as soon as the intro ended and the heart of the song began, I could not tell the difference of one song from another.

So to the heart of the article and of the show, Marilyn Manson. I was extremely pleased. The performance was better than I had hoped, and my hopes were high. A common problem with bands releasing new albums is that when touring, they can often stick solely to their new content, and not reward long time fans with their classic songs. This was not the case. The concert, although Eat Me, Drink Me themed, was a perfect marriage of all generations of Manson. The show began with a piano and violin duet which soon twisted into the title track of Eat Me, Drink Me, If I was your vampire. One thing that I found unusual, and very refreshing, was the focus on theatrics. Nearly every song brought a set and wardrobe change. Are you the rabbit? brought a giant wooden chair straight out of Alice in Wonderland, while classic songs such as The Fight Song used sets seen in past tours such as the podium with lightning bolt symbol.

All in all he catered approximately 20 songs to the eager crowd spanning all of his major hits. It was an amazing experience to say the least. The vocals and intrumentals were among the strongest I have ever heard live, and to those willing to deal with the implications of attending a Marilyn Manson show, those ones where people assume you are some sick, sadistic sociopathic devil worshiper, I would strongly advise you to try to see him on the remainder of this US tour.