There was a time when Marilyn Manson was considered dangerous, but it was hard to reconcile that with this insipid performance that was less Antichrist and more mildly miffed teenager.
In theory, this was a co-headline jaunt with Rob Zombie, but in practise Manson looked like the support act.
His interaction with the crowd was poor, and instead of any near-the-knuckle antics we got him dressed up as the Pope for a number and flashing lights displaying "DRUGS" on another. Subtle but also tame and routine, with only a glam-rock No Reflection and his cover of Personal Jesus showing fire.
There was much more to enjoy about Rob Zombie. He seemed to have pinched the entire tour budget, utilising videos, confetti and a few monsters to shamble on and boogie away during his big, stomping metal. The imagery tended to be from classic horror, but the vaudevillian antics were performed with aplomb, peaking on Mars Needs Women, performed from a machine driven across the stage.
The music wasn't always on target, with a few simply thudding away in a set that included solo songs, White Zombie material and brief covers of Metallica and Alice Cooper, with the latter the most obvious comparison for Zombie. But there was a sense of fun that pervaded his schlock schtick, boosted when some of the tunes matched the visuals, notably Sick Bubblegum's pop chorus and Meet The Creeper's beefy beat.
A large inflatable Satan popped up late on – it was that sort of night – but only one half of the twins of evil really delivered.
HHH
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