What a stacked lineup and a mix of harder-than-rock music. A great Saturday evening show starting off with one of the three bands on the bill that I’d previously seen: The Funeral Portrait. I’ve loved the energy they brought when I’ve seen them before and was happy they got to perform in front of such a large crowd. Vocalist Lee Jennings could likely be seen from the parking lot with his brilliant neon green mohawk mullet that was just majestic against his formal attire. This band really is going upwards at a fast pace with their clothing very heavily featured in a lot of Hot Topic ads and promotions, but their music very much aligns with that spirit authentically. Starting off with “Blood Mother,” Jennings and his bandmates gave us less than a half dozen reasons to keep us wanting more. Their stage performance was energetic, fun and very emo but on the harder end with heavy guitaring from Cody Weissinger and Caleb Freihaut, bass from Robert Weston, and drumming from Homer Umbanhower. The Funeral Portrait left us with their track “Holy Water,” which honestly was just what we’d need moving forward.
I was fortunate to be able to see Slaughter to Prevail again. I’d looked on past shows I’ve been to and the name is there but either I wasn’t tuned in or they were on the bill and I came too late, but this time, I was so ready. The primarily Russian band (minus one UK member) started with unapologetic hard metal on “Bonebreaker” – fitting for what I’m sure was occurring in mosh pits on the lawn. Even in the seats I couldn’t find a soul sitting or without their head bobbing complete with metal horns in the air. Their masked face entrances lend to the trend of metal acts really giving the value of a full-on stage production however minimalistic it appears. Vocalist Alex (not so) Terrible brings this charismatic and humble metal frontman vibe. In a break between songs, he used his platform on a stage in front of tens of thousands to address the divisive nature of our climate in social media, advising us to look within ourselves to make necessary betterments instead of projecting that onto complete or usually virtual strangers. Sound advice from a guy with the stage name “Terrible,” right? Though their music was anything but kind, as evidenced by the brutality from the metal foursome creating musical carnage through “Brava,” “Viking,” “Kid of Darkness,” and “Baba Yaga,” which translates to Grandmother Witch. Told ya we’d need the holy water.
The reason my excitement for this show was at 10,000-out-of-10 came at the golden hour as the moon was set to eclipse the sun—oddly accurate lyrics from the act most engrained in my whole being: Marilyn Manson. It’s been a long hard road (intended pun two of probably many) since I’ve been what I’d best describe as an uber fan. From the cover of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams,” I’ve followed this artist through his decades-long career and the feelings have ran the gamut. Seeing the band at the height of the Antichrist Superstar era—at which point I’d first meet him in Evansville, Indiana amongst a thick slew of protestors—then through the ups and downs of his career, I remain a loyalist to the vocalist himself. I had sneak-peaked the setlists in other cities and was somewhat disappointed by a 7-or-8-song set so I knew—or thought I knew—this experience was going to be shorter than I really craved. Opening with “We Know Where You Fucking Live” from the 2017 album Heaven Upside Down and leading into the first song you hear watching the sequel to the Blair Witch Project (“Disposable Teens”), the crowd really was all in. For that uber fan in me, I was nervous. With the nauseating cancel culture, I wasn’t sure how he was going to be received but the reception was reassuring that none of us participate in the idiocy that is the cancelling of artistry. The setlist really wove through a peppering from each full-length he has released, hitting on the songs that resonated with his crowd through whatever stage they became a fan.
It’s hard to call his songs hits as general radio doesn’t give the support to hard rock bands here for whatever reason. Our hardest local station is proudly “alternative” and while they will occasionally play the larger hits, his and other heavy music is more promoted on the SiriusXM platform. Fine enough because a crowd finds their niche no matter the route to it. “Say10”—which is ironically (or maybe not) Satan when said aloud—is always a blast to see live, solely because I deeply enjoy music or any art that doesn’t feel like it’s going to be comfortable for someone. “Tourniquet” still hits live for a song almost pushing 30 years old and probably the second-most charted track from his aforementioned most commercial album, Antichrist Superstar. “mOBSCENE” felt electric with guitarist Reba Meyers chanting the chorus “Be obscene, be (be) obscene,” which felt as great live as the recording. Offsetting her on guitar is Tyler Bates, who is an absolute force to be reckoned with. Aside from his work with Manson, he does movie, television, and video game scores and is such a brilliant addition to Manson’s band, having replaced longtime guitarist John 5 (now with Rob Zombie and/or Mötley Crüe). Luckily this tour added bassist (fill-in?) Matt Montgomery, who Rob Zombie fans know alternatively as Piggy D—and I didn’t think the experience could get better, but Montgomery fills that void left (for me) completely vacant by longtime bassist Twiggy Ramirez. Rounding out the band was drummer Gil Sharone, who held his own and didn’t miss a single beat. After Manson introduced them all, he went pun happy himself announcing “My name is Marilyn Manson, and I’m a drug addict” as he rolled into mega hit “The Dope Show.” Then the songs kept leveling up to boss level—“Sweet Dreams” and “The Love Song,” whose chorus begs the question “Do you love your guns, God, the government?” as an American flag drops down with his iconic shock symbol replacing the stars on the flags upper left. The night would not end without “The Beautiful People” and it really culminated the night for me. Decades of support and love along the way for the single artist that changed my entire life for the better—I couldn’t have been prouder for the journey.
The headliners! Five Finger Death Punch were the only artists on the bill I hadn’t seen previously, but from the stage production value to the interactions with their crowd, I can see the draw. It felt like if Pink Floyd’s laser show met up in a dark alley with the Zombie/Sabbath-type bands and the masses absolutely ate it up. Opening with “Welcome to the Circus” and “Lift Me Up,” it was hard not to get into the vibe they offered no matter your previous exposure. Each bandmate from vocalist Ivan “Ghost” Moody, to martial artist and guitarist Zoltan Bathory, bassist Chris Kael, drummer Charlie Engen, and guitarist Andy James were fully engaging with the crowd. When platinum artists can connect with a crowd of tens of thousands after nine studio albums and many extras, that’s an amazing asset to music. We in the US are fortunate to have had this tour given FFDP opening various dates worldwide with Metallica. I loved watching their crowd interactions and connections made as they covered “House of the Rising Sun,” and their multitude of original material including “Jekyll and Hyde,” Burn MF,” “Never Enough,” and ending the night with “The Bleeding.”
Metal music. It’s unappreciated as a whole. Its artists are often misunderstood or misrepresented; fans are often unfairly generalized as satanic or uncaring, unfeeling, but I assure you for the thousands in attendance at this show, metal is a gem that we all hold so closely to our heart. We’re different and you know what? We fucking love it! | Diane Ruff
