Marilyn is the new Alice

Augh, that Marilyn Manson, what is it that kids listen to today, the guy looks like a girl, wears black makeup, has a woman's name and he dresses in weird leather outfits. He also sings about inappropriate things!

Dad, who was Alice Cooper?

Oh, he was this great rocker, he dressed leather clothes, wore black makeup on his face and sang songs about the dead, black widow spiders, deranged people and psycho killers. He would have a large boa constrictor wrapped around him and monsters cavorting around the stage. For a finale Alice would end his show with a mock execution!

What Comes Around Goes Around

They say that history repeats itself, and I for one really don't find Marilyn Manson shocking, he is just this generations Alice Cooper. Shock for the sake of shock, but wtih some actual interesting music behind him. I'll start by being honest, I still enjoy the music of Alice better than that of Marilyn, but Ms. Manson has a number of songs I like, and his concert DVD is what rock and roll is about. Rock has always been meant to be "in your face" and somewhat controversial. So Marilyn is the new Alice, since Mr. Cooper is now selling golf clubs and such.

Guns, God and Government - Marilyn Manson in Concert

The show opens with Manson bouncing out on stage looking like some outrageous Statue of Liberty amidst the sturm and drang of his guitarist John 5 and keyboard player M. W. Gacy. Marilyn Manson's music has always struck me as a sort of blend of electronica and heavy metal with a touch of goth thrown in for good measure. His onstage persona truly does remind me of Alice Cooper. (whom I actually have seen live). Manson soon strips down to his costume of leather corset and boots making him look a bit like a deranged Tim Curry from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The songs presented are Count to Six and Die, Irresponsible Hate Anthem, The Reflecting God, Great Big White World, Disposable Teens, The Fight Song, The Nobodies, Rock is Dead, The Dope Show, Cruci - fiction in Space, Sweet Dreams, The Love Song, The Death Song, Antichrist Superstar, The Beautiful People, Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes, and Lunchbox.

If you listen closely to Rock is Dead Manson sounds very much like David Bowie on Diamond Dogs. Manson's guitar player (listed as only John 5) has a nice driving guitar style. He uses a variety of guitars from the standard Gibson Les Paul, to the Gibson Double Neck favored by guitar god Jimmy Page. He uses a lot of overdrive, so it has that heavy metal distortion sound, but then M.W.Gacy's keyboards give it an electronica blend. Gacy usually uses a handheld keyboard so he can also move around on stage. Ginger Fish is on drums and Twiggy Ramirez rounds out the band on bass guitar, with a cool collection of Gibson Thunderbirds.

A bevy of scantily clad beauties come out and dance and writh on stage as Manson sings The Dope Show dressed in an oversized fur jacket. PETA fans probably should avoid this show, as they may not enjoy seeing androgynous Marilyn decked out in leather and fur. Manson also writhes about the stage reminding me of former androgynous pop star formerly known as Prince. (not the music or the voice, just the stage gyrations!) On Cruci- fixtion in Space Marilyn grows 20 feet tall thanks to some sort of lift under his ever growing black dress. I also really like his cover of The Eurythmics- Sweet Dreams are Made of These. Manson gives this song a growling sinister interpretation that is quite a change from Annie Lennox's sultry delivery of the song.

On The Love Song Marilyn dresses up as a bishop or the pope, with a high hat and gold colored robes. He dons various other costumes for the rest of the show, but I will leave that for you to discover. Whether or not you like Manson's brand of metal electronica, he does put on a show.

Sound Quality A good job is done on the sound here, the electronically enhanced metal assault here is presented in Dolby Digital Surround or DTS surround and Dolby Digital Stereo. The sound has a nice bottom end to it as well and with the proper volume Marilyn will certainly rattle all the knick knacks off the shelfs for all you Beautiful People and Nobodies alike. Surround channels provide that concert like ambience, with echoes and audience behind you. The front stage has a wall of sound effect, but instruments are all clear, and Mansons voice is certainly audible at all times.

Video Quality The video is presented in 4:3, however it is DVD quality. Nevertheless, concert lighting here doesn't give the best results, most of the artists are a bit washed out with spotlights and predominately blue lighting. The cameras usually focus on Manson's antics, however, they do occasionaly focus on the rest of his band and the audience watching the spectacle unfold. Sometimes the video is hard to follow because they use a strobe like effect with a collage of images of the band.

Rating This concert video isn't for children, Manson simulates sexual acts on stage, and has lyrics that some parents may find objectionable for their children. However, once they're teenagers, this is just the sort of stuff that rebellion is made of. I would call this a PG-13 kind of show.

Extras There is also the obligatory behind the scenes of the tour extra feature. Some of it is interesting, much of it is boring, but then again, I watch concert DVDs for the concert, not for the backstage banter.

Summary Marilyn is the new Alice. He embodies taboo subjects, theatrical stage presentations and confrontational lyrics that provide music to rebel by. His image counters his cameo on an episode of Family Guyin which he tells Chris to stay in school. Myself, instead of being shocked by Manson, I am just mildy amused. More importantly though, I do find that Manson puts on a highly energetic and entertaining stage show. Although I find Manson's music to be four stars, this is a five star concert, the stage show and performance delivers Manson in all his glory with excellent sound and video.

DVD Concert Reviews