I have to talk to you about last night's Mayhem Fest tour stop at Sandstone but I really don't wanna. But I should just quit bitching and go on with things because I knew what the responsibilities were when I asked for the gig. Fuck. Who would've thought you'd feel this way the day after a Slayer show? And therein lies all the problems in the world. So let's just do this and get it over with.
If you don't know about the Mayhem Festival it's a touring act of metal bands - some good some great and a lot downright shitty. It's sponsored by a lot of really EXTREME brand names like Rockstar Energy Drink, and other stuff you need to stick in your face hardcore, according to the ads. So you know it's tough. The day started around 2 p.m. with 13 bands set to play over three stages, but Harper and myself didn't get there until Killswitch Engage was halfway through their set, at about a quarter to 8. Killswitch Engage writes bad songs and likes to see boobs in the audience. That's all there is to say about them.
Now Slayer's another story, and that's the act that was coming on after Killswitch Engage. Of the big four, Slayer's the only band that still matters and there's a reason they've held on to that relevance. Stuck in a bill with a dozen other younger bands, Slayer's older stuff still sounds contemporary if not damn near cutting edge.
Unfortunately, the sound guy sucked. What should have been the start of a fast run up a mountain when they started playing "God Hates Us All" sputtered and died as the sound cut in and out. The crowd at a Slayer show is not one to be fucked with. There were a lot of chants of Fix that shit! and a lot of stopping between songs when the band should've been building momentum. At one point, Tom Araya played a bass solo that just flat did not come through the PA. He just grinned and shook his head and kept going.
Eventually, the shit was fixed, and to their credit, Slayer made the best use of the time they had left. As musicians, there is not a man in that band who doesn't have the chops to play the songs live with as much razor's-edge shredding and factory-precise drumming as on any of their recordings. At one point, the Marshall stacks on either side of the drum platform spontaneously combusted, and I'm not entirely sure it was a planned effect.
Even muscianship aside, those motherfuckers know how to work a crowd. Kerry King is probably on par with Billy Gibbons as being one of the best guitar players around who can use small movements at just the right time and put you smack in the palm of their hand. The slightest King pivot is worth three Angus Young duckwalks. And even though the band's stage presence and synchronized struts are clearly weapons that've been honed over decades of practice, they don't carry any sense of effort. Slayer never has to overtly try and convince you they are the servants of a dark overlord. They just clearly are. It's their charm.
Then you've got Marilyn Manson, who closed the show. I still have no idea why he was the headlining act. He can't follow Slayer by any measure.
Of course Manson's got his boogeyman rep. When I was in high school in that period between when Smells Like Children and Antichrist Superstar were released, I remember listening to my hometown's alternative station and hearing a caller get berated on-air by a DJ for requesting a Manson song. "I'm not going to play that Satanic crap. Get a life, loser," was the way I remember it. To this day, it's the only time I've heard a DJ deny a request on air. The idea that Manson was so dangerous he couldn't even be played on air -- well of course I'm going to buy that guy's album! Like trying to keep ants away from a picnic by throwing sugar at them.
But today, it's hard to imagine anyone getting scared by Marilyn Manson. His schtick is so tired, and it doesn't help that he hasn't had a decent album in about nine years. I think he knows it, too, because last night his set was lethargic and dully cynical. Oooh... you burned a bible! Get in my face Manson! Blow my mind!
Crawling around with a slight beer gut hanging just about the stage floor, Manson's whole act was trading on goodwill he earned at the end of the 20th century. The biggest crowd reactions were for the older tunes like "Dope Show" and his cover of "Sweet Dreams," but he sure didn't do much to deserve the yells. Underneath all the theatric lights and confetti and at one point a bed sheet (I'd be shocked if the thread count was under 1,000) Marilyn Manson as a band is actually a pretty weak act. Even after all the soundsystem fuckups Slayer still worked that stage with the lethal precision of a band of marines. Most of the time you couldn't see what was going on with Manson's group through all the funhouse smoke they had pumped in, but when you could ,they looked bloated and tired and concerned only with their own worlds. Shit Manson, you used to cut yourself up onstage. I'm know self-mutiliation every night is probably unrealistic, but you need to get a fire under your ass and at least make me think it might happen. The only time this cheap mix of weirdness and sloth worked was on show closer "The Beautiful People" when it felt like that was the whole point of the song.
You know, the more I think about what a rip-off Manson is the madder I get. His act is such a blatant lie, so devoid of any truth or even the pretense that he buys his own shit anymore, that he actually makes me doubt music as a concept. I could forgive all this if it seemed like he at least gave a fuck about putting on a fun show, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.
My ears are still ringing and I'm hungover but it doesn't feel worth it today. I feel used up. This is no good.
Set list: angry
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Saw Manson Last night at WPB 8/12/09 Mayhem festival. Behemoth and cradle of filth were awesome. Loved killswitch engage. There albums leave a bit to be desired but they rule on the stage. Slayer never disapoints. Now back to the fat bloated no talent manson. The last time I saw his show I thought he could suck no worse and he went and proved me wrong. In the 90's you could not find a better show. He asked during his show last night if he fucked you. He fucked everyone that payed money to see him. He thinks hes a fucking diva. If I saw his stage hand give give him one more towel to wipe his fat face or spit one more dink out I would have to take my own life. Quit rolling around around like a turd and sing. When you cant sing your own music its time to hang up the g string your fat ass cant fit in anymore. We all deserve a mental refund. I agree with my parents and the media now, YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First off i do not understand how you can go to a show and only show up for about ten percent of it. Even if you were only there to review a few bands. But regardless your attacks at Killswitch have very little substance to them. You analysis of Slayer also shows a clear bias. How can you claim that Metallica dosent matter any more. Their new album was a great comeback. However Slayer was very good but they lacked a lot of energy. But i did have a similar feeling about Manson. Having heard about him being so satanic for so long his show came up short. His vocals were poor and attempted to get attention by burning a bible. All it did was distract the audience from his poor musical performance
I couldn't agree more. I saw Manson in scranton wednesday and he was a fucking joke. He made a rather tasteless rape joke, bragged about how he's seen as a "pedophile" for fucking evan rachael wood and had a fucking stage hand running him bottles of water and black hand towels DURING the songs, which he would grab angrily, take A swig and then throw across the stage. I love his old stuff, and expected at least a good show, but it was fucking shit. He even fell over at one point and got booed after he sang "we're from america". I'm going to curl up in my bed and pretend he died after releasing Golden Age of Grotesque......
First of all you are an idiot. Killswitch engage and Bullet for my Valentine played amazing shows and the reason the whole festival sucks was because they had Marilyn Manson close. Slayer sucked because of the sound guys I agree with you there but Killswitch put on amazing show and the did a great job at getting the fans and crowd invovled.
I agree your a moron if you think slayer did better than Manson at least you can understand manson. Plus manson puts on a real show not just standing in place all day.
You go to a show to do a review, you miss most of the show and complain about the hour and a half that you saw! You are one of those douche bags who think every Manson album should be just like Antichrist superstar. Peter Rugg I am sure you are fat and bald and upset about the fact that it took you only an hour to get drunk enough for a hangover! However that does not exuse your poor writing "skills". Your opinion of the show was formed before you left your mother's basement that day. BTW Kerry King is fat but you didn't mention his gut? Why is that? You make no sense at all, maybe I should go to a Justin Timberlake concert just so I can tell everyone how much I do not like him. The more I think about what a useless piece of crap you are the madder I get.
Manson ruled this show i have no idea what the writer is talking about. Its amazing that manson keeps imressing. The man did 100Xs as much as slayer. When i watched slayer they just stood in place the whole time yea thats pretty amazing. I mean people dog manson for not being meatal enough which is retarded. Manson just encompasses many different sound types from Antichrist superstar than a vast change in mechanical animals than an amazing bringing it all together of the high end of low. Thank God i can tell a real musical evolution im mansons albums and everysong doesnt sound exactly the same. On the rumors of manson sounding bad in concert its a total crock i was up close to the stage and it sounded very clear maybe manson sounded bad in the back do to distrotion idk but up front it was cd quality. People talking about his new songs being horrible come on there amazing its so cool how he can encompass so many sounds a true musicain that doesnt just have one standard sound thats a rock star.I love that manson moves around and tries to put on a real show as opposed to slayer who just stands in place. Mansons amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have to agree with him about Manson. I'd been looking forward to seeing him for nearly 6 years since the Freaker's Ball debacle and riot. Sadly I was extremely disappointed with his performance, so much so that we left about 40 minutes into it. His new songs are terrible, and his prancing around and writhing on stage was just lame. What made Manson, Manson is clearly gone.
Kind of wonder if his sound guys screwed up Slayer's sound on purpose.
They seriously need to take the mic away from Adam in Killswitch, he just comes off as a jerk. Was actually surprised that Bullet are pretty good live.
As far as the second stages, by far my favorites were Behemoth, wish they had got to play longer. Also enjoyed Trivium, God Forbid and Black Dahlia Murder.
Overall I enjoyed the festival tremendously and hope it comes back next year. It sure was better than Rockfest.
If G.G. Allin can do the self-mutilation thing every night, so can Manson. Just needs to make that little bit of extra effort.
i saw manson in 97 for Dead To The World and that show forever changed me. it was daring, provocative and at most times down right gross. whats not to love? i haven't been to one of his shows since and judging from the video i've seen i haven't missed anything. i love and respect the guy but he's at a point in his life that the legendary Jim Morrison found himself at before he died. it's sad because i find Marilyn Manson as a person is brilliant even though the band that made him famous isn't necessarily the best. but the idea of a small town kid moving to a city, cant sing but uses his brain to take him where he wants to go is empowering. where did the fire go manson?
AW MAN COME ON MANSON!!
i kinda agree with ya but seriously he's not twenty anymore and I've seen a couple of videos from the mayhem fest and they seem pretty darn good but there's not as much of a heavy chaotic atmosphere as there wus back in like 2000 or somthing...
Peter--not much thought was put into your review of M. Manson. Too bad. You're flamboyantly biased against him -- as most Slayer fans are -- even though you offer up this pretense of being a fan initially. Your shots are cheap, and if the smoke obscured your view, you shouldn't be commenting. Manson isn't weak; your perception of him is weak.
manson does totally suck live nowadays. thc your a moron, so i could think that fire is cold, water is dry and manson sucks live but somehow not be out of touch?
There were other acts on the bill I did want to see and I would've much rather been there all day, but I just couldn't make it happen. But even if I was, and I agree it probably helps the overall effect, no act should get a pass for using momentum from another band to make them look better. Everyone has to stand on their own.
wait, the guy who gave marilyn manson a bad review is out of touch? thats funny shit, tim
maybe if you actually would have seen these other bands show's, you might be more satisfied and this review might actually be worth a read, sounds like your out of touch
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