ShareMarilyn Manson performing his Heaven Upside Down Tour at The Civic Hall Wolverhampton on Wednesday 6th December 2017.
Review by Kevin Cooper
Marilyn Manson should need no introduction and none was needed as a packed audience welcomed him on to the stage at the Civic Hall Wolverhampton last night.
Never far from controversy, this veteran showman has had a long and often lurid career. Having recently parted company with long time band mate Twiggy Ramirez, after sexual assault allegations were made against the bass player, and drawing criticism on his return show when he brought out a prop assault rifle on stage the day of the Sutherland Springs church shooting in America, thankfully last night such theatrics were kept to a minimum.
This may have been in part to his restricted movement as he came on to the stage in an electric wheelchair decked out like a gothic throne, needed because at the end of September he broke his fibula when the huge 3D Guns which still form his stage back drop, fell on him causing the injury.
Flanked permanently during the night by two men dressed as surgeons, Manson might have been temporarily out of full physical working order but his voice certainly wasn’t. His idiosyncratic scream was instantly recognisable and hit just as hard as it did back in 1996 as he opened his set with 2017 number, Revelation #12, which sounded epic.
With Manson somewhat incapacitated, the focus was on the band , who are undoubtedly a bare bones hard rock outfit, with their aggressive guitars, hammering bass and crashing drums as the group, led by a screaming Manson, hurtled through his older songs such as This Is The New Shit and Disposable Teens.
Beloved fans favourites such as Mobscene, The Dope Show and a cover of the Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) came thick and fast, much to the delight of the packed crowd as they jumped around and sang along to every word. They were also treated to an excellent, gritty and sensual rendition of Manson’s latest controversial release Kill4Me.
After a brief stint lying on a hospital bed in the middle of the stage, thrashing around as though he was being kept there against his will, Manson was assisted into his wheelchair and pushed to the front, where he shines a bright white torch into his audience during a punchy take of We Know Where You Fucking Live. This, along with a gritty yet tuneful Say 10 shows that Manson is still producing really good material.
The opening scratch of the encore, The Beautiful People, still remains an irresistible piece of pop music which saw Manson stepping back onto the stage in a black military style hat before launching into his 1996 hit.
Last night saw very few of his legendary shock rock stage antics such as the bible defiling heretics and American flag burning. But in honesty there have been many artists that have cancelled for less but Manson took his injury and made it part of the show. For those disappointed, it won’t be too long before his guttural screams and jumping around the stage are back.