Concert Review: Marilyn Manson at the Uptown

Marilyn Manson, with Ours

Monday, February 11

The Uptown Theater

By ANDREW MILLER

The January 9 return of bassist Twiggy Ramirez sent Marilyn Manson message boards scrolling, and the news promised dividends for casual fans. For example, given that Ramirez missed the recordings of the group’s indifferently received recent albums (2003’s The Golden Age of Grotesque and 2007’s Eat Me, Drink Me), it seemed unlikely that he’d be forced to learn all that material in a month, suggesting a set list heavy on early favorites. And this mostly tame-looking crowd, largely composed of working-age men and women who apparently lacked the motivation for goth dress-up after a long day at the job, probably wanted to hear the songs from their wild black-eyelinered teen years.

However, at this point in history, a significant percentage of Marilyn Manson concertgoers aren’t concerned with the group’s personnel machinations or new releases. They’re there to see creative, controversial imagery in a hard-rock world that’s increasingly embracing grunge-era visual minimalism. As these fans watched the darkened, curtain-shrouded stage for an interminable 80 minutes after opening act Ours finished, they were no doubt hoping the delay would translate into elaborate props and pyrotechnic displays. Finally, when the group appeared and engaged in inventive shadowplay before the curtain rose — revealing Ramirez’s silhouette and hinting at a gigantic, knife-wielding Manson — a compelling spectacle appeared imminent.

Photo by Anna-Marie Perry