Putting Holes In Happiness

It's been a funny old year for Marilyn Manson. This time twelve months ago, his marriage was in ruins, his long mooted directorial debut was (and still is) languishing in development hell, and he hadn't written a song in a long, long time.

Yet at 6am, on Christmas morning, he began to write what became If I Was Your Vampire - the opening track on the critically acclaimed Eat Me Drink Me album. The album was a departure from Manson's previous work - both stylistically (writing as himself, rather than in character for the first time), and sonically... his usual grand guignol glam rock riff fest fused with complex guitar solos - yes, solos on a Manson record (!) - courtesy of Tim Skold, the only other musician featured, yet stripped down to the bare essentials everywhere else. Marilyn Manson the band is dead. Marilyn Manson the solo artist, lives on.

Not so, perhaps, on stage. Skold and longterm drummer Ginger Fish are still in tow, though the absence of MW Gacy is felt by the somewhat basic keyboard setup for his live successor, Chris Vrenna. And with John5's departure in 2004, former live bassist Skold has shifted to lead guitar, so Rob Holliday has been drafted in to fill that slot... not that you'd know it - because the two new members are rarely given a moment in the spotlight all night. Indeed, even when the houselights are up while Manson addresses an audience member who threw a bottle at Holliday, forcing a ten minute interval, you can barely see either of them - and Manson neglects to even remember to say Rob's name when he's talking about him.

The result is a band that doesn't feel quite right. We're light years away from the Golden Age of Grotesque, or even the band's real golden age - when Gacy, Ginger, and 5 were joined by the greatly missed Twiggy Ramirez (now touring with NIN) for two albums and high profile tours... and Marilyn Manson was a powerful unit that middle America and the more religious parts of the world were deeply afraid of.

Thats not to say the show isn't enjoyable... far from it. For arguably the first time in his career, Manson has perfected his live vocals - he'll never be blessed with the strongest voice on the planet, but its absolutely perfect for the music he makes, and its never sounded better outside the confines of a recording studio as it does on this tour. Considering how heavily treated his voice was on Eat Me Drink Me, this is a welcome surprise, and its also backed by a more showy Manson than past tours. There's none of the spitting, the audience baiting, the rubbing body parts on security staff, or starting fights with band members... in its place is a man aware of how to put on a great show, and determined to prove he can still deliver without having to resort to shock tactics to do so. Its almost as if, shock horror, he's actually grown up.

The one let down of the night is that the majority of the new songs don't work in a live context. Its possible to argue that its because they jarr badly with the back catalogue tracks wheeled out and joyfully accepted by the rabid crowd... the majority of them just don't have the catchy hooks and Adam And The Ants style drum beats of the old favourites, and inevitably end up being the songs in which everyone catches a breather or heads to the bar before another hit appears. Its also possibly because whilst I greatly enjoyed the new album, its ultimately got less to offer than his fictional concept albums, and as a result feels like a lesser album than perhaps it really is... either way, only Heart Shaped Glasses and If I Was Your Vampire seem to really excite the crowd anywhere near the levels Tourniquet or The Dope Show do.

But thankfully the stripped down approach hasn't been applied to the Manson's stage concepts. The familiar Antichrist Superstar podium makes a welcome reappearance (though its smoldering Bible seems like an unnecessary relic from a bygone era he's no longer interested in), alongside a giant Alice In Wonderland inspired chair, a moving mannequin in those heart shaped glasses, a rising platform for Manson to propel himself into the air upon, and best of all - confetti launchers showing the crowd with glitter and sparkling things.

And through it all - Manson the performer finally takes center stage - prancing and posing for the crowd, playing up to the front row, diving in every now and then to create a frenzy... here's a man who is obviously reveling in being back up there doing what he does best, and overjoyed that after all these years, people still care. Long may he continue.