Marilyn Manson, February 23 at the Wiltern

Remember when Marilyn Manson used to play arenas? Those days may or may not be behind him but theaters suit him better anyway. I can't say I'm a particular fan but the new album is surprisingly good and I know that he puts on a show. I wasn't disappointed. He opened with a slow number and that was about the only thing downbeat about the rest, almost two hours (going well past midnight): it was hard, fast, and loud, though the momentum was stalled in the minutes between numbers when the stage had to be set up for the next part (which included a podium he sang from, candles, and black confetti that twice filled the place). He went with his best songs, some album cuts, with an emphasis on Mechanical Animals, probably playing up to the fact that Twiggy is touring with him again, though he only did a number or two from his new album, which was slightly disappointing but he made up for it. Kerry King from Slayer came out frequently throughout the show to play guitar. And it's not often that you see a sexy, female nurse slowly wheel a cart on stage and, after her head is lifted off her body, you realize it's a robot. But the real winners of the night were the crowd. Usually L.A. crowds are sluggish and hard to impress enough to move but everyone was there for a great show, screaming along to the music, making new friends in the mosh-pit, and flipping off the performer (an act which has always perplexed me). It seems I read somewhere that Marilyn was done with music and wasn't going to tour anymore. I'm glad he changed his mind. Ours opened and I didn't even remember there was an opener until I checked my notes.

Marilyn Manson's set-list:
"Cruci-Fiction in Space"
"Disposable Teens"
"Irresponsible Hate Anthem"
"Great Big White World"
"mOBSCENE"
"Mechanical Animals"
"Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)"
"The Love Song"
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Eurythmics cover)
"Rock 'n' Roll Nigger" (Patti Smith cover)
"Tourniquet"
"Little Horn"
"Happiness Is a Warm Gun" (Beatles cover)
"The Dope Show"
"Rock is Dead"
"Coma White"
"Coma Black"
"1996"
"Antichrist Superstar"
"The Beautiful People"
(That may or may not be the actual set. I don't remember all of those songs being played, but it was a while ago.)