Marylin Manson @ The Fillmore

Love him or hate him...there is no denying Marylin Manson is a showman.  And at his age (he's marginally older than me), he's still got it.

I rolled in 10 minutes before kick off in a packed and extremely hot Fillmore.  Got my spot, stage left, out of everyone's way, before being sardined in as security cleared a path behind me.  

Lights behind a curtain let us see the shadows as the band walked on stage, and from the get go (Nod If You Understand) Manson was into it, as were the band.  High energy and 5 people really into performing.  It wasn't until Tourniquet that I knew a song, but still, I was so taken by the performance, it didn't matter.  Manson's shout outs to Charlotte between songs always got a rise out of the crowd, and a chance for the band to take a moment's breath.  Mobscene was great, as was The Dope Show.  Before which, Manson confessed to lying.  "Turns out I did like the drugs, and the drugs liked me."  When the first wahhing chords of Sweet Dreams rang out, the crowd went nuts, and then he finished the set with a raucous Beautiful People (my favorite Manson song).  Hot and sweaty, band and crowd needed a moment's break to catch there breath.  I moved to side stage right for the encore (old man needs to bail before the crowd).  2 slower songs calmed the crowd, but the heat was so thick, it looked like it was raining inside.

It wasn't Iggy Pop level energy (because nothing is), but Manson and band were into it.  And the crowd reflected the band.  This is my first time seeing him in a club (the other 2 times were festivals), but hey are performers who can adapt to the venue size and put on a great show regardless.

Marylin Manson setlist

The Crap Facts

This is my 519th concert.
This is my 31st concert at The Fillmore.
This is my 117th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 140th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 319th concert in the USA.
This is my 3rd Marylin Manson concert.