Marilyn Manson had to delay the better portion of his tour after his New York City show was cut short last month when a piece of the set fell on the shock rocker as he was performing "Sweet Dreams." It looked like Manson grabbed onto the gun prop and slipped and was immediately crushed by the set piece. The music stopped and the show was cancelled shortly after. Video of the incident can be seen here. Photos from the show can be seen in our photo gallery.
Manson was taken to the hospital, as photos showed, and eventually was diagnosed with a broken leg. Manson had a plate and 10 screws inserted into the bone and another screw through his ankle bone. His cast likely won't come off until Janury. But, he finally returned to the stage this past weekend in San Bernardino, as one of the headliners of Knotfest. And, it was a newsworthy appearance.
For one, this is was also the first show since Manson kicked longtime collaborator Twiggy Ramirez out of the band, as a result of recent sexual assault allegations against Ramirez. Ramirez has been replaced by Juan Alderete, formerly of The Mars Volta (and also a member of Racer X).
Manson was wheeled onto the stage with a prop rifle in his hand, that also served as his microphone. He was pointing one side of the gun at the fans, and the other side had the mic which he sang into. This performance was a mere few hours after a domestic terrorist shot up a church in Texas. Perhaps the news didn't get to Manson that day, or maybe he did and he just thought it would be fun and edgy. He seems to be all about being an edgelord lately. San Bernadino was itself the location of a terror attack, when a couple shot and killed 14 people after pledging allegiance to the terrorist organization ISIS.
Update: Manson released a statement saying this publicity stunt was to bring awareness to how common an occurrence it is to see rifles in our society. Speaking to Variety, he offered this statement:
“In an era where mass shootings have become a nearly daily occurrence, this was an act of theater in an attempt to make a statement about how easily accessible semi-automatic weapons are and how seeing them has become normalized. My art has always been a reaction to popular culture and my way to make people think about the horrible things that happen in this world. My performance was not meant to be disrespectful or show any insensitivity. The prop microphone I used on stage was handed to me with the approval of a police officer. My empathy goes out to anyone who has been affected by the irresponsible and reprehensible misuse of REAL guns.”
Manson's performance actually seemed more coherent while he was seated than his usual jumping around. Here is some footage from last night:
[youtube]https://youtu.be/S-f9Yn1X60Y[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvOYDjiH4wo[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRYmdlGjlu8[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcIApT8mM0U[/youtube]
