By Lisa Burke
October 21st 2015, The Theater at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles CA: Just when you think you have discovered all the music venues in Los Angeles, another one uncovers itself out of nowhere. Last Wednesday October 21st 2015, I went on my first adventure to the theater at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. This particular venue was built in 1927 as a United Artists Theater originally, and is complemented with Spanish Gothic architecture and decor. It was restored in January 2014 to the live music venue it is now, and it certainly served as an appropriate venue for industrial gothic metal band Marilyn Manson.
Interestingly, back in the ’90s to early 2000s which is the last time I really paid attention to Marilyn Manson’s album releases, during a period when life was ultimately much simpler, I had purchased tickets to Marilyn Manson on a couple of different occasions only to let them go to waste due to unforseen last-minute circumstances. I suppose this makes up for that in some twisted futuristic time-warping kind of way, yet I bet the spectacle of the shows in the ’90s with all original members was a bit more artistic and less egotistic than the 2015 Marilyn Manson.
There are only two remaining original members in this band and that’s Brian Warner (a.k.a. Marilyn Manson) and Twiggy Ramirez. Twiggy still sports the over-the-top gothic look with his exaggerated sparkly pointy shoulder padding while Marilyn Manson himself has calmed down to a black suit which seems in his eyes to be a priest costume because he is the preacher of his own religion called Marilyn Manson, if you catch my drift or saw the podium he brought out during the set. Later on and midway through the performance, he changed to a white blazer enhanced with studs and other glitz, which still was way more clothing than he used to wear, and was worn much more conservatively than in his heyday. He arrived on stage around 9:30 PM and played some of the more modern and electronic yet fairly gothic tunes which are still good but contain slightly less originality, with the exception of the unique character of Marilyn Manson himself that can not be mistaken. This tour is in support of his latest album ‘The Pale Emperor’, and if I had to guess who the pale emperor is I bet I could without too much contemplation.
While the atmosphere here was serene and the view pleasant, the staff was crowded and the drink lines were lengthy. Also, upon arrival it was mentioned that there was an outdoor smoking patio which turned out to be a back exit into an alley way that was only accessible for a return entrance by knocking loud enough for the door Nazi to hear you and decide whether or not you were worthy. Back to the show, the light spectacle was pretty intense and possibly a photographer’s worst nightmare, yet the laser lights did provide added entertainment. Still, sometimes less is more. The crowd favorite was, as always, I would imagine, his Eurythmics cover of ‘Sweet Dreams’, and this was closely followed by ‘The Beautiful People’ and of course ‘Dope Show’. I dug all his new stuff despite the less interesting quality, and the latest album has a gothic but slightly bluesy feel that just sounds more mellow than his earlier stuff yet still has the same lyrical style as the old content.
The major disappointment was that despite the fact that he hasn’t really stopped putting out albums since 1989, and even with all the material he has to choose from, it was barely an hour-and-a-half hour set. The show was over around 11 PM, and the crowd wanted more. Also, worth mentioning is that he had a few different microphones and stands based on different concepts, white roses were an apparent theme, and at one point after a song ended he decided to just chuck the microphone behind him nearly hitting the drummer in the head. Was this a reflex or a secret mission to get Ginger Fish back in the band? Who knows, but it was certainly a prominent moment that could only be surpassed by the giant Marilyn Manson portrait that was the backdrop for the second half of the performance. I may just have to call him out as the Kid Rock of industrial metal. I mean he is totally talented and creative and known for dating some pretty stellar looking females, so why does he need to carry around that ego with him all the time? Regardless, I’m still happy to have fullfilled yet another one of my ’90s dreams, and if you haven’t checked out his latest album or if you have a chance to see this tour you absolutely should.
Set List:
01. Deep Six
02. Disposable Teens
03. mOBSCENE
04. No Reflection
05. Cupid Carries A Gun
06. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (Eurythmics cover)
07. Angel With The Scabbed Wings
08. Cruci-Fiction In Space
09. Irresponsible Hate Anthem
10. The Dope Show
11. Rock Is Dead
12. Lunchbox
13. Antichrist Superstar
14. The Beautiful People
15. Coma White
Remaining tour dates:
10/23: Vina Robles Amphitheater – Paso Robles, CA
10/24: Monster Energy Aftershock Festival – Sacramento, CA
10/26: House of Blues – San Diego, CA
10/27: Rialto Theater – Tucson, AZ
10/28: Tricky Falls – El Paso, TX
10/30: Verizon Theatre – Grand Prairie, TX
10/31: Hard Rock Casino & Resort – Biloxi, MS
11/01: Shreveport Municipal Auditorium – Shreveport, LA
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