Marilyn Manson & Rob Zombie debut “Helter Skelter” in Detroit
Clarkston, Michigan, (June 8, 2018) – As if the double bill of Marilyn Manson & Rob Zombie wasn’t enough, lucky fans at the first stop of the “Twins of Evil: The Second Coming” tour at DTE Energy Music Theater were treated to the debut of a new single from the two formerly feuding artists. Earlier in the afternoon, Manson and Zombie shared their collaborative cover of The Beatles’ White Album scorcher “Helter Skelter” across social media as the stage was being set for tonight’s show.
With a tumultuous history between the two bands, this sequel to 2012’s Twins of Evil tour came as a surprise to many. As reported by Ultimate Classic Rock when news of this years’ tour broke:
“The two acts previously toured together in 2012, which made headlines during their stop at, coincidentally, this same Detroit venue. Manson accused Zombie of cutting short his set, telling the crowd, “I’m going to kick his ass.” Zombie responded during his set by saying, “Some tours just don’t fucking go together” and denying that Manson tried to start a fight at intermission. He also shouted “Suck it, Marilyn Manson” and “Fuck You, Marilyn Manson” during a cover of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out.””
It seems that the two shock rockers have worked out their differences for the love of rock n’ roll, however, as they released several video clips promoting the tour together and poked fun with the tagline “They said it couldn’t happen again!”
Manson hit the stage with full force, opening with “Irresponsible Hate Anthem”, with the crowd chanting “We hate love! We love hate!” egging him on. Full of energy and fresh off the European leg of his Heaven Upside Down tour, Manson’s voice sounds better than it has in years. The band behind him is tight, featuring Paul Wiley on guitar, Gil Sharone hitting the skins and Juan Alderete on bass. Not losing any steam, Manson pounded through another Antichrist Superstar track, “Angel With The Scabbed Wings”, and then “Deep Six” from 2015’s release The Pale Emperor.
Manson wan quite engaged with the crowd throughout the show, often encouraging a barrage of middle fingers and seeming to truly be enjoying himself and the fans. The set continued with “This Is the New Shit” and the Holy Wood anthem “Disposable Teens” working the crowd into a frenzy. Donning a full length feathered coat, Manson pointed out that his lawyer was on standby while lighting up what definitely did not appear to be a Marlboro, teasing us with a snippet of “I Don’t Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)” before grooving into “The Dope Show”, from 1998’s Mechanical Animals. We were treated to few songs from Manson’s current album Heaven Upside Down album, “KILL4ME” and “SAY10”, that are well on their way to becoming classics.
Manson climbed up behind his iconic podium for the encore of “Antichrist Superstar”, with its mocking of the cult of celebrity around politicians feeling just as appropriate today as it did back in 1996. This was followed by an enthusiastic rendition “The Beautiful People” before the lights dimmed to a deep blue for the eerie Lost Boys soundtrack cover of “Cry Little Sister” to end his show.
Rob Zombie is known for a show full of theatrics, and tonight was no exception! From the moment he took the stage, we were transported to a Halloween nightmare of horror film fun. Opening with the powerhouse “Meet the Creeper” from Zombie’s first solo album Hellbilly Deluxe, the frontman lept about on stage like a possessed demon, with driving rhythm provided by former Manson bandmate, Ginger Fish on drums, and Piggy D. on bass.
We were treated to a variety of characters joining the band on stage, an impressive LED light show and montages of horror movie clips throughout the night. Fan favorite “Living Dead Girl”, plus the White Zombie tracks “More Human Than Human” and” Thunder Kiss ‘65” thrilled the crowd, with Zombie occasionally stopping to rant about cell phones and more between tunes. Guitarist John 5, also a former Manson member, blew our ears out with blistering solos throughout the show, his fingers blurred as he seemed to effortlessly coerce amazing sounds from his wide variety of custom axes.
The set wrapped up with Zombie asking Manson to join him onstage, all past animosity seemingly gone, and the pair blasted into the debut performance of their freshly released single, “Helter Skelter”. The tune fits well with both vocalist’s styles allowing them to play off of each other from verse to chorus and showcasing more impressive work from the rest of the band. For Manson fans, it was a special treat to see him playing with John 5 & Ginger Fish again. Assuming this is going to be a feature every night of the tour, seeing them do this one song alone is well worth your price of admission! Check out the studio version below.
“Twins of Evil: The Second Coming” continues across the US, with stops in St. Louis and Chicago this weekend and wrapping up in late August on the West Coast.
Marilyn Manson:
Rob Zombie:
DTE Energy Music Theater: