ROCK N ROLL EXPERIENCE - Marilyn Manson/SLUNT 11/20/2004

SLUNT

11/20/2004

Washington, DC - 9:30 Club

EDITORS NOTE - 11/22/2004 - I read on some messageboards that this review sucks, but it is simply my view of what happened & the ONLY error I made was that the first song the band played was "Love Song", not "IHA" & I corrected that, everything else stated is infact true & correct. Thanks Blabbermouth for the link!

BREAKING NEWS! - I spoke to SLUNT Singer/Guitarist Abby G. & she told me that the band (SLUNT) will be opeing the ENTIRE Marilyn Manson tour as of 11/20 until the tours end...apparently Marilyn & co. are very impressed with the band & asked them to be the opening band on the ENTIRE tour, so congratulations to our friends in SLUNT! We will feature an exclusive interview with the band that we are conducting in person on 11/21/2004 in Philadelphia, so we'll be the first to let you hear from this amazing New York based band!

On the day/evening of Saturday, November 20, 2004, it was, for the most part, pretty clear outside & not too bad temperature wise for November on the East Coast, but around 5 PM or so, it started to rain fairly decent & that led to a bunch of drenched neo goth/wannabe/freaks, who were waiting outside of the 9:30 Club, some since 9 AM!, to see their idol, Marilyn Manson. It's always funny to look at the crowd that goes to see Manson, because you have a healthy dose of Hot Topic shopping, suburbia freaks, who max out Mommy's credit card to "Look" different than say everyone else that shops at the Gap owned Hot Topic lol, & then there are the older fans who have been around for a long time, who despise the younger late-comers, & then there are the people who are not even fans, they just wanna see the freak show & see what all of the hype is about. Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT belittleing the crowd, it's always like a Goth goldfish bowl full of things that you do not see everyday, & in some cases, would NOT want to lol.

I was not issued a photo pass by the band, nor their label, so I cannot show you any pics as I did not take any, but the 2 pics I included are of a promo poster that the 9:30 Club used to promote the show (thanks Andi!) & a guitar pic that new comer Mark Chaussee tossed to me!

SLUNT came on around 10 or so, I'm not sure exactly of the times, but let me tell you..THEY ROCK! Their singer, Abby, is a mix of Brijette West from NY Loose (who also opened for MM on the ACSS tour!), Angus Young from AC/DC, & Sara Jessica Parker from Sex & the City...she's very original & the band plays a crunchy, sleazy brand of Rock N Roll that is like a breath of fresh air in this era of really boring music.

Bassist Jenny Gunns was all over the place, she's a totally rocker, & after the show at the Merch table I actually witnessed her kissing a female fan, full-on, & I don't mean a little peck either...it was Girls Gone Wild sorta action!

Lead Guitarist Pat H. plays his heart out, & I feel sorry for him a bit, because he gets overshadowed by the bands 2 hot females! Lest I forget, their drummer also pours his heart into their music & he destroys his drum kit!

The band played a cover of "Never Say Never" which is sooo much better than the original & if you ask me, SLUNT's set was wayyyy tooo short! I hope the major labels get their butts out & scoop up this band, because they are sooo amazing live & their 5 song EP is worth EVERY penny, so check it out!

Manson came on around 11:30 or so, I have no real exact time because I could not see my watch, but a curtain dropped mid-way through the stage set-up & the stage consisted of Pogo's hanging keyboard with was on a nuse sorta thing that was supported by chains, just like in the "Personal Jesus" video. To offer an honest opinion, Manson, who came out in some sorta gown with frilly black panties, has gained some weight & his legs looked very flubby & dare I say it, I could see cellulite jiggles? Fear not though, Tim Skold wore an outfit that was very Twiggy-ish & his legs were less than perfect for his outfit....this is Rock N Roll & the music is what matters, so I'll let this subject rest lol.

New Guitarist Mark Chaussee wore a mix of Zim Zum & John 5 attire/make-up & I've read reviews that said he screws up alot...what he does is, he plays the songs his own way & some parts are different, for the most part, Mark did a good job & gives it his all. Drummer Chris V. is flawless & if you didn't look back at him, you would not even know that Ginger was gone! The set was almost identical to every show, the band opened with "Love Song", & did a meddly of their hits & concert standards such as "Tainted Love", "Sweet Dreams", "Beautiful People", & during "Tourniquet" Manson walked around on stilts while messing around with Mark & Tim.

In the balcony sat Dita & Tim's wife who sipped some sorta wine & watched attentively & Manson motioned to them a few times. The only odd thing to me was how the show ends....Manson performs "Antichrist Superstar" with the podium & when the song ends, there is NO encores, immediatley "Suicide Is Painless" plays over the PA & that's it!

All in all, it was a hot, sweaty, & exhiliarating evening, packed with lots of energy & angst, & to be honest, when the band plays their last song, it feels like a farewell, which leads me to wonder, are they really gonna stop affter this tour?

At the Merch table, Manson is selling a Black Candle with his emblem on it, a new Christmas ball, & a Manson mask, among other T-shirts & stuff.

If you get a chance to see this tour & you miss it, don't say I didn't tell you, but this is a MUST SEE show for Manson fans!

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