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Marilyn Manson At Sunken Garden Theater
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GRAMMYs
May 14, 2012 - 1:50 pm

Welcome to The Set List. Here you'll find the latest concert recaps for many of your favorite, or maybe not so favorite, artists. Our bloggers will do their best to provide you with every detail of the show, from which songs were on the set list to what the artist was wearing to which out-of-control fan made a scene. Hey, it'll be like you were there. And if you like what you read, we'll even let you know where you can catch the artist on tour. Feel free to drop us a comment and let us know your concert experience. Oh, and rock on.

By Jamie Harvey
San Antonio

There are certain artists that become part of your DNA and never leave. For me, one of those artists is Marilyn Manson.

Beyond creating some of my favorite songs, being part of a subculture that dictated my fashion and luring me with his constant controversies, I felt particularly bonded to Manson as a teenager because, even though he looked different, when he spoke people were often stunned by his intelligence. At my high school, an hour away from San Antonio's Sunken Garden Theater where I saw him perform live on May 12, I never looked like the rest of the honors students, or my volleyball team, for which I was allowed to make our entrance music tape. I had us running out to Manson's "The Beautiful People" in small-town Texas. Not to mention I was banned from seeing Manson as a teenager and sat home whimpering while all my friends got to experience one of my teenage icons.

To say that I'd be seeing the Antichrist Superstar on hallowed ground may seem highly ironic, but Sunken Garden Theater was the site of my first rock show. Even though that was 17 years ago, I can recall the feeling of walking into the entrance and somehow knowing this whole thing was going to be a big part of my life. This was only my third time back, and it would be a great one.
 

After the sultry rock of former "Gossip Girl" star Taylor Momsen's band the Pretty Reckless, I looked around and noticed I was surrounded by disillusioned youth who are still drawn to Manson after all these years. I wanted to hug them and tell them all would be OK, but before I could do that the black curtain billowed, revealing the shadowy figures of the band.

The recently released and highly anticipated latest Manson album, Born Villain, spawned the first track of the night, "Hey, Cruel World…." Together we were one, experiencing a catharsis as an emotional combination of excitement, anger and lust swept the crowd. "Disposable Teens" followed — an old crowd-favorite that evoked a sea of hair and sweat. Part of creating a good show for me is being in the perfect spot, and wedged alongside the mosh pit in a corner of the rail allowed me to see the band up close without being eaten alive (though I was almost vomited on). 

Manson's eyes were highlighted in fluorescent pink as he went from wielding a butcher knife microphone to one adorned by brass knuckles. He stumbled around onstage with the music, at times almost in a convulsive manner. To his right was longtime band member Jeordie "Twiggy Ramirez" White, who has since transitioned from playing bass to guitar. Wearing a sexy dress and scary makeup, White played an understated yet intricate guitar, providing a syrupy anchor to the whole show. On the left, semi-new bassist Fred Sablan gave an asylum-worthy performance, moving in dizzying circles as he played and giving the crowd demented stare-downs, looking as if he would leap out and devour them. On drums, Jason Sutter provided the beats that make Manson's songs often electronically poppy.

The crowd was writhing as Manson's GRAMMY-nominated "The Dope Show" commenced, singing along as they moved. Manson has done some amazing covers over the years, and it was great to hear him perform Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus." After seeing many of his shows, I think that was a first for me. Later, Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" entranced the crowd. A new track titled "Pistol Whipped" was the first one to grab my attention from the new album, so I was happy to hear this live.

But it was his performance of "Tourniquet" that really got me. Sometimes when a band hits icon status, you forget that the songs have deep personal meaning for their creators. As Manson squatted and belted "Take your hatred out on me/Make your victim my head/You never ever believed in me/I am your tourniquet," you could see it his face, we all come from the same place. 

"Irresponsible Hate Anthem" had everyone's middle-fingers in the air as we joined together as a group that has likely been bullied more than a lot of other subcultures. For the encore, the pulpit emerged and a Bible was torn and thrown into the crowd, causing mass chaos during "Antichrist Superstar." To end, "The Beautiful People" was Manson's goodbye embrace, and the crowd left better and more empowered for it.

Set List
"Hey, Cruel World…"
"Disposable Teens"
"The Love Song"
"No Reflection"
"Mobscene"
"The Dope Show"
"Slo-Mo-Tion"
"Rock Is Dead"
"Personal Jesus" (Depeche Mode cover)
"Pistol Whipped"
"Tourniquet"
"Irresponsible Hate Anthem"
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (Eurythmics cover)
"Antichrist Superstar"
"The Beautiful People"

(Jamie Harvey splits her time between California and Texas, and is the rock community blogger for GRAMMY.com. She has been to more than 500 shows since 2007. You can follow her musical adventures and concert recaps at www.hardrockchick.com.)

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Exploring The Rock Field Nominees
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Go inside the nominations in the Rock Field categories for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards
GRAMMYs
Feb 6, 2013 - 1:55 pm
GRAMMY.com

You've seen the list of nominees, now take a closer look at the artists nominated in the Rock Field categories for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Alabama Shakes, who are up for Best New Artist, and Halestorm are first-time GRAMMY nominees. Previous GRAMMY nominees looking to win their first GRAMMY are Anthrax, Lamb Of God, Marilyn Manson, Megadeth, and Mumford & Sons. Artists looking to add to their GRAMMY collection are the Black Keys, Coldplay, Iron Maiden, Muse, Bruce Springsteen, and Jack White.

Best Rock Performance

Alabama Shakes, "Hold On"

Alabama Shakes are up for two nominations this year, marking the first GRAMMY nominations of their career.

The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy"

The Black Keys are up for five nominations this year. They have four prior nominations and two GRAMMY wins.

Coldplay, "Charlie Brown"

Coldplay are up for two nominations this year. They have 19 prior nominations and six GRAMMY wins.

Mumford & Sons, "I Will Wait"

Mumford & Sons are up for six nominations this year. They have three prior GRAMMY nominations.

Bruce Springsteen, "We Take Care Of Our Own"

Springsteen is up for three nominations this year. He has 46 prior nominations and 20 GRAMMY wins.

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance

Anthrax, "I'm Alive"

Anthrax are up for one nomination this year. They have three prior GRAMMY nominations.

Halestorm, "Love Bites (So Do I)"

Halestorm are up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of their career.

Iron Maiden, "Blood Brothers"

Iron Maiden are up for one nomination this year. They have three prior nominations and one GRAMMY win.

Lamb Of God, "Ghost Walking"

Lamb Of God are up for one nomination this year. They have three prior GRAMMY nominations.

Marilyn Manson, "No Reflection"

Marilyn Manson is up for one nomination this year. He has three prior GRAMMY nominations.

Megadeth, "Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)"

Megadeth are up for one nomination this year. They have 10 prior GRAMMY nominations.

Best Rock Song

Jack White, "Freedom At 21" (Jack White, songwriter)

White is up for three nominations this year. He has 18 prior nominations and nine GRAMMY wins.

Mumford & Sons, "I Will Wait" (Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall & Marcus Mumford, songwriters)

Mumford & Sons are up for six nominations this year. They have three prior GRAMMY nominations as a group. Dwane, Lovett and Mumford also have three prior nominations each.

The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy" (Dan Auerbach, Brian Burton & Patrick Carney, songwriters)

The Black Keys are up for five nominations this year. They have four prior GRAMMY nominations and two GRAMMY wins. Auerbach, who is up for six total nominations this year, and Carney have one prior GRAMMY nomination each. Burton is up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of his career.

Muse, "Madness" (Matthew Bellamy, songwriter)

Muse are up for one nomination this year. They have two prior nominations and one GRAMMY win. Bellamy has one prior GRAMMY nomination.

Bruce Springsteen, "We Take Care Of Our Own" (Bruce Springsteen, songwriter)

Springsteen is up for three nominations this year. He has 46 prior nominations and 20 GRAMMY wins.

Best Rock Album

The Black Keys, El Camino

The Black Keys are up for five nominations this year. They have four prior GRAMMY nominations and two GRAMMY wins.

Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto

Coldplay are up for two nominations this year. They have 19 prior nominations and six GRAMMY wins.

Muse, The 2nd Law

Muse are up for one nomination this year. They have two prior nominations and one GRAMMY win.

Bruce Springsteen, Wrecking Ball

Springsteen is up for three nominations this year. He has 46 prior nominations and 20 GRAMMY wins.

Jack White, Blunderbuss

White is up for three nominations this year. He has 18 prior nominations and nine GRAMMY wins.

Who will take home the awards in the Rock Field categories? Tune in to the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 10, 2013, taking place at Staples Center in Los Angeles and airing live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

(Note: The videos embedded reflect official videos available through official artist and record label channels.)

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Iggy Pop And Josh Homme's Marilyn Manson Connection
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Duo discuss how Manson played a role in their meeting some 15 years before they teamed for Pop's latest studio album, Post Pop Depression
GRAMMYs
Aug 9, 2016 - 3:36 pm
GRAMMY.com

Punk-rock icon Iggy Pop and GRAMMY winner Josh Homme recently detailed their 2016 collaboration that resulted in the former's new studio album, Post Pop Depression, during an installment of the GRAMMY Museum's A Conversation With series. In an exclusive interview, the duo revealed the '90s shock rocker who sparked their introduction at a magazine photoshoot in 2001, among other topics.

Watch more Iggy Pop and Josh Homme video

"[I] was in England and I was asked, 'Would I be photographed for the cover of [a September 2001 issue of] Kerrang! magazine?'" said Pop. "Then they said, 'Would you form a daisy chain with Josh Homme and Marilyn Manson?'"  

"So essentially we were introduced by Marilyn Manson," added Homme.

"I was impressed with Josh," said Pop. "He didn't look like the others there. He was the only guy besides myself who wasn't dressed up in some sort of satanic space outfit."

Considered the Godfather of Punk, Michigan native Iggy Pop blasted onto the scene in the late '60s as the frontman for punk progenitors the Stooges. Though the group's original incarnation lasted seven years, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 on the strength of their influence and snarling classics such as "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and "Search And Destroy." Pop subsequently launched a solo career with 1977's The Idiot. His highest charting hit was 1990's "Candy" (a duet with Kate Pierson of the B-52's), which reached No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Pop's solo canon also includes well-known songs such as "Lust For Life" (co-written by David Bowie), "The Passenger" and "Real Wild Child (Wild One)."  

Born in Joshua Tree, Calif., multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Homme has co-founded several alt-rock bands, including Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age and Eagles Of Death Metal. In 2009 he joined forces with fellow GRAMMY winners Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones to form Them Crooked Vultures. The supergroup won a GRAMMY for Best Hard Rock Performance for 2010 for "New Fang." Homme has collaborated with a variety of other artists, including PJ Harvey, Trent Reznor, Melissa Auf der Maur, and Mastodon.

Released in March, Pop's Post Pop Depression was produced by Homme with contributions from bassist Dean Fertita and drummer Matt Helders. Featuring nine songs, including "Gardenia" and "American Valhalla," the album debuted at No. 17 on the Billboard 200, marking the highest-charting album of Pop's career. 

Pop and Homme mounted a brief spring tour of the United States and Europe in support of Post Pop Depression. Pop has additional international tour dates scheduled through October.

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The Week In Music: Who's The Scariest Of Them All?
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Lady Gaga, Marilyn Manson and Slipknot battle for scariest musician crown
GRAMMYs
Oct 28, 2011 - 4:00 am
GRAMMY.com

They will rock you, they will shock you, and sometimes they will scare you. As a further testament that some musicians are just scary being themselves, Billboard has released the results of its top 10 scariest musicians poll in time for Halloween. Coming in at No. 10 is the Demon himself, Kiss' Gene Simmons. We don't know what's scarier about Simmons, his knack for spewing out gobs of blood from his mouth, or his relationship with his dog, Snippy. At No. 9 are Insane Clowne Posse, with their painted-on faces being enough reason to never hire a clown for your birthday party ever again. Metal group GWAR checks in  at No. 8, even though they may qualify as more humorous than scary with their action-figure-looking ensembles. In an odd twist to the list, Odd Future's Tyler, The Creator makes the list at No. 7. Why? Watch this, but be careful, it might drive you yonkers. King of horror rock Rob Zombie digs through the ditches to come in at No. 6; the boa constrictor-friendly Alice Cooper appears at No. 5; the Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne owns the No. 4 spot; and metal's masked crusaders Slipknot scream in at No. 3. So who battled it out for the top spot? The Fame Monster, Lady Gaga, and the Antichrist Superstar, Marilyn Manson. Who do you think is scariest? View the results here and let us know your thoughts below. And if she hasn't scared you away yet, make sure to catch Lady Gaga's performance on "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!" on Nov. 30 on CBS.

If you consider yourself a music superfan, chances are you have loads of paraphernalia sporting the name of your favorite band or artist. But if there's one day out of the year when you can take that extra leap and dress as your favorite artist, it's Halloween. So who are some of the top costume choices? According to The New York Times, pop songstresses Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj are hot options for Halloween this year. If you're looking to trick-or-treat to the tune of "Born This Way," all you need is a fitted black blazer with (really big) shoulder pads and a bodysuit or hot pants to wear underneath (real pants are optional). To complete the costume, add a black sequin halter top, fishnet stockings, Gaga-ready black stilettos, and, if you don't have strikingly long bright blonde hair already, get yourself a wig. If you're looking to go the Pink Friday route on Halloween, bubble-gum pink lipstick and turquoise eye shadow are the quickest ways to get recognized as Minaj. You don't have to look far for the hip-hop star's famed pink hair; you can purchase a signature pink 'do from Minaj's website. As for other music-related costume ideas? You can go as a California gurl á la Katy Perry (watch out for those popsicle sticks though), Gaga's alter ego Jo Calderone or you can try a spray tan and short dress and pillage for candy as Snooki.

It turns out LMFAO's megahit "Party Rock Anthem" doubles as a Halloween party anthem. With a seizure-inducing light show and singing pumpkins, a house in Riverside, Calif., is getting its spooky on to the sounds of the biggest party hit of the season. Apparently, last year the house haunted the neighborhood to the tune of old standby "Monster Mash," so this year marks a true step forward — you know, one of those very slow, awkward zombie steps. For anyone wondering whether this is really just a house on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot, the occasional car driving by should prove its authenticity. But for all you trick-or-treaters, no word on what sort of party-rocking candy the owners are giving out. Maybe rock candy?

Don't have any plans for the spookiest day of all? Well, if you have 24 hours to spare, you can listen to a new song by the Flaming Lips. The band, whose frontman Wayne Coyne has been known to bounce along a crowd encased in a bubble, have launched a website that will stream the song "7 Skies H3" on Halloween for 24 hours straight. The site currently features a countdown to the beginning of the stream, which kicks off at midnight sharp on Oct. 31, and a skull with a USB cable looped through it. We're hoping to see this skull come alive when the music begins.

Looking for more music to get you into the Halloween spirit? Check out our scary music feature here, or take a ride with Zombie in the "Dragula."

Adele's "Someone Like You" is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Rihanna's "We Found Love" featuring Calvin Harris is tops on the iTunes singles chart.

Any news we've missed? Comment below.

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The Week In Music: GRAMMY Winners To Invade VMAs
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Adele, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, and Lady Gaga among artists to perform at MTV Video Music Awards
GRAMMYs
Aug 26, 2011 - 4:00 am
GRAMMY.com

As the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards gears up to take place on Aug. 28, there are likely many surprises in store for the show, especially since the network celebrated its 30th birthday this month. But there's one surprise revealed this week that viewers may not have been expecting — the show will go on this year without a dedicated host. Could MTV be taking a page out of the GRAMMY Awards' book by putting on a hostless show, or does the network feel it couldn't match last year's host, comedian Chelsea Handler, who was unexpectedly "impregnated" onstage while hot tubing with the cast of "Jersey Shore"? As the cliché goes, the show must go on, and it will. The show is already chock-full of performances, including GRAMMY winners Beyoncé, Ne-Yo, Adele, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, and Lil Wayne, among others. Speaking of surprises, the Fame Monster seems to have something up her sleeve. "I'm really very honored and excited to open the show," said Gaga. "But I won't reveal anything; I want it to be a surprise." At the 2010 MTV VMAs, Gaga showed up in a meat dress, and she arrived encased in a large egg at the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards in February. What will she do next? "I'm pretty good at knowing what my fans want me to do," said Gaga.

In related Lady Gaga news, the GRAMMY-winning artist is taking a trip to Springfield, Ill., but it's not for a continuation of her Monster Ball tour. Gaga is set to appear in an upcoming episode of "The Simpsons" in a special installment titled "Lisa Goes Gaga," in which Gaga comes to Springfield to save the day after learning the town is suffering from low self-esteem. How does Gaga feel about joining Marge, Homer, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, and the rest of the animated cast? "I would say this is one of the coolest things I've ever done," Gaga told Entertainment Weekly. "My dad's probably going to do 80 backflips when the episode comes out." We're sure Gaga will do great, and the episode probably will be one of the coolest things she's ever done, but what will her advice be for the town of Springfield? We can guess she'll probably say, "D'oh, baby, you were born this way."

For some recording artists, scoring a hit single on the Billboard Hot 100 might be considered lucky. It could be argued that those scoring multiple hits are good. But if an artist is really good, they might end up on a list of banned songs. That's where Katy Perry, Take That and Lady Gaga, among others, found themselves upon the release of the China Ministry of Culture's list of 100 banned songs. Gaga's "Judas," which name-drops the apostle who betrayed Jesus, made the offensive grade as did Perry's No. 1 hit "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," a romp that weaves between "skinny-dipping in the dark" and a "ménage à trios." A peculiar song on the list is Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," a song ripe with sentiments of innocent love and devotion. Perhaps government officials were offended by this recent Chinese cover on YouTube? If you are fluent in Chinese, you can view the entire list here.

At first glance, crying is probably the most un-metal thing a metal musician or fan could do. But maybe crying will emerge as the hot new trend in metal now that Metallica have shown it's OK to show a more vulnerable side. The GRAMMY-winning metal unit has collaborated with fellow GRAMMY winner Lou Reed for a left-field project, Lulu, which is due Nov. 1. During the recording sessions, the camps were working on a song titled "Junior Dad" and Reed's lyrics sent Metallica vocalist James Hetfield and guitarist Kirk Hammett grabbing for the Kleenex. "[He] managed to take out both guitar players in Metallica in one fell swoop with his amazing poetic lyrics," Hammett told UK's Mojo magazine. "I had to run out of the control room, and I found myself standing in the kitchen, sobbing away. James came into the kitchen in the same condition. He was sobbing too. It was insane." The song struck an emotional chord with Hetfield and Hammett due to the former's father abandoning him when he was 13 and the latter still grieving over the recent death of his father. So while there may be no crying in baseball, Metallica have proved that tears are the new metal.

In arguably more startling metal news, with dark chestnuts such as "Tourniquet," "Coma White" and "Death Song" to his name, one would think Marilyn Manson is infatuated with all things gory and gruesome. But in a surprising turnabout, guitarist Dave Navarro has revealed that the Antichrist Superstar is positively frightened by the sight of blood. "It freaked him out," Navarro told Q magazine. "He would get his assistant to put on rubber gloves and clean it up. I thought it was funny to be able to freak out Marilyn Manson." No stranger to a cover song, Manson has put his spin on songs such as AC/DC's "Highway To Hell," Eurhythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" and Soft Cell's "Tainted Love." But we're betting against a cover of the Rolling Stone's "Let It Bleed" anytime soon.

Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" is tops on the Billboard Hot 100 and Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" featuring Christina Aguilera is No. 1 on the iTunes singles chart.

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