Last Tour on Earth
Is a Marilyn Manson studio album like thunder without lightning? The name Manson is synonymous with stage theatrics, and studio albums aren't designed to capture such flashing, ephemeral excitement. That being the case, a live Marilyn Manson album is one step up from a studio disc and one notch down from a concert. This powerful 14-song, 70-minute set actually ends with one studio track, "Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes" (also on theCelebrity Deathmatchalbum). Featuring such Manson concert favorites as "The Beautiful People," "The Dope Show," and the band's breakthrough cover ofEurythmics' "Sweet Dreams,"The Last Tour on Earthis incendiary, expletive-strewn, and darkly irresistible. Manson is a commanding performer, though not one for the young or upright, as he spews on about LSD and sex with cops, performs "Antichrist Superstar," and has the audience chanting "We hate love, we love hate!" prior to a particularly raucous rendition of "Irresponsible Hate Anthem." That said,The Last Tour on Earthis an exhilarating outing from one of the '90s' boldest personalities.--Katherine Turman