Manson Has Power Over Chaos
Metal heads of Edmonton were rejoicing at the creation of a new music festival, held on July 26 and 27 at Kinsmen Park. However, the first ever Chaos AB festival of metal music experienced some chaos of its own, due to the unpredictable weather. The hot and sunny first night on July 26 saw performances from GWAR, Slayer (the band’s final Alberta date ever), and Disturbed, best-known for its dark and emotional cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence.”
It was on the second day that Chaos really did reign supreme. The thunderstorms delayed the day’s start by a couple of hours, causing set times to be pushed and shortened. “This is great! Metal heads don’t care if it’s raining,” said Odessa, the person setting me up with my media and photo pass, after I expressed some concern about the weather. Stepping out into the muddy field, I saw that she was right. People were wet, but also smiling, happy, and enjoying each other’s company. No one seemed “disturbed” (see what I did there?) about the weather at all.
The Saturday, July 27th lineup already took a hit the week prior, when Rob Zombie, scheduled to be the festival’s penultimate act, suddenly cancelled. He was replaced by The Cult, much to the chagrin of fans who expressed their dismay on social media. However, the band’s solid set included hits like “She Sells Sanctuary,” “Fire Woman,” and “Love Removal Machine” which kept most of the audience jumping and singing along – me included. In fact, I had to stay aware of my surroundings so as not to get drawn into a slam dance with people who were having probably too much of a good time. 
However, it was shock-rocker Marilyn Manson who was the major draw of the day. Twenty years ago, fans lined up for hours, dressed in their finest goth, for the opportunity to see him live. Now in his 50s, Manson still commands a loyal following, although much of the audience at Chaos were definitely not old enough – some of them not yet even born – during Manson’s heyday in the 90s. Still, a number of them dressed the part. The others who were indeed old enough to remember both when “Sweet Dreams” was originally a hit by Eurythmics and then later Manson’s breakthrough single, looked a little more subdued.
Subdued would not be a word to describe Manson who screamed, shouted, and sang his way through both new and classic material, though mostly leaning on the latter.
“You are beautiful,” he said to the crowd, before launching into “The Beautiful People.” The rain had started again by now, but the energy cut through the precipitation, although by now a number of audience members were heading for the gates. Most of them were satisfied after “Sweet Dreams.” However, there were a few surprise omissions, like his cover of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” which was a huge hit for him.
Overall, it was a solid, entertaining show, and yet I kept wondering what it would have been like to have seen Manson 20 years prior. Would he have seemed more scary? More intimidating? More shocking? Now, Manson seems little of any of those things. He was a middle-aged man in pancake makeup and black clothing performing for his fans, much like Alice Cooper, Kiss, or any other act from decades past that incorporate a lot of theatrics in their performances. Still, the experience of seeing him live, outside in all of the elements, with thousands of enthusiastic fans, was definitely an unforgettable experience.
