Marilyn Manson's Performance Less Intense, Less Interesting

Marilyn Manson and his band rolled through Toronto's Air Canada Centre Thursday night in support of their latest album The High End Of Low.

The 20,000 capacity arena was a surprising choice of venue, which was reflected by the many empty seats in the house. This show marked the halfway point in Marilyn Manson's cross-Canada tour that began in Victoria, B.C.

The show started off with a rousing rendition of "We're From America," a dance-punk offering from the band's new album. This quickly led into a performance of "Disposable Teens," which got an enthusiastic response from the crowd. Manson then drew from his older catalogue, playing "Little Horn" and "Irresponsible Hate Anthem," both hits from his most successful album Antichrist Superstar.

During "Pretty As A Swastika," Manson accessorized the stage with Nazi-esque banners, each displaying a dollar sign. He sang his cover of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" to a handheld light, and frequently disappeared into the shadows of the stage, often enveloped by clouds of dry ice.

The audience went wild when Manson threw his microphone into the pit during "Rock N Roll Nigger," a Patti Smith cover. Fans were less familiar with Manson's newer tracks such as "Wight Spider" and the ironically unimpressive "WOW," but got into the groove during "Four Rusted Horses," a country-infused ditty.

Marilyn Manson included a few of his old tricks, but overall the stripped-down stage show was a far cry from the effects-filled performances audiences have come to expect from the band.

Instead of costume changes and pyrotechnics, Manson tried on a few different hats and solicited the audience for a Canadian dollar bill, apparently unaware of our currency of choice here in the Great White North. Fans happily corrected him by throwing their loonies onstage, perhaps missing the cocaine reference implied by Manson's request.

What would a Marilyn Manson tour be without lineup changes? Manson's original bassist and writing partner, Twiggy Ramirez, is back in the band, this time in the role of lead guitarist. Instead of the dresses and dreadlocks of times past, Ramirez quietly walked out in a subdued black outfit. Manson occasionally approached Ramirez, exchanging a few quips here and there, but beyond that there was little interaction between band members or between Manson and the crowd.

As the show continued, some of Manson's theatrics got more phoned in. He repeatedly dropped his microphone, causing his assistants to scurry out onstage to fix the "problem." Instead of drinking water, Manson opted to swig bottles of beer, again, dropping them all over the stage throughout the performance. Manson pulled out his guitar for "Dried Up, Tied And Dead To The World," but this did little to help the band achieve the arena rock grandiosity fans usually expect from from someone like Manson.

To view a photo gallery of Marilyn Manson from this show click HERE.