On This Date in History

On this date in history, 7/18/2018, The Twins Of Evil Tour featuring Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, and Deadly Apples made an appearance at Deer Creek in Noblesville, IN (or Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center if you insist on being technical)! It is no secret that I am an enormous fan of all things Zombie and Manson, so my anticipation at seeing them both together was astronomical to say the least. This was my 10th time seeing Rob Zombie (twice with White Zombie and 8 times solo) and my 9th time seeing Marilyn Manson and this tour definitely lived up to the hype. Deadly Apples started the show with a good set of original material. I was unfamiliar with them, but learned they hail from Canada and this was their first tour in 8 years. Their sound was really well produced and at times they would build up this big crescendo of power, only to bring it down and kind of let the moment slip away. I’ve seen better and I’ve seen worse. Speaking of better and worse, Manson has had his ups and downs on live stages, and I was thrilled that he seems to be back to caring about his craft again. His latest album, Heaven Upside Down, is a killer, and this performance included a couple of tracks off of it in addition to a handful of classics from Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals. Manson brought out two different pulpits to perform from, both songs being highlights of his set. The final song was a cover of the song Cry Little Sister from the movie Lost Boys. Like all the other covers he has done throughout his career, this one received the Manson touch and sounded suitably goth and menacing. As soon as Rob Zombie hit the stage there was absolutely no disputing who the true headliner was. Zombie pulled out all the big screens and every flashing light in the known galaxy to accentuate his ghoulish party anthems. Ironically, half of Zombie’s band spent time in the employ of Manson, making this a reunion show of sorts. The Zombie band consisting of Ginger Fish on drums, Piggy D on bass, and the astonishing John 5 on guitar, were in crushing form, delivering devilishly diabolical stadium sized riffs and rhythms without any pauses. When Zombie announced that he was going to do a song with his new BFF, the place went wild as Manson joined him for a high energy blast, covering Helter Skelter by The Beatles, complete with images of the infamous Charles Manson and his “family” projected on the screens accompanying the song that will forever be linked to them. Another short highlight was the unveiling of the official trailer for Zombie’s next movie, Three From Hell, due in 2019. All in all, The Twins Of Evil Tour was loud, fun, entertaining, and never a dull moment. I foresee adding to my numbers for both Manson and Zombie, because they still do that shock rock stuff better than anyone who isn’t named Alice Cooper!

Written By “The Concert Critic” aka Braddon S. Williams