Marilyn Manson @ the House of Blues

Over 20 years ago I got to see Marilyn Manson during his first club tour supporting their debut album "Portrait of an American Family." He took the stage at the late, lamented Club Babyhead in Providence in front of a crowd of maybe 50 people and captivated us all with his mixture of industrial, metal, and goth. It was clear he was on to something. Little did we know just how far Manson would go.

Two decades later Manson is back with a new album that marks a stylistic departure. A bit more muted and, in my opinion, more interesting artist has emerged. He brought his latest tour to the House of Blues on Wednesday night despite the "snowmageddon" that occurred on Tuesday. It was pretty surprising to see a packed house given what a mess the Boston streets were that day.

Was it fandom or curiosity that brought people out? Manson's last visit to Boston was notable not for his music, but for the sheer train wreck that people witnessed on stage. I have to admit to being a curious fan as the last time I saw Manson was on a giant stage opening for Nine Inch Nails many years ago. To see him perform in an "intimate" setting like the House of Blues without the accompanying props and bells and whistles was an opportunity I was eager for. In many ways he didn't disappoint.

In many ways Manson didn't disappoint. The show was interspersed with new songs that flowed well with the older material. Although there were many in the crowd who didn't recognize them ( a couple of bros standing near me remarked that they only recognized 3 songs as the show hit the halfway point) they were pretty well received. Much of this was due to Manson's performance. Despite the lack of explosions and doo-dads, the man put on an excellent show. It was clear even back 20 years ago that the man knows how to work a crowd and how to captivate them.

There were a couple of creaky moments. I wasn't sure if it was a terrible sound mix or his voice but there were several moments early on in the show where you couldn't hear him sing. If it was his voice giving out then that's not a good sign considering this was a very early date in the tour. And at times you could tell he really had no interest in bonding with the audience. He remained aloof and refrained from the usual frontman banter. And I'm pretty sure he said "Philly" instead of Boston on one occasion. But these are minor missteps (especially for Manson given that he puked onstage the last time he was in town).

The moments and songs that shined were the powerhouses: "Beautiful People," "Sweet Dreams," and "Personal Jesus." But surprisingly two songs from the new album were definitely worthy of his set list. Both "Cupid Carries a Gun" and "The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles" were wonderfully done live. There was a moment where I wished that Manson would do a cabaret act because the new songs have a pathos that the older work doesn't. Perhaps this is an older, wiser Marilyn Manson?