When it comes to pinnacle rock acts like Marilyn Manson and the Smashing Pumpkins, it’s difficult to look at their present tour without looking at the past. As news of the “The End Times” emerged, the general consensus was that it was an odd pairing.
That said, the night the two acts perform at Red Rocks Amphitheater (Monday, July 13) will no doubt be an interesting one indeed. I can only anticipate the scenery and experience not only from the show on stage, but from the stands, the crowd who loved them back and and still do today.
Each act is a headliner unto themselves with a healthy back catalogue, so I’m wondering who will go first and how long and deep they’ll go for each set. My last experience seeing Manson was for his 2007 Eat Me, Drink Me tour, which stopped in at the Fillmore. It was quite the music extravaganza and performance that left me dizzy with delight.
Seeing Smashing Pumpkins, on the other hand, was somewhat abbreviated and distant – 1994 during the Lollapalooza tour at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. It was a hot day and they headlined, coming on at a time when most people were either completely wasted, completely tired and dehydrated, or a combination of both. Corgan was none too please with the lethargy of the crowd and ended the set sooner than expected, storming off the stage and nearly falling, having tripped on a cord.
That was a lifetime ago and so much has changed. Corgan’s insight into the music industry was compelling and highly intelligent when he spoke at SXSW a few years back…although Brian Solis was not the right guy for the interview. Yet again, another odd pairing.
Manson also holds his own high level of intellect on numerous matters, surprising many years and years ago with his response to people tying his music to the actions of a very disturbed young men, which was absurd. When he takes to the stage, he turns his banter, sarcasm and wit to 11, complementing the effects and theatrics that offer a perfect tonic to his gin-induced ride. He’ll no doubt pluck songs from 2015’s The Pale Emperor, potentially all the way back to 1993’s The Manson Family Album.
The Smashing Pumpkins are working on a new album, so one would expect to hear a taste of the new material. But it will be the beloved, classic Pumpkin songs that will send fans into a frenzy, connecting the past and those memories to the present day.
