The Performance
He is the bane of parents and religious fundamentalists around the world and it seems whenever kids go on a spree of violent behavior, be it killing neighborhood cats to school shootings, the media somehow manages to tie it back to Marilyn Manson. His image -- black clothes, long black hair, black makeup, latex -- has come to define him and has overshadowed his music to all but his true fans.
The goth/industrial Manson has been at it for twenty years, despite protests across the country and around the world. He has stared down performance bans in cities and townships, loud protests from right-wing religious groups, and being blamed for children's deaths, most notably the Columbine school shootings, yet he is still around and he even manages to get his videos shown on television every once in a while.
A Marilyn Manson show is an event for sure, but, really, it is nothing new. Manson's flair for all things dark and dramatic can be traced right back to the days of glam rock, and in particular the shows of Alice Cooper and later on KISS, who took it to a more commercial level.
Guns, God, and Government seeks to capture the drama of a Marilyn Manson show in video form and I don't know that it fully succeeds. The problem with acts like Marilyn Manson is that they are always best experienced live; they can't be bottled. Sure, a concert video may be the next best thing, but it would have to be an extremely exceptional concert video. I recall seeing U2 on their Zoo TV tour in '92 and it was an amazing live experience. Video footage of the events never quite captured that multimedia event. This Blu-ray release of Marilyn Manson performing in 2002, in support of their Holly Wood album does its best to put viewers in the audience, but in the end it is just a pale comparison to the real thing.
The Picture
The Manson concert arrives on Blu-ray in a 1080i/60 AVC/MPEG-4 transfer in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, perfectly sized for your widescreen HDTV. The band's elaborate costumes and gothic set are captured well in this clean, lifelike presentation. Artifacts are minimal, video noise is hardly noticeable and shadow detail is solid.
The Sound
One would not expect great sound from a Marilyn Manson concert, but the sound on this release is as grating as Manson's voice, and not in a good way. Whether you choose the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless option or the LPCM 2.0 mix, you will be assaulted with grungy high frequencies that become very fatiguing within a few minutes and a near lack of any sort of low frequencies. Surprisingly, the 2.0 mix offers the best chance to hear any sort of low-end response, so I recommend going with that mix and avoiding the DTS-HD MA option. And by all means, stay away from the Dolby Digital 5.1 option unless you have no other choice. That option not only worsens the grit in the high frequencies, but it squeezes the dynamic range even further and is plagued with clipping distortion from some excessive limiting.
The Extras
There's a twenty-nine minute behind-the-scenes featurette included that shows candid footage of Manson fans, religious protestors, and even Manson himself having a particularly nasty gash on his knee stitched up. I'm sure fans of the band will dig the peeks backstage as well.
Final Thoughts
Marilyn Manson's performance on this concert release is energetic, as usual, and the band runs through a couple of their biggest hits, but poor sound hampers the release and the video format -- Blu-ray or otherwise -- just can't capture the essence of a live Marilyn Manson show.
Product Details
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