The High End of Low Tour was a worldwide arena tour by American
rock band Marilyn Manson. It was the twelfth tour the band embarked upon and the eighth to span multiple legs. The tour ran from June 3, 2009, until December 21, 2009. The only known tour date of the tour's seventh leg in 2010 was cancelled. During the last show in France,
Manson announced that there would be no further tour dates in 2010.
In the vein of the album themes and imagery revolving around Manson's conception of life as a movie, the live counterpart of ''
The High End of Low
''The High End of Low'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on May 20, 2009 by Interscope Records. Multiple editions of the record were released by the label, each containing unique bonus tracks. ...
'' reflects this theatricality by simulating each song in the live tour as a different
act. Replete with cinema-derived
stage lighting illuminating Manson, the separation between "backstage"/"onstage" has been lifted to portray this cinematic effect; Manson reapplies his makeup front-and-center onstage,
stagehand
A stagehand is a person who works backstage or behind the scenes in theatres, film, television, or location performance. Their work include setting up the scenery, lights, sound, props, rigging, and special effects for a production.
General
S ...
s assist with wardrobe changes in full view of the audience, and the final illustration of this concept is that prior to each song's commencement afterwards, a stagehand emerges and signifies that each new act has begun by use of a
clapperboard
A clapperboard (also known by various other names including dumb slate) is a device used in filmmaking and video production to assist in synchronizing of picture and sound, and to designate and mark the various scenes and takes as they are ...
in front of Manson, as if to convey the filmic mantra of "lights, camera, action" and the song begins.
A new theatric stage was revealed in the first European leg of "The High End Of Low Tour". During "Great Big White World" Manson performed in an oversized white lightbox. The song was entirely sung behind the semi-transparent sheet, removed from the audience. "If I Was Your Vampire", which also deals with a similar lovelorn isolation, was alternately performed with this theatrical device on early dates of the tour.
Marilyn Manson joined Slayer as headliners for the
Rockstar Energy
Rockstar (stylized as ROCKST★R or ЯR) is an energy drink created in 2001, which, , has a 0.3% market share of the US non-alcoholic beverage market. Rockstar is based in Purchase, New York. , Rockstar Energy Drink was available in more than 2 ...
Mayhem Festival
The Mayhem Festival was a touring heavy metal festival that took place during the summer. The inaugural season took place in 2008; the festival later became an annual event across the United States. Most years also included a single date in eit ...
tour in 2009. The press release for the tour stated that "Manson is currently in the studio working on his seventh studio album scheduled for release May 18th on Interscope Records." On February 2, ''Rolling Stone'' confirmed the album had been officially titled ''
The High End of Low
''The High End of Low'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on May 20, 2009 by Interscope Records. Multiple editions of the record were released by the label, each containing unique bonus tracks. ...
''.
After much fan speculation and no official announcement,
Andy Gerold joined Marilyn Manson in the capacity of live bassist after former bassist Twiggy Ramirez switched to lead guitar duties. Gerold played his first show with the band on June 3, 2009, in Brno, Czech Republic. As of 2011, Gerold is still the youngest musician to play in the band, preceding former drummer Sara Lee Lucas by nearly seven years. During the summer of 2009, the band co-headlined the
2009 Mayhem Festival with
Slayer. Later in October 2009, the band headlined the internationally advertised V-Rock Festival '09.
Versailles get dolled up for visual-kei fest , The Japan Times Online
/ref>
Performance and show themes
For most of the tour, Manson wore the same sleeveless black shirt with a razor blade image on the front, as well as his signature black skin tight leather trousers. For most performances of "Devour" or "Great Big White World", Manson wore a white coat. For some performances of "Great Big White World", Manson would rip his way out of a box sealed in a plastic wrap. For performances of "Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World", Manson would play guitar. For performances of "If I Was Your Vampire", "Arma-goddamn-motherfuckin-geddon" " Running to the Edge of the World" "Leave a Scar", Manson used a microphone in the shape of a knife, as he previously used during the Rape of the World Tour. For performances of "Four Rusted Horses (Opening Titles Version)", Manson burnt a Bible, as he has notably done during past performances of "Antichrist Superstar".
For most performances of "Pretty as a Swastika" and "Arma-goddamn-motherfuckin-geddon", banners baring the dollar sign logo were on stage. For performances of "Irresponsible Hate Anthem", Manson wore a Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
helmet and held the flag of whichever country he was performing in. Also for performances of "Pretty as a Swastika", Manson wore the hat of a Nazi officer. During the European leg, for performances of "Devour" and "Coma White"/"Coma Black", a large promotional photo of his room was used as a backdrop. During European leg, for performances of "Cruci-Fiction in Space", Manson wore gloves with lasers attached to the fingers. For performances of "The Dope Show", Manson wore a top hat. For performances of "The Dope Show", dialogue from the film, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, would play before the song was performed. The dialogue features talk and usage of cocaine. Also for performances of "The Dope Show" and "Leave a Scar", Manson made use of film projectors. During the performance of "Running to the Edge of the World" on Barcelona, Spain, Manson sang to Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress and activist. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations for her work ...
, with the knife microphone, as she pretended to bleed to death, lying on a bed that had been set up center stage.
* For performances of " Irresponsible Hate Anthem", Manson wore a Nazi helmet and held the flag of whichever country he was performing in.
* Also for performances of " Pretty as a Swastika", Manson wore the hat of a Nazi officer.
* During The High End of Low European leg, for performances of "Devour" and "Coma White
"Coma White" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It is the last track from the album ''Mechanical Animals''. "Coma White" is a hard rock ballad written by the band's eponymous vocalist, Twiggy Ramirez, Madonna Wayne Gacy, Zim Zu ...
"/" Coma Black", a large promotional photo of his room was used as a backdrop.
* During The High End of Low European leg, for performances of " Cruci-Fiction in Space", Manson wore gloves with lasers attached to the fingers.
* For performances of "The Dope Show
"The Dope Show" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released in September 1998 as the lead single from their third studio album ''Mechanical Animals''. The lyrics were written by Marilyn Manson and the music composed by Twiggy ...
", Manson wore a top hat.
* For performances of "The Dope Show
"The Dope Show" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released in September 1998 as the lead single from their third studio album ''Mechanical Animals''. The lyrics were written by Marilyn Manson and the music composed by Twiggy ...
", dialogue from the film, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, would play before the song was performed. The dialogue features talk and usage of cocaine.
* Also for performances of "The Dope Show
"The Dope Show" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released in September 1998 as the lead single from their third studio album ''Mechanical Animals''. The lyrics were written by Marilyn Manson and the music composed by Twiggy ...
" and "Leave a Scar
''The High End of Low'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on May 20, 2009 by Interscope Records. Multiple editions of the record were released by the label, each containing unique bonus tracks. T ...
", Manson made use of film projectors.
* During the performance of " Running to the Edge of the World" in Barcelona, Spain, Manson sang to Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress and activist. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations for her work ...
, with the knife microphone, as she pretended to bleed to death, lying on a bed that had been set up center stage.
* During the show on December 14, 2009, in Manchester, England
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, former Marilyn Manson live bassist Rob Holliday
Rob Holliday (born 1979) is a professional English musician. He has been the live guitarist of rock band Marilyn Manson as well as for Gary Numan, The Prodigy, and Sulpher. He began performing as Marilyn Manson's live bassist in 2007 but sw ...
joined the band to play " Little Horn".
* During the show on August 25, 2009, in Pomona, California
Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Pol ...
, Kerry King of the band Slayer joined Manson to play " Little Horn" and " Irresponsible Hate Anthem".
Set list
The most commonly played songs, in the order they were most generally performed, were:
#"Intro"
#"Cruci-Fiction in Space"
#" Disposable Teens"
#"Pretty as a Swastika"
#"Little Horn"
#"The Love Song"
#"Irresponsible Hate Anthem"
#"Four Rusted Horses (Opening Titles Version)"
#"Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon
"Arma-goddamn-motherfuckin-geddon" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released as the second single from their seventh studio album ''The High End of Low''. It has been remixed by the Teddybears. The song was released for dow ...
"
#"Devour"
#"Track 99"
#"Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World"
#"Blank and White"
#"Coma White
"Coma White" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It is the last track from the album ''Mechanical Animals''. "Coma White" is a hard rock ballad written by the band's eponymous vocalist, Twiggy Ramirez, Madonna Wayne Gacy, Zim Zu ...
" / "Coma Black (a) Eden Eye"
#" Running to the Edge of the World"
#"I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies"
#" We're from America"
#"Leave a Scar" (contains intro from "Abuse, Part 1 (There Is Pain Involved)")
#"The Dope Show
"The Dope Show" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released in September 1998 as the lead single from their third studio album ''Mechanical Animals''. The lyrics were written by Marilyn Manson and the music composed by Twiggy ...
" (contains intro from "Dewey Cox Cocaine")
#"Wight Spider"
#" Rock Is Dead" (contains intro from "Dancing with the One-Legged...")
#"WOW"
#"Great Big White World" (With "Fuck Frankie" intro)
#"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is a song by British new wave music duo Eurythmics. It is the title track of their album of the same name (1983) and was released as the fourth and final single from the album in early 1983. The song became t ...
"
#"Whole Wide World"
#"Rock N Roll Nigger
"Rock N Roll Nigger" is a rock song written by Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye, and released on the Patti Smith Group's 1978 album ''Easter''.
While the song has always been controversial for its repeated use of the racial epithet "nigger", a remi ...
"
#" If I Was Your Vampire"
#"Tourniquet
A tourniquet is a device that is used to apply pressure to a limb or extremity in order to stop the flow of blood. It may be used in emergencies, in surgery, or in post-operative rehabilitation.
A simple tourniquet can be made from a stick an ...
"
#" The Beautiful People" (contains intro from "Baby, You're a Rich Man
"Baby, You're a Rich Man" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as the B-side of their "All You Need Is Love" single in July 1967. It originated from an unfinished song by John Lennon, titled "One of the Beautiful Pe ...
")
Broadcasts & Recordings
It Is known that Multiple concerts were captured during this tour, though all the material has been archived.
Tour dates
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:High End Of Low Tour
Marilyn Manson (band) concert tours
2009 concert tours