Marilyn Manson

Re-branding this collection Live in L.A., from its DVD life with World Tour appended to its title, is a nit-picky piece of factual correction by the Manson camp. Other than a more accurate title and a beautifully rich transfer to hi-def, nothing has been changed about this super-solid glimpse at what's arguably Manson's most talented line-up backing him for the 2002 Holy Wood tour. Since Holy Wood was the last of Manson's truly enjoyable efforts (however diminished by the peaks of its immediate two predecessors), there aren't any cringe-worthy duds to sit through during the 16-song set. A mostly well-structured song list gives the audience an immediate dose of what they're itching for with Antichrist fan-favourites "Irresponsible Hate Anthem" and "The Reflecting God" and Mechanical Animals highlight "Great Big White World." The teeming masses thus engaged, Manson, in full freak circus ringleader mode, takes the opportunity to drop a series of choice cuts from Holy Wood. "Disposable Teens," "The Fight Song" and "The Nobodies" all come across strongly, although lack a bit of the warped punch of the band's earlier work. Manson has his performance pretty much perfected at this point, donning a Pope suit to lurch around in on stage, switching into a Hitler getup for the demented rally phase of the night, pulling his classic stilt walking shtick and being elevated by a pyramid-podium dress thing. Pristine video and audio mixed with clear and comprehensive editing make this a top notch performance video worth owning for any Manson fan, even if you might wish it was from an earlier era of their career. There aren't any special features, just a short film called The Death Parade. It's a highly graphic look backstage as Manson and crew jet set around the globe engaging in ever more debaucherous behaviour, packed with nudity, wounds, pranks, celebrity cameos and band freak-outs. Still, they probably could've stood to dig out a little extra footage to make this re-release worth more than just the extra pixels.