Iconic shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, most known for his outlandish appearance and attitude, sustained several injuries at his Hammerstein Ballroom show in New York City on Sept. 30 after scaling an enormous gun prop that fell back and crushed him. The band stopped playing and EMTs rushed the stage to assist Manson immediately. Soon after Manson was hospitalized, he announced he would be cancelling nine of his upcoming tour dates, from October 2 to October 14, however Manson has since rearranged and rescheduled his tour dates to include the previous cancellations.
Ian Cory is a music journalist based in New York City, and also the chief editor of Invisible Oranges, a heavy metal blog. Ian has been writing about music for over a decade and he attended Manson’s show at the Hammerstein Ballroom that night. We had the chance to chat with Ian over the phone about exactly what happened.
Do you consider yourself a Marilyn Manson fan?
Absolutely. While I’m nowhere near as active in that community as I was in high school, Marilyn Manson’s music still means a great deal to me.
Was this your first Marilyn Manson show?
This was my second. My first was on the Against All Gods tour back in 2004. I was 14 at the time and couldn’t imagine anything cooler. Manson was the first “major” artist I ever saw live, and thus was the golden standard for a long time. Shortly thereafter his music moved in a direction that I didn’t find compelling, which kept me from seeing him live for a while. However, his last album The Pale Emperor was terrific and I knew I had to take the chance to see him while I could.
What was there venue like? Was it a sold out show?
Hard to say if the show was sold out, but it was definitely well attended.
What was your initial reaction when you saw him in concert and what was the atmosphere before the accident?
Honestly, I was grinning ear to ear. While his set at that point focused a bit too heavily on his more modern material, it was hard not to get swept up in the energy of the experience. Hearing songs like “The Dope Show” and “Disposable Teenagers” live again for the first time in over a decade was a treat.
Did you witness the prop fall on Manson?
I did see the prop fall, albeit from a distance. It was about halfway through “Sweet Dreams”. Manson moved back to the large fake gun prop during an instrumental break, and then, for reasons I couldn’t discern at the time, it feel over. From where I was it was difficult to tell if it fell on anything, but the response from the stage hands and band members quickly made it clear that something was afoot.
I hope Marilyn Manson is okay, look at this! pic.twitter.com/kxeYBmL4mX
— CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND (@LondonIsBlu) October 1, 2017
How long into his set did the accident occur?
About 30 minutes in.
How did the audience react when the prop fell?
From where I was standing it’s hard to say. Most folks didn’t know what to make of it at first. Once the lights went down there was some grumbling, mostly cynical and not particularly empathetic to Manson himself. Mostly however, I think people didn’t know how to react, and as a result reached to humor as a low hanging fruit.
What was your initial reaction when there prop fell? What happened after the stage hands helped him off stage?
My initial reaction was glib amusement. Because I couldn’t see what happened to Manson himself, I found the whole situation pretty funny. “Marilyn Manson cancels show after giant gun falls on him” read like an Onion headline. Of course once I went on the internet it was clear that the situation wasn’t joking material.
Since the incident, Manson has spoken with Yahoo about the accident and the excruciating pain it’s left him in. Manson has also rearranged his tour and rescheduled the cancelled dates for those who planned to attend. Check out a full list of Manson’s upcoming tour dates here.
