Source Months before Marilyn Manson's first-ever scheduled performance in Ferrara, Italy, on July 11, 2026, what should have been an ordinary stop on his European tour instead became one of the country's most closely watched cultural controversies, drawing in the mayor of Ferrara, the Catholic Church, a community of religious sisters, politicians, festival organizers, and thousands of supporters and critics across Italy. The Tour Begins When Marilyn Manson launched the European leg of his One Assassination Under God Tour in early July 2026, it marked another significant chapter in a remarkable career resurgence. After several years away from extensive international touring, Manson returned to European stages before enthusiastic audiences eager to see one of rock's most recognizable and controversial performers. The opening concerts generated strong fan reactions and reaffirmed that, despite decades of public controversy and intense media scrutiny, his international followin...
In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", Matt Montgomery (a.k.a. Piggy D.) was asked how he landed the gig as the bassist in Marilyn Manson's band. The 49-year-old musician, who had previously played with Rob Zombie, responded: "Referral. It's a small, small community. Yeah, the timing worked out. Things are meant to be. I guess that's the universe working the way it should.
"It's been really cool to be along for the ride for this rebirth," Matt added. "And the band is killer, and we have a great time, and the shows have been rad. And, yeah, I can't say or feel any better about it."
When MikeZ noted that it must be "great" working with a newly sober Manson, Montgomery concurred. "Yeah, he's amazing," he said. "His focus is sharp and he is an inspiration to people; he really is. And I'm proud to stand next to him, because I think he's representing hard. And as somebody that's been in and out of sobriety over the years, it's amazing to see somebody turn their life around. It's always an amazing story. It doesn't matter who they are. It's always an amazing story. The miracle is never lost on me. You put a microphone in front of it, you can do some good. And it's cool."
Matt also talked about another addition to Manson's band, guitarist Reba Meyers, who has previously played with the Grammy-nominated act CODE ORANGE. He said: "It's great to have a female voice doing the female vocal parts. It's really cool. And she adds so much color and texture to the songs. Yeah, she's awesome. She's a joy."
Asked if the Manson setlist pretty much "writes itself" nowadays, Matt said: "I wouldn't say it writes itself. There's a new [Manson] record [out, 'One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1'], and [Manson's cover of Phil Collins's seminal song] 'In The Air Tonight' just came out. So there's an agenda, obviously, 'cause there's a want to play this new material, but there's also songs you probably should play. And then there's been some interesting curveballs. On the last tour, we did 'Long Hard Road Out Of Hell' [from the soundtrack to the 1997 motion picture 'Spawn'], which was a nice addition. So it's cool. It's cool. There's a wealth of material to pull from, if you wanna get weird and do weird stuff. He knows what he's doing. And personally, what do I love? I love the hard stuff. But that's just because it makes me think it's 1996 again, which was a good time — nostalgic for different reasons. But I enjoy all of it, honestly. It's all very musical and fun stuff to play, and I'm honored to be able to play it."
"It's been really cool to be along for the ride for this rebirth," Matt added. "And the band is killer, and we have a great time, and the shows have been rad. And, yeah, I can't say or feel any better about it."
When MikeZ noted that it must be "great" working with a newly sober Manson, Montgomery concurred. "Yeah, he's amazing," he said. "His focus is sharp and he is an inspiration to people; he really is. And I'm proud to stand next to him, because I think he's representing hard. And as somebody that's been in and out of sobriety over the years, it's amazing to see somebody turn their life around. It's always an amazing story. It doesn't matter who they are. It's always an amazing story. The miracle is never lost on me. You put a microphone in front of it, you can do some good. And it's cool."
Matt also talked about another addition to Manson's band, guitarist Reba Meyers, who has previously played with the Grammy-nominated act CODE ORANGE. He said: "It's great to have a female voice doing the female vocal parts. It's really cool. And she adds so much color and texture to the songs. Yeah, she's awesome. She's a joy."
Asked if the Manson setlist pretty much "writes itself" nowadays, Matt said: "I wouldn't say it writes itself. There's a new [Manson] record [out, 'One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1'], and [Manson's cover of Phil Collins's seminal song] 'In The Air Tonight' just came out. So there's an agenda, obviously, 'cause there's a want to play this new material, but there's also songs you probably should play. And then there's been some interesting curveballs. On the last tour, we did 'Long Hard Road Out Of Hell' [from the soundtrack to the 1997 motion picture 'Spawn'], which was a nice addition. So it's cool. It's cool. There's a wealth of material to pull from, if you wanna get weird and do weird stuff. He knows what he's doing. And personally, what do I love? I love the hard stuff. But that's just because it makes me think it's 1996 again, which was a good time — nostalgic for different reasons. But I enjoy all of it, honestly. It's all very musical and fun stuff to play, and I'm honored to be able to play it."
(Excerpt from Blabbermouth.net)