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The New Symbolism of Marilyn Manson's Stage Show Since 2024

   Since Marilyn Manson returned to the stage in the summer of 2024 with the One Assassination Under God tour, pulsating illuminated upside-down double crosses have been a consistent part of the stage design. The double cross itself is nothing new in Manson's work. It has been part of his imagery for many years and became particularly prominent again after the Heaven Upside Down era. What is new since 2024 is the way the symbol has been incorporated into the lighting of the performance. Rather than functioning simply as a static emblem, the crosses now pulsate and change as part of the stage itself, becoming one of the most noticeable elements of every concert. Manson's return to the stage has also involved bringing back many features and images from earlier periods of his career, which has naturally given the performances a nostalgic quality for longtime fans. What interests me for this analysis, however, is what has actually been added during this new period that has not be...

Marilyn Manson Returns To His Hometown in Canton, Ohio


After a series of amazing festival shows in the month of August that brought Marilyn Manson to places like Mexico, Turkey and Kazakhstan, with enthusiastic and record-breaking crowds, the band finally resumed their One Assassination Under God Tour at the sold-out House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday September 16, 2025. This Fall North American tour will continue until October 5th in Sacramento, California.

The significance of Marilyn Manson kicking off this leg of the tour in Cleveland, Ohio is that this marks a return of Marilyn Manson to his native area, having been born and raised in nearby Canton, Ohio. Manson hasn’t performed in Cleveland since a 2018 show at Blossom Music Center during his “Twins of Evil: The Second Coming” co-headlining tour with Rob Zombie. Notable also is that Cleveland is the birthplace of Rock and Roll.


The difference between 2018 and 2025 is that now Marilyn Manson is married and decided on September 15th, ahead of his September 16th concert, to show his bride Lindsay the places where he grew up in Canton. She even captured in photographs a few significant moments which Manson shared in his Instastories. The first photo was taken of Manson standing in front of his childhood home, while the second shows him sitting on the steps of Heritage Christian School, which he attended from first to tenth grade.


The next day Marilyn Manson performed to a sold-out show in Cleveland's House of Blues, where the following hits made it on the setlist:

Nod If You Understand
Disposable Teens
Angel With the Scabbed Wings
Great Big White World
Sacrilegious
This Is the New Shit
The Nobodies
Tourniquet
mOBSCENE
Long Hard Road Out of Hell
The Dope Show
As Sick as the Secrets Within
Sweet Dreams 
The Beautiful People

Encore 1:
One Assassination Under God
The Love Song

Encore 2:
Coma White