Marilyn Manson Debuts New Bassist, Points Fake Rifle at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest Crowd
UPDATE: Marilyn Manson has issued a response, which can be read here.
Marilyn Manson made his return to the stage at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest over the weekend, which also marked the debut of new bassist Juan Alderete of The Mars Volta and Racer X. While performing "WE KNOW WHERE YOU F--KING LIVE" Manson pulled out a fake rifle and pointed it at the crowd, likely in response to the various mass shootings that have recently taken place across the U.S.
A wheelchair-bound Marilyn Manson helped close out the joint festival in San Bernardino, Calif. last night (Nov. 5), performing just before headliner Rob Zombie. The show consisted of 10 songs, four of them off Manson's most recent album, and the show was the last scheduled U.S. performance of the year as the group heads to Europe before returning stateside in January of 2018 to play a set of rescheduled tour dates.
TMZ took video of Manson's assault rifle stunt, which was done just hours after a gunman killed 26 people at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. San Bernardino was famously the site of a terror attack in late 2015, when a woman and her husband killed 14 after pledging allegiance to ISIS.
Since Manson was felled by a stage prop on Sept. 30 in New York City, an accident that broke his leg in two places, longtime bassist Twiggy Ramirez was dismissed from the band. Ramirez had been accused of rape by his former girlfriend, Jack Off Jill singer Jessicka Addams. The allegations surprised Manson, who was "saddened" by her "obvious distress" after she released a detailed statement chronicling her abusive relationship with Ramirez. After the allegations were made public, the musician exited the group.
Alderete got his start with shred metal outfit Racer X in the mid-'90s and has performed on five of the band's studio albums before moving forward with The Mars Volta. He joined the alt-prog group in 2003 after the recording of their iconic debut album, De-Loused in the Comatorium and was featured on everything through the band's 2012 dissolution. He's also confirmed the news of his new role with Manson on his Twitter page.
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