Marilyn Manson Plays in a Wheelchair, Points Rifle at Crowd and Debuts New Bassist All at One Show!

Marilyn Manson took the stage at this past weekend’s Ozzfest Meets Knotfest for the first time since breaking his leg when a stage prop fell on top of him a few weeks back in NYC. It was also the first time he’s performed since bassist Jeordie White, aka Twiggy Ramirez, was dismissed from the band last month following allegations of rape.

And his return was certainly not without incident! First thing’s first: Manson’s new bassist is Juan Alderete, formerly of The Mars Volta (also of Racer X), who it seems handled low-end duties without incident. Manson’s leg is still on the mend, so he performed the show from a wheelchair. And as if all that wasn’t enough for the senses, he pointed a fake rifle at the crowd just hours after a gunman killed 27 people at a church in Sutherland Springs, TX.

What to make of the rifle incident? If there’s anyone who has a license to pull a stunt like that, it’s Manson, who was infamously blamed for the Columbine massacre in 1999 — think of it as Manson taking back that symbol and owning it. At the same time, I wonder whether Manson had gotten news of the shooting in Texas yet, or whether the stage prop was previously planned as a commentary on ALL the recent mass shooting of late. Either way, it’s at best scary and at worst insensitive, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Watch some fan-filmed footage of the band performing “The Beautiful People” at the show below.

The previously canceled Manson shows have been rescheduled to 2018; get the new show dates here.

[via Blabbermouth and Loudwire]