We caught the Twins of Evil: Hell Never Dies tour stop at the Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Wayne, Indy on August 11, 2019. And, odd as it may sound – a double dose of evil has never been so much fun!
The Twins of Evil: Hell Never Dies was the third double-bill concert tour co-headlined by Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. Payale Royale opened the show on this tour. The Hell tour was succeeded by the Twins of Evil: The Second Coming in 2018 and was a sequel to the 2012 Twins of Evil Tour. A North American tour, Hell Never Dies ran for six weeks. The tour opened on July 9 and while Hell didn’t die exactly, it did close up shop on August 18, 2019.
The tour was vintage Zombie and Manson. And, by vintage, we mean the music and the kitchy cool production that fans have come to anticipate and love. Both vocalists and their incredible bands rocked hit after hit from their extensive, nearly thirty-year careers. Manson thrilled fans with hits such as “The Dope Show,” “The Nobodies,” “This is the New Shit,” and “If I Was Your Vampire/Say10,” along with his classic covers, “The Beautiful People,” and “Sweet Dreams.” We were hoping for “Cry Little Sister” too because nobody does covers like Manson, and The Lost Boys theme song is horror history, but we were certainly satiated with Manson’s wide-ranging set. As for Zombie, the iconic hellbilly’s set included classics, “Living Dead Girl,” “Superbeast,” “More Human Than Human,” and “Dragula.” Zombie’s set also included a Ramones cover, “Blitzkrieg Blop” and finally, a duet cover with Manson of the Beatle’s, “Helter Skelter.”
Which leads us to the, somewhat, “new” part of the equation. Fun. More than a night of badass music, it felt fun. Both Zombie and Manson have always given fans mad love. But, it felt like more. And, it felt like Manson, in particular, was having a bit of fun. It was apparent during the “Helter Skelter” duet and, really, throughout Manson’s own set, that he was more in the happy pocket than he has been in the past. Maybe it can be attributed, in part, to the family atmosphere in Zombie’s band. Only Manson knows but his positive energy seems to be a trend lately. Other reviewers of the tour have noticed it, and we noticed it in Ft. Wayne and at THE BEST Manson headliner set we’ve ever seen in Columbus, Ohio last year at the Blitz Great Summer Smoke Out.
Another bonus this tour was that both Zombie and Manson were super connected physically to the crowd. Literally. Both jumped down to the pit and reached out to fans a number of times. Manson’s exchange with a little kiddo who didn’t appear to want to cooperate was adorable. And, Zombie actually walked around the ENTIRE crowd/coliseum while John 5 kicked ass, as per usual, rocking a solo. (BTW, John 5’s got a new album, Invasion out and a solo tour starting in October.) Hopefully, this type of fan connection continues and hasn’t been adversely affected by an overzealous Canadian fan. (Keep your hands to yourself people!)
We’ve seen both bands more times than we can count through the years – at festivals, headlining arenas, clubs, you name it, we’ve been there cheering til we’ve lost our voices. And, instead of slowing down over those years, both bands have amped up the great time!
The tour generates anticipation for the followup LPs to Manson’s tenth studio album Heaven Upside Down (2017) and Zombie’s sixth solo album The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser (2016). Both bands are in varying stages of writing and recording their respective follow-up LPs. Zombie’s 2019 film 3 from Hell is set to release in September.
