[Mister Z]

I used to work at a tennis shop (around 1996 or so) and would basically sit and listen to the radio all day. They had a contest where the 5th caller wins tickets to a concert. So I call and low and behold I'm caller number 5 and I've won tickets to see Marily Manson in Jacksonville, FL. So a friend and I drive up from Gainesville on a Friday night and get incredibly stoned on the way. The whole parking lot scene was practically a riot as the entire christian coalition had showed up to protest and to convert the sinners. Kids were handing out pamphlets that said "body piercing" on the outside and would have Jesus loves you and you're going to hell type messages on the inside.

We get into the show and it turns out HELMET is opening up and they were absolutely incrdible. Fricking Helmet. Then a group made up of 3 chick cello players and a drummer come out dressed in strange Victorian-style dresses. They have all kinds of effects on the cellos and it was flat out amazing and completely rocked. They were all obviously very talented and I wish I could remember the name of the group. I'm sure someone on here will recognize them.

Finally Marily Manson comes out and scares the living [censored] out me. He cut himself across the chest with a broken bottle, was spitting on everyone in the front row, had the first few rows of people spitting on him (like it was freaking raining on him), ripped pages out of a bible while singing from a pulpit in a nazi-ish uniform, and then came out in these gigantic stilts that made him look 20 feet tall. It was like nothing I'd ever seen. He had more stage presence than anybody I've seen, even without cutting himself or doing anything off the wall. The mosh pit was like a [censored] feeding frenzy.

The scene on the way out was a near riot. The christian-crusaders had lined up 20 feet from the entrance and were pissing mad. Just flat out cursing at everybody and holding up Jesus signs and just off their rockers. Of course everybody stopped and were yelling back and it was just a bizarre hysterical near-riot scene. During all this mayhem some car full of rednecks pulls up near the scene and starts honking. Everyone looks over and these dudes get out of the car and pull out a sign that says in huge letters, "YA'LL R SOME PUSSY ASS BITCHES" The whole crowd goes nuts cheering and laughing and the christian douchballs look like they're going to explode. We haul ass to our car and get the hell out of there while things are still somewhat under control.