UNDER MANSON’S SPELL, 2017
Inventing his controversial alter ego Marilyn Manson turned out to be one of Ohio-born Brian Warner’s better decisions. It set him off on a journey that helped define modern metal through multiple albums including albums including Heaven Upside Down, his 10th full-length release, which emerged during his tour of 2017 – his first to be supported by Entec.
Comprehensive lighting and sound packages were supplied by Entec for the European leg, culminating in a show on December 9th at Wembley’s SSE Arena. The Heaven Upside Down production was designed by Manson in partnership with production manager Matt Doherty and LD Nico Riot.
Matt entered Manson’s world in April 2016 and later instigated some changes, one of which was to hire from Entec, a company with whom he had developed a relationship while working as Damon Albarn’s PM. He said: “Entec is a great fit for me. If you’re good to your suppliers, they will be good to you, and Entec really have been. I really liked the idea of having lights and sound from a single source, and Entec do that so well.”
Nico Rior’s chosen wares included GLP X4 Bar 20 LED zoom/tilt battens (on the floor to create a moody, creepy vibe), GLP JDC-1 LED strobes requested by Manson for use upstage and downstage, Clay Paky Sharpys, Clay Paky A.leda B-Eye K20s, Martin MAC Aura XBs, Philips Vari*Lite 3000 Spots and Martin Atomic 3000 strobes. “Manson uses light as a prop, moving and weaving in and out of beams to create drama,” commented Nico, who ran the show from a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console.
ON WITH D-SHOW
FOH sound engineer George Chapman embraced the full-size Avid Venue D-Show as his mixing desk of choice as soon as he joined the crew. “The board accommodated the show very well,” he said. “It offered the Eventide plug-ins that we needed for Marilyn’s voice – we also have Avalon processors to help give his vocal some extra presence.”
Monitor engineer Sam Coy also included Eventide in his outboard. “The slightly detuned flavour we get with it has been such a major part of the Manson sound on his recordings,” he explained.
In Manson’s universe, microphones are a means of expression as well as regarded as disposable assets, as Matt Doherty pointed out: “A number of custom mic props have been developed for Manson, from the knife and AK47 versions to others shaped like a video camera or a cross. They all form part of the artist’s iconography.”
For the European tour, the main PA was Entec’s trusty d&b J-Series. The system was ArrayProcessed to help achieve even coverage and, according to system tech Bertie Hunter, make the sound sparkle.
Mindful of Entec’s looming golden anniversary, Matt Doherty, said: “What an achievement for a company that hasn’t sold its soul! That really appeals to me as a client and working with Noreen, Adam and Jonny has been very rewarding. Whenever I have a client that suits the Entec model, I will remain with them.”
