Marilyn Manson: Guns, God and Government - Live in L.A. [Blu-ray]

First of all, I should say that I'm extremely happy to have this concert documented in full, unlike the DVD version which is cobbled together from various concerts. This was a fantastic concert - I know because I was there. It took place at the Grand Olympic Auditorium, and it wasn't really advertised as part of the tour. In fact, I remember finding out about it in some offhand manner, and it felt sort of a like a secret show just for fans. As you can see from the video, the place wasn't packed to the rafters, but it was definitely full. And the crowd was very enthusiastic. One of the other reviewers felt that the noise of the crowd had been dubbed in, and although I can't prove him wrong, I can definitely say that there was a roar. With properly placed microphones, I'm sure they could have recorded it, maybe pumped it up a bit. As to his comments on the lack of women in the audience in spite of their presence on the soundtrack, I can say that there were lots of them at the show, less so on the floor so maybe the microphones were placed in the balconies. I did find a bootleg audio recording of the show, and the women could definitely be heard.Now, here's the bad news: the crowd may or may not have been dubbed, but Manson's vocals definitely were. And poorly. Not in the sense that he didn't sound good, but that the syncing was off. At times, a note would extend after he put the microphone down, and at other times, full lines were sung with the microphone at his side or held out to the audience. I found it somewhat distracting, but maybe others wouldn't even notice. I don't remember him sounding bad at the concert, and the bootleg bears this out. I can only guess that there was a problem with the audio, and perhaps this is why the original DVD was cut together from several concerts.The good news is that if you can get past the dubbing, it is a great representation of a Manson concert when he was still in his prime. It looks fantastic on a 52" HDTV and, dubbing aside, sounds great (through headphones, that is - I don't think the neighbors would appreciate it at the volume I'm accustomed to). It's a must for fans and also for anyone wondering what all the fuss was about. He might not be your cup of tea, but he is a great performer with songs that actually mean something (this album/tour came out right after he was blamed for the Columbine massacre, and he deftly places the blame where it truly belongs - on gun-obsessed Christian society). I would have given it five stars if not for the dubbing issue.

I give it five stars because Amazon is the only platform that is willing to sell digital MM videos, but the audio is bad. The bass is so low that my receiver doesn't even recognize that music is playing. This video is a double-edged sword. I'm so happy Amazon has provided this, but they didn't put any effort into audio quality. The audio quality on Youtube is Amazing, but only a few songs from this concert are available. Overall, I'm happy that I purchased this video from Amazon. I just wish they had put some effort into the audio quality.

I bought this when it first came out while I was in high school. I was so upset it was stolen from me, because this DVD is phenomenal! Years and years later, I revisited my Manson obsession and re-bought this.Wow. It is just as great now as it was then! The DVD is beautifully put together from the title menu until the end. It follows Manson's tour around the world, during the Holy Wood period. Since this DVD is Manson approved and not a concert footage DVD by someone outside of Manson's camp, the shots during the concert are close-up and clear. The audio is perfect. Manson covers songs such as: The Love Song, The Death Song, Antichrist Superstar, Cruci-Fiction in Space, The Reflecting God and more.There is also a 30 minute short film called the Death Parade which documents Manson's backstage antics as well as scenes of his travels around the world at this time.The menu for the DVD is great because it lets you choose by song if you do not wish to watch the entire concert, and so you don'r have to keep scrolling through the DVD to find the one song song you'd like to hear.This DVD is a must for all Manson fans! Since it is approved by Manson, it is done very well, unlike all the crappy DVD put out by others to make a quick buck containing awful quality footage.

As it was mentioned before, Manson's can clearly be head singing while the microphone was down or his mouth was closed. I don't know if he lip-synched that particular show because of vocal problems (it was one of the last shows on the tour after all) and he half-assed his performance, or it was dubbed in during the editing of the BluRay to fix any mistakes he may have made. The band seems to be playing live so I can't imagine the audio being from a different show(s) (unless the band plays the exact same thing in the exact same way in every show which is highly unlikely). Besides the editing flubs, the concert must've been killer to witness live. I'm sad to say that I was never able to experience Manson in his good years (pre-2007). His latest performances have been terrible and his band is no longer solid. Either drugs have caught up to him or age, but given the fact that his former master, Trent Reznor, is older than he is (albeit slightly) but far surpasses him in music, image and performance, I would say that the drugs have finally caught up and whatever emotional problems Manson has been harboring has finally taken its toll. I hope he gets his act together, move Twiggy back on bass, and start writing some albums with effort. Until then, I'm happy to be able to listen to his good albums and watch old videos of his performances on the internet.I'm also hoping for an official blu-ray release of a show of his other tours (most notably the Grotesque tour and Against All Gods tour).

It's the original version and just like when I bought it years ago

I thought the concert was brilliant and the picture is something else its so clear. The sound is also amazing.I'm afraid the dubbing really got on my nerves and I don't think ill watch it again. Some people don't mind this but it really put me off and I couldn't really enjoy it as much as I could have. Maybe i shouldn't have watched slipknot beforehand. There is also a huge dip in crowd interaction I thought, it seemed like song after song and that was it.This is a great show for fans, there is no crossing over from one gig to the next its one gig on one location, almost perfect. I felt a bit deflated when I saw it was very obvious he was lip singing thought some of it. If you don't mind this then its the most amazing gig, he is some character. ill give ti 4 stars for it being so brilliant, less the stupid dubbing going on.I have always been a MM fan and always will be...the dubbing was a bit of a cop out for me.

A great concert and really does look amazing on blue ray, the inclusion of the death parade was most welcomed however .. And forgive me if in wrong but I remember there been more to the concert on the first VHS, did they cut some out for the blue ray release ?

You either like Marilyn Mansion or you don't but if you do then this is a great concert and you shouldn't miss it.

Astounding! Marilyn Manson is truly one of the greatest musical performers of our times. I think it's the fact he actually believes what he's singing about that makes him so compelling to watch. To stand up to Christianty in America is a very brave thing to do and his army of adoring fans prove it's a worthy cause. All goths should own this!

Probably their best tour thoroughly enjoyable despite the camera footage being a little poor in places