When Summer tours started getting announced earlier this year, one of the destination shows for a lot of people, and one that intrigued even more- was Five Finger Death Punch, Marilyn Manson and Slaughter to Prevail; three of the most polarizing and controversial frontmen in all of music teaming up for a massive summer trek had a lot of people talking. Then, The Funeral Portrait got added and things heated up even more.
The Funeral Portrait was a late add and have been one of the hottest new bands being spun on XM Radio’s Octane channel and, when the tour stopped at Noblesville’s Ruoff Music Center, they started the show off to a surprisingly large crowd.
They only had about 20 minutes and didn’t waste any time, blasting through a set that was loaded with singles from their upcoming Greetings From Suffocate City record and which had all been gaining serious traction on rock radio.
The band was firing on all cylinders and the crowd was eating it up like crazy, singing along to every song they knew and giving the energy back to the band with all they had.
Slaughter To Prevail took the stage next, each member dawning a horror-themed mask and singer Alex Terrible lurking around the stage with a mask that had a moving mouth, adding to the theatrics tenfold.
After the mainstream gothic-style rock of The Funeral Portrait, Slaughter To Prevail was a massive left turn in direction with the crowd circle pitting in the lawn and the death metal screams of the band echoing through the pavilion and into the surrounding neighborhoods. It was truly glorious.
Marilyn Manson’s set was one which fans were eager to see. When he was announced for the tour, a lot of people were surprised, given the personal turmoil he’s been going through the last few years and the years prior to that were hit and miss and generated criticism on a regular basis.
However, enter 2024 and Manson is back with a new band and has gotten himself into amazing shape. He’s lost a ton of weight, looks like he did in the 90’s and early 2000’s and sounds incredible, hitting almost every word and note of each song.
His new band features Matthew Montgomery on bass (Piggy D, previously from Rob Zombie) and Reba Meyers of Code Orange on guitar, both of which appeared to be excited and happy to be there and Manson spent the show dancing around the stage and having fun with his band members.
Manson’s set was a pleasant surprise, and he even talked to the crowd a decent amount in between songs. It was like going back 20+ years and was a set that any longtime Manson fan would dream but the rejuvenated Manson also rekindled many fans’ love of his music.
Five Finger Death Punch closed the night with a set that was loaded with production. The lights, lasers and confetti were plenty and the set was a visual onslaught and just beautiful.
For years, the band caught criticism for playing the exact same set and songs every show of every tour- even if they had new music out, burning out a lot of fans. However, this time around the band threw in tracks from their first few records like “No One Gets Left Behind” and “Salvation,” as well a few newer tracks- “IOU,” “Sham Pain,” “House of the Rising Sun” and “Welcome to the Circus,” much to fans’ pleasant surprise.
Singer Ivan Moody was in an amazing mood and complimented every band on the bill, also mentioning that he’s glad he lives in a country where you’re innocent until proven guilty, going on to explain his love and admiration for Manson and his music.
Ending the night with longtime closing staple “The Bleeding,” the show was perfect in almost every way and was so well-balanced between all four bands’ styles that the night had something for every type of metalhead.
-Reggie Edwards