KEY POINTS:
When Marilyn Manson played the 1999 Big Day Out, some spoil sports wanted him banned from performing.
That was back when his anti-social behaviour, obscene lyrics and macabre music raised the hackles of mums and dads, conservatives and Christian groups around the world.
But he came, and in his see-through tights that left nothing to the imagination, he conquered.
Even though he still sings songs called If I Was Your Vampire - the high-pitched creepy thud of which opened last night's show - from his latest album, Eat Me Drink Me, Manson's potency has worn off in recent years.
That album doesn't have the same nasty bite as 1996's Antichrist Superstar or 2000's excellent Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death).
You would hardly have known he had lurched into town this week.
But the sold out crowd of 2400 at the Town Hall - what better place to see one of the most depraved music stars of recent years - sure knows he's here and the self-proclaimed Antichrist Superstar delivers.
A fire alarm causes a mid-set interlude, but some of us aren't out of the building before we're being ushered back in and Marilyn is already back shrieking his way through his cabaret of horror.
And while there are some dull moments (even a great song like Dope Show plods rather than punches and sticking your hands down your pants a couple of times doesn't count as shock rock, sorry Marilyn), the masses are baying for ... well, blood.
Manson has always relied on freakish theatrics to match his music, and by putting his microphone down his bum crack many times he proved he's more entertainer than musician.
The set is a mix of new songs, including Heart Shaped Glasses - Manson doing his best Duran Duran impression - bland offerings like his Eurythmics cover of Sweet Dreams and best of all, classics like Disposable Teens and the frenzied finale of The Beautiful People.
That song, easily his best, is still an anthem after nearly 10 years. The music may not have always been a hit, but he put on a dope show.
