ave ever seen. The
dedicated crowd, which began lining up outside the venue at 7 AM, created
such a frenzy in the mosh pit, the bodyguards eventually gave up. The flow
of energy was non-stop, and both acts were phenomenal.Marilyn Manson
Support Act : 12 Rounds
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY
-Chris Kelly and Franco Vlasic
I admit, I've been to lots of concerts before, but this one will certainly
stand out in my mind as the best I have ever seen. The
dedicated crowd, which began lining up outside the venue at 7 AM, created
such a frenzy in the mosh pit, the bodyguards eventually gave up. The flow
of energy was non-stop, and both acts were phenomenal.
12 Rounds, an emerging techno band on the verge of something brilliant, did an excellent job at recreating the layered studio sound on their record "My Big Hero" onstage. We had the opportunity to speak with Claudia Sarne, vocalist, about life, recording, and performing:
The US Music Vault: Tell us more about the creation of 12 Rounds.
Claudia Sarne:We came together because I was bored of working alone, as was Atticus. We got the name from a song, and we didn't have a name, so we were just referred to as 12 Rounds, and it stuck.
USMV: Your music, unlike most techno, has actual substance to it. What do you feel your influences have been, since you are creating somewhat of your own genre?
Claudia: I was always into live music and Atticus liked programming, so the point where those meet is where you get more textured, orchestral approach to programming.
USMV: How is it recreating the ultra-layered sound of your music when onstage?
Claudia: Its been a learning process! The drummer is triggering a lot though, we didn't use any tapes. Atticus is also triggering lots of the sounds, and we embellish it with guitars and bass which sounds good.
USMV: How did you meet up with Brian (Marilyn Manson)?
Claudia: They were looking for support groups and we were on our first tour, so a lot of good stuff was being posted to his web site and I imagine being on the same label has helped.
USMV: How is it being on tour with someone with his reputation? Do you feel like you are falling into his image?
Claudia: It's been really good fun, but being on the road with him has shocked me at times...I'm going to become a vegetarian after this tour.
Manson, who was greeted to the stage by the audience's wild cheers, was clad in high heeled boots and a shiny body suit, which emphasized his glamorous new image. While cycling through hits such as "The Dope Show," "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)," and eventually "The Beautiful People," Manson didn't live up to any of the terrible rumors about his live act (which state that he kills animals and has sex with women onstage), but he did have strippers come on stage at one point, and I saw at least 50 sets of bare breasts in the audience, but it was all in good fun.
The set, which included giant "Antichrist Superstar" banners, podiums and television screens enhanced the futuristic qualities of the music, and created a "special effects" aspect to the performance. As I said earlier, this was the most amazing performance I have ever seen, and if your town hasn't banned him, definitely check out this act.