Marilyn Manson announced a new tour with Five Finger Death Punch in early March. The news received criticism from some fans because of recent allegations of abuse and harassment directed at Manson.
Zoltan Bathory addressed the upcoming tour in a chat with The Jesea Lee Show:
“Manson hasn’t been out on the road for a while, so a lot of people wanna see him. At one point, he was one of the most iconic artists on planet Earth. So, he’s back on stage, back in the saddle. That’s gonna be amazing. He’s also sober and clean, so we always support that, obviously.”
He assured fans that Manson is a different man now and explained:
“Ivan [Moody] had a dark period, and he was gone, man. My little brother was on the brink of dying, man, and he came back from that. And he’s clean and sober for six years. If he can do it, somebody who was that gone can do it, and he’s now a different man, then it’s a good example for anyone else. If you’re struggling, man, don’t give up. You can come back from that. And Manson is sober and he’s staying clean and doing the work, so also, we’re supporting that. So, it’s gonna be an amazing tour.”
The Root Of Criticism
The 30-date arena tour with 5FDP and Slaughter To Prevail will begin on August 2 at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This will be Marilyn Manson’s first live appearance since 2019.
The singer lost many business deals and connections in the last three years due to sexual abuse accusations from his ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood. His manager, record label, and booking agency quickly cut ties with him.
Allegations from a dozen more women followed Wood’s claims in recent years. So, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department started a criminal investigation. The results were sent to the district attorney, but decisions on charges were not made public.
Manson denied all claims of sexual, emotional, and physical assault and took legal action against some of his accusers.