He remains a demigod of rock music and performance art and I relish in his genius. For years I have idolized a man known for his bold statements, philosophical ideas, and his bands intense, evocative music.

On Feb. 7, Marilyn Manson returned to Milwaukee to perform a sold out show at The Rave’s Eagle’s Ballroom. I’ve been waiting to see a Manson performance live since the dawn of my adolescence, which would be fueled in part by his angst-y anathematic discography and development as an artist over two decades. I remain mob-scenely obsessed to this day (it’s a pun, see mOBSCENE).

Manson crooned, groaned and screamed into his mic that was either attached to or in the same hand as a giant steel butcher’s knife. Wielding it, he and the band rocked and stalked the stage with faces painted – Manson’s black and white, and Twiggy wearing football gear made of jagged metal as they performed songs from “The Pale Emperor,” realized just weeks prior to the show. Opening with “Deep Six” and “Killing Strangers,” the stage was bathed in white smoked and red light. I never expected to see confetti at a Marilyn Manson concert, but as “Third Day of a Seven Day Binge” was performed, silver squares and smoke erupted into the air as the ethereally climactic guitar solo wailed. Silver rained down on us like heaven had torn.

Timeless classics such as “Beautiful People,” “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” and “This is the New Sh-t” were performed much to the explosive delight of the audience, and they sounded every bit as awesome, if not better after all these years of listening. After two decades of creating and performing, Marilyn Manson still has a voice, sex, and a powerful stage presence that remains awesome.