Smells Like Children Tour


The Smells Like Children Tour was the fourth tour Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson] embarked on, under the management of major record label Interscope Records. The tour was, however, the band's second headlining tour, following the Portrait of an American Family Tour the previous year. The band was on tour from June 1, 1995, until February 4, 1996.

Stage antics

The background for the shows during the Smells Like Children tour was a ouija board which read "Marilyn Manson" on the center. Another feature to the stage was the addition of a giant tree from which hung ventriloquist dummies from the branches. The stage was usually set up to accommodate small audiences, as most of the shows took place in clubs, rather than arenas.
This was the first Tour in which Manson began using stilts. The band also began their signature bizarre looks during this tour as well, by donning makeup and sexually suggestive clothes.
As in previous tours, Manson was regularly seen cutting himself on stage during this tour. He got his main chest scarring from this tour as he got into a heated argument with a crowd member and he broke a bottle and ran it across his chest.

The Jon Stewart Show appearance

The band appeared on the June 22, 1995 episode of MTV's late-night talk show The [Jon Stewart Show] with host Jon Stewart. The episode featured a live performance of the songs "Lunchbox" and "Dope Hat" by the band off of their debut album 1994's Portrait of an American Family. The episode sparked nationwide controversy after frontman Marilyn Manson set a Bible ablaze onstage, which elicited public outcry of blasphemy. The band finished their set by throwing instruments around the stage, and ended with a piggyback ride offstage on Jon Stewart. Stewart later recalled the episode in his memoir Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart, "The next night, Marilyn Manson was on, and they ended up lighting the stage on fire. I really thought somebody was going to be killed that week."

Lineup

Setlist

The following list contains the most commonly played songs in the order they were most generally performed:
  1. "Wrapped in Plastic"
  2. "Snake Eyes and Sissies"
  3. "Get Your Gunn"
  4. "Dogma"
  5. "Cyclops"
  6. "Cake and Sodomy"
  7. "Minute of Decay"
  8. "Down in the Park"
  9. "Dope Hat"
  10. "My Monkey"
  11. "Smells Like Children"
  12. "Irresponsible Hate Anthem"
  13. "Tourniquet"
  14. "Organ Grinder"
  15. "Lunchbox"
  16. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
  17. "Rock N Roll Nigger"
  18. "Misery Machine"

Tour overview