See Protesters and Fans Clash Over Marilyn Manson's 2001 Ozzfest Show in Denver | Revolver

See Protesters and Fans Clash Over Marilyn Manson's 2001 Ozzfest Show in Denver

Agents of moral panic took to the streets. Kids in black lipstick and clown masks stood by their Antichrist.

Seventeen years ago Marilyn Manson took his circus freaks, septic pale-blue contacts and casual cross-dressed satanism to Ozzfest. America was a country only a year into the cultural about-face of the Bush administration, and protests were rampant.

This is the subject of a cool archival video recently uploaded to the Ozzfest YouTube channel. Manson was at the height of his powers during the tour's 2001 stop in Denver — a state that was then reeling in the wake of the Columbine massacre — so naturally agents of moral panic took to the streets and screamed false equivalencies as loudly as they possibly could.

A few highlights: 

*One protestor saying: "Do we believe that all who hear Manson tomorrow night will commit violent acts? No. But does everyone who sees a Lexus ad buy a Lexus? No, but a few do!"
*A really prescient Michael Moore cameo
*A man in a clown mask making his extremely reasonable case that Columbine ought to be blamed on bullying and intolerance, rather than heavy metal

All in all, it's a fascinating watch that will teleport you back to a time when Marilyn Manson was a cultural lighting rod and a truly controversial figure. Watch above.