Where Are They Now? - The Headliners Of Download 2003
6. Saturday Main Stage Sub-Headliner: Marilyn Manson
It was only a matter of time before we ran into an artist that had not aged well in 2021.
The perennial symbol of counter-culture for many a person, Manson was at his peak as the icon of the alternative by the time of Download 2003, coming three weeks after the release of his fifth studio album 'The Golden Age of Grotesque'.
Following 'The Golden Age...', Manson's (musical) career would lose some of the spark of its previous years, with follow-up album 'Eat Me, Drink Me' starting a dip in form that Manson wouldn't recover from until 2017's 'Heaven Upside Down'. 2020 saw the release of his eleventh studio album 'WE ARE CHAOS', but less than a year later, Manson came under intense public scrutiny following several allegations of abuse levied against him by multiple women.
Manson would return to Donny Park multiple times over the years, sub-headlining to Linkin Park in 2007, Slipknot's iconic set in 2009, Ozzy Osbourne in 2018, and headlining the Zippo Stage in 2015 ahead of Black Veil Brides who sort of look like Marilyn Manson if you tried to describe his aesthetic down the phone. Squint and put in some ear plugs and I'm sure you wouldn't be able to tell a difference.