On August 10, Marilyn Manson performed at the Teatro del Pueblo in San Luis Potosí, Mexico as part of the city’s state fair. The show faced protest from religious and conservative groups who viewed the singer as blasphemous. He also faced backlash related to the numerous sexual assault allegations against him. One conservative group even got 6,000 signatures on a petition calling for the cancellation of the set. Further controversy also ensued after Manson’s fans left a severed cow’s head in front of a cathedral. Despite this, Governor Ricardo Gallardo Cardona allowed the concert to continue, calling it a “defense of freedom of expression.” The show also proved to be successful with 205,000 attendees. Cardona told Billboard the following:
“There will always be opposing voices, and Marilyn Manson has faced them not just in Mexico but in other parts of the world too. But if he’s already performed in Rome, the cradle of Catholicism, why couldn’t he perform in San Luis Potosi? This isn’t about religion; it’s about cultural justice, about creating unity, and we must do it through music.”
Metal Anarchy 