Mexican governor Ricardo Gallardo Cardona has addressed backlash over Marilyn Manson’s Aug. 10 performance at the San Luis Potosí State Fair. According to Billboard, about 205,000 people attended the event, where Manson performed a 14-song set. Religious and conservative groups protested the booking, calling it “inappropriate.” In response, Gallardo Cardona defended the decision as an act in “defense of freedom of expression” and a way to address the state’s “cultural lag,” adding, “If he’s already performed in Rome, the cradle of Catholicism, why couldn’t he perform in San Luis Potosí?”
The Governor described the concert as “cultural justice,” aimed at creating unity through music. Tensions escalated when a cow’s head was reportedly placed outside the Metropolitan Cathedral on the day of the show. Manson remains a polarizing figure following multiple sexual assault and misconduct allegations made during the pandemic. While roughly a dozen women came forward with claims, authorities declined to pursue criminal charges earlier this year.
