Marilyn Manson’s planned return to Australia after 12 years has prompted public objections while former assistant Ashley Walters’ civil lawsuit remains pending. The musician, who denies her abuse allegations, has announced five February 2027 concerts. Reporting also says immigration officials are examining his visa, but no independently confirmed entry ban or decision affecting the shows has been announced at this stage of the tour.
Marilyn Manson is planning five Australian concerts in February 2027, returning after 12 years away. Announced October 28, the tour has drawn public objections because of allegations against the musician and a continuing civil case in the United States. Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, denies the allegations, which have not been established by a trial verdict. The announcement therefore brings together a concert return and continuing questions about Marilyn Manson’s unresolved legal position.
The announced route begins at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall on February 21, followed by PICA in Melbourne on February 23 and Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre on February 24. Two Enmore Theatre appearances in Sydney, on February 26 and 27, conclude the five-show visit across four cities. None of those dates has been announced as cancelled.
Organisers describe a career-spanning programme drawing on periods including “Antichrist Superstar”, “Mechanical Animals”, “Holy Wood” and the recent “One Assassination Under God”. No official setlist or supporting acts have been confirmed. Presales are scheduled for October 29, with general ticket sales from November 2, providing the commercial timetable alongside the initial concert announcement.
Among the critics is Australian journalist and victim advocate Sherele Moody, who has publicly opposed the tour and criticised participating venues and companies. Other people discussing the dates online have said the allegations changed their willingness to support the performances. Those comments show the views of participants in the discussion, rather than a representative measure of opinion across Australia.
The continuing lawsuit comes from Ashley Walters, Marilyn Manson’s former personal assistant. She alleges sexual assault and episodes of physical and emotional abuse, referring to events she says occurred in 2010 and during their working relationship. He denies wrongdoing. The case remains a civil proceeding, with the allegations and defence positions still awaiting determination.
Filed in 2021, the action has passed through dismissals and revivals connected with timing requirements. In January 2026, a judge reconsidered an earlier dismissal after Walters invoked a new California law permitting certain older civil sexual-assault claims to return. Allowing the case to proceed did not decide whether the underlying allegations were true.
A jury trial was set in August for November 15, 2027, months after the planned Australian visit. The defence has said it intends to seek a ruling before trial. A scheduled trial date establishes the next procedural timetable, rather than responsibility on either side, leaving Walters maintaining her allegations and the musician continuing to dispute them.
Reporting on October 28 also raised the question of Marilyn Manson’s Australian visa. A Home Affairs spokesperson was reported as saying the department was looking into it. No public official document accompanied that account, and no independently confirmed announcement established a special entry-ban process or a decision preventing him from travelling for the dates.
Examining a matter is not the same as refusing or cancelling a visa. The available report does not explain whether officials were doing anything beyond routine processing, nor does it establish a final immigration outcome. For now, the shows remain announced, and the brief account of departmental scrutiny cannot be treated as confirmation that entry has been prohibited.
The broader allegations drew major attention in February 2021, when Evan Rachel Wood publicly named Manson as the person she said had abused her during their relationship. Other women, including actor Esmé Bianco, also made allegations. Marilyn Manson denied the accusations and described his personal relationships as consensual, while the separate legal matters followed different paths.
Bianco’s lawsuit was settled out of court in 2023, without a trial verdict on her allegations. Manson also pursued claims against Wood alleging defamation and damage to his reputation. In November 2024, he abandoned the remaining claims and appeal and agreed to pay her legal costs. That outcome did not itself constitute a judgment proving the original abuse allegations.
Los Angeles prosecutors separately declined criminal charges in January 2025 after a lengthy investigation. They said domestic-violence allegations fell outside the applicable time limit and sexual-assault charges could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. That decision concerned the criminal process and did not resolve Walters’ distinct pending civil lawsuit.
Professionally, Marilyn Manson has resumed concerts in several territories after the allegations affected collaborations and public appearances. Australia follows activity in North America, Europe and South America. The long gap since his last visit would itself attract attention, but the unresolved litigation and public objections have moved part of the discussion beyond the recording catalogue and live production.
For opponents of the tour, hosting the performances raises questions of public responsibility and support for people reporting abuse. At the same time, an account of the dispute needs to keep allegations, proceedings and final decisions distinct. The current position is five advertised concerts, a pending civil case and reported visa scrutiny without a confirmed entry ban or cancellation announcement.
