Guns, God and Government was a worldwide arena tour by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was the eighth tour the band embarked upon and the fourth to span over multiple legs. It was launched 17 days ahead in support of their fourth full-length studio album, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death), which was released on November 14, 2000, in the US and Australia.^[1][2] Beginning on October 27, 2000, and lasting until September 2, 2001, the tour included six legs spanning Eurasia, Japan and North America with a total of 107 completed shows out of 109 planned.^[1]

The show began in Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre.^[3] The shows drew numerous protesters and resistance from civic and church leaders as well as other elements of local communities. The contentious Denver show, during the Ozzfest leg of the Guns, God and Government Tour,^[4] was also featured during Marilyn Manson's interview in Michael Moore's 2002 documentary film Bowling for Columbine.^[5]

Typical of the band, the concerts were extremely theatrical.^[2] An average show lasted for 1 hour and 40 minutes and the sets were designed with Cold War, religious and "Celebritarian" imagery in mind.^[6][7]

Manson has several costume changes throughout the sets ranging from a Bishop's dalmatic and mitre (often confused for Papal regalia), a costume made from taxidermied animal anatomies (i.e. an epaulette made from a horse's tail, a shirt made from skinned goat heads and ostrich spines), an elaborate Roman legionary-style Imperial galea, an Allgemeine SS-style peaked police cap, his signature black leather corset, g-string and garter stocking ensemble, a black-and-white fur coat and a giant rising conical skirt that lifts the singer 12 meters (40 feet) into the air.^[2][8][9]

When being introduced, Manson was pulled onstage on a steampunk variation of a Roman chariot by two naked girls, in a bigae formation, wearing stylized Roman horse masks. After dismounting from the chariot wearing a skirted version of his signature black leather bondage ensemble, replete with the Imperial gallic, a burst of heavy fireworks would signal the beginning of the first song.^[9]

During performances of "The Love Song", Manson would wear the Bishop's outfit, which would then be discarded to reveal his signature black leather bondage ensemble. During performances of "Valentine's Day", Manson would perform, wearing the same Bishop's attire, kneeled behind a prayer kneeler that is bookended with two severed heads bearing his own likeness.

During some shows, there would be two dancers onstage. The podium that was used in previous tours during performances of "Antichrist Superstar" also returned, this time sporting a new design of a crucifix made of guns, instead of the lightning bolt symbol previously used. During the February 24, 2001 show in Moscow, Russia, two Russian military guards were asked to stand on each side of the podium as Manson sang "The Love Song", replete with his Allgemeine SS-style peaked police cap.^[10]

In performances of "Cruci-Fiction in Space", Manson would be lifted 12 meters (40 feet) into the air on a platform hidden by the giant conical skirt, much like in the "Disposable Teens" video. Images would often be displayed in the stage backdrop, including a parody of the Hollywood Sign rewritten as "Holy Wood", the cover for the "Disposable Teens" single, and a scorched American flag.^[11]

The inaugural North American leg of the Guns, God and Government Tour suffered two separate cancellations.^[12] On November 25, 2000, during the band's performance at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, Marilyn Manson drummer Ginger Fish suffered a broken collarbone after falling from his drum riser during the band's stage-trashing finale. The drummer was escorted to hospital by the band's manager where he was treated and released. According to an Interscope spokesperson, the band is not expected to miss any dates due to the injury and that Fish will play with his injured arm in a sling.^[13] However, on December 5, 2000, the band cancelled their scheduled performance, at the Toledo Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio, ten minutes before the doors opened due to Fish reaggravating his injured collarbone.^[12]

The band was also forced to cancel their scheduled performance at the Omaha Civic Auditorium on December 12, 2000, after a storm inundated Peoria, Illinois, where the band performed on December 11, 2000, at the Peoria Civic Center, with 9 inches (23 cm) of snow and blizzard-condition winds, preventing the band from being able to travel.^[12]

Though minor changes were made to the setlist throughout the tour, these were the typical setlists for headline shows and festivals (where the band had less time to play) respectively.

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UK magazine Kerrang! praised "[the Guns, God and Government Tour,] honed by the best part of four months playing the enormodromes of America, is the greatest spectacle this side of a New Year's fireworks display [...] this is rock n' roll reinvented as grand theatre."^[8] Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times, however, found himself unimpressed with the "tired sound and cheap theatrics" of this tour, commenting, "Manson can go on teasing his fan base with his Grand Guignol circus show, but it's hard to imagine in the age of Eminem and other hard-core rappers that he is still even in the Top 10 on parents' most-feared list. That makes him seem severely dated—and he doesn't do much to correct the impression. For someone with the ambition and possibly the talent to be the new David Bowie, Manson appears resolved to settling for the new Alice Cooper. Manson is a smart, articulate, likable guy. He's too talented to be wasting his time chasing the ghost of Alice Cooper."^[31][32]

Two concert films depicting the worldwide tour were recorded. The Guns, God and Government DVD was released on October 29, 2002, by Eagle Rock Entertainment and features live concert footage culled from performances in Los Angeles, Europe, Russia and Japan.^[33][34] It also includes a 30-minute behind-the-scenes featurette titled The Death Parade with guest appearances from Ozzy Osbourne and Eminem.^[34] Seven years later it was followed by Guns, God and Government – Live in L.A. Released in Blu-ray format by Eagle Rock Entertainment division Eagle Records on November 17, 2009, it depicts the sixteen song set of the Los Angeles, but does not include 'The Death Song'.^[35][36]