Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, And Primus Sessanta Tour Stops In Raleigh

BY JERRY FRIEND

This trio of heavy metal bands formed the Sessanta tour to celebrate Maynard Keenan on the 60th year of his life. Sessanta, which means 60 in Italian, is a resurrection of sorts of Cinquanta, a legendary single-night event held in Los Angeles ten years ago where a similar trio of bands put on a legendary show for Keenan's 50th birthday.

This year's event was an expansion of that idea. Instead of a one-time event, organizers for this tour had a vision with a few dates in select cities, which fortunatley for fans, added more dates to take the show further across the country. The concept, like an incantation, magically breathed life into the words "Come together right now over me" from one of the heaviest of all the Beatles songs.

The unique format of these shows, much like that night ten years ago, called for musicians from each of the trio of bands to join each other throughout the night while each band would also have their own distinctive sets. There were three acts, and within each, one band would play one to four songs with musicians from the other bands joining them at times, so the players on stage continually changed as the night went on. The stage allowed for all of the bands equipment to be setup for the whole show making the band changes seemless through the rotations.

The trio of bands on this tour are considered by some to be a once-in-a-lifetime lineup. Puscifer, a creative project by Keenan from the band Tool, has been described by Maynard as a playground for his creative subconcious. A Perfect Circle another Keenan project that was originally concieved by Billy Howerdel, a former guitar tech for Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Fishbone, and Tool. Howerdel has described A Perfect Circle as a more emotional, vulnerable, and feminine approach to music than Tool. Primus, possibly the strangest top-ten band, has been decribed by critics as funk metal--a label the band has rejected, is a band that defies categorization. It would be hard for me to imagine a better fitting lineup than Keenan put together for this tour.

“What a glorious notion of combining three bands that all start with the letter ‘P’ for a tribute to Maynard Keenan's 60th trip around the sun,” shared Primus’ Les Claypool. “I’ve known Maynard for more than three decades and I have to say, I’ve yet to meet a more creative, ambitious and industrious human being; that is assuming he is actually human. Often his perspective and output are more ‘extraterrestrial’ than that of this planet, so it wouldn't surprise me if he has some sort Prometheus-type DNA deep in his marrow.”

It was a beautiful night of music at the Coastal Credit Union Pavillon in Raleigh. Before the show even started, everyone was asked to not use their mobile phones for any photos or videos to allow the audience to enjoy being fully present in the evening without the distraction of your neighbors' phone screens. There were cleverly humorous videos that delivered this message which was also announced a few times prior to the start of the show. There were also vidoes with Keenan that were playing on his age that from time to time and during the intermission. There was also bidthday-related music playing over the house PA prior to the show starting. I started my evening out on the lawn, but also had a ticket in a sweet spot in the center of the pavillion to walk up to get a closer look. I have to declare that I really enjoyed the no phones rule as I surveyed the sea of people both in the pavillon seats and out on the lawn. It was the first time in maybe a decade that I didn't see the glow of peoples phone screens and the crowds seemed to be paying more attention to the artists than I recall from any other performance I have attended in recent memory.

Here's the setlist from the night:

ACT I

A Perfect Circle
"The Package"
"Disillusioned"
"The Contraian"

Primus
"Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers"
"Two Many Puppies"
"Sgt. Baker"
"Here Come the Bastards"

Puscifer
"Galileo"
"Horizons"
"Indigo Children"

ACT II

Primus
"Jerry Was a Race Car Driver"
"My Name is Mudd"
"Over the Electric Grapevine"

Puscifer
"Flippiant"
"Momma Sed"
"Bullet Train to Iowa"
"The Underwhelming"

A Pefect Circle
"The Hollow"
"So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"
"Weak and Powerless"
"The Outsider"

ACT III

Puscifer
"The Humbling River"
"The Remedy"

A Perfect Circle
"Counting Bodies Like Sheep"
"Judith"

Primus
"Southbound Pachyderm"

Sessanta E.P.P.P.
"Kindred," A Perfect Circle
"No Angel," Puscifer
"Pablo's Hippos," Primus

Encore
"Grand Canyon" - All three bands on stage

The rest of the tour will have the trio of bands hitting major markets such as Chicago, New York City, and multiple stops in Texas. The tour will have them on the road for most of the Spring with the trek wrapping up in New York on May 4. You can check out the full list of dates below:

April 10 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheatre
April 12 – Irving, TX – Toyota Music Factory
April 13 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
April 16 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
April 17 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
April 18 – San Diego, CA – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
April 20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Hollywood Bowl
April 21 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre
April 23 – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center
April 25 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
April 26 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
April 30 – Bonner Springs, KS – Azura Amphitheater
May 1 – Chicago, IL – Wintrust Arena
May 2 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
May 4 – Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium

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JERRY FRIEND

Jerry Friend has spent most of his life chasing the joy that live music brings. Originally from Florida, he’s been in North Carolina the last 23 years after he settled in Burlington, NC. A systems administrator by day. In his free time, he enjoys photographing live performances by artists at clubs, concerts and festivals. His goal is to try to capture those experiences through his lens and be able to share these images with others. As a fan of artists that span diverse music genres, you might find him at shows that include Bluegrass to Jazz, Jam bands, Alternative Country to Electronic Dance Music, Rock and even Pop music. He loves to travel to festivals, in the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic. He also enjoys collecting show posters and vinyl records.

Read Jerry's posts here.