Sessanta 2.0: A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, and Primus Team Up To Deliver a Night Of Maximum Entertainment
“Tune in. Pay attention and have an in-body experience. Keep your phones in your pockets, and be present. Unplug and plug into each other,” declared and cautioned modern Renaissance man–vintner (Cadeceus Wineries), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, and singer and frontman for three different musical collectives–Pusicifer, A Perfect Circle, and Tool, Maynard James Keenan, Sessanta 2.0’s shaman, visionary, emcee, and mad conductor.
Cell phones are verboten at all Keenan-led or involved shows. He’s not a fan of the annoying modern distractions, and he requires 100% of the fan’s attention. The signage, pre-show announcements, and his admonishments made this abundantly and crystal clear. He’s not kidding.
A rain-soaked, yet undaunted crowd, including some dressed in inventive, homemade costumes, braved the rain, mud, and traffic to witness a truly unique sonic, visual, and comedic spectacular at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater last night. They were rewarded with two hours and precisely fifty-six minutes of singular music, visuals and “performance” art from San Francisco’s quirky trio of mad scientists, Primus, and Keenan’s two other “side” projects–The acclaimed alternative, platinum-selling quintet of A Perfect Circle and his more avant garde project, the indescribable group, Pusicifer. Keenan was the visionary who brought this triple bill, impressive staging (three complete drum sets, stairs, a stairmaster, staircases, light boxes, and even a ping-pong table), videos, and concept–Sessanta 2.0 (a continuation of Keenan’s 60th birthday concert celebration) to the Show Me State.
The Sessanta 2.0 extravaganza began with A Perfect Circle taking the stage and Maynard handing out a birthday cupcake to a lucky fan in the front row. A Perfect Circle launched into the opening number of their first set, “Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm of War Drums,” a track from their third studio album, Emotive, released in 2004. Maynard then teased the audience and asked, “Is this Kansas, or is it Missouri?” The audience roared back that Maynard was absolutely and emphatically in Missouri. They played two more numbers: “Disillusioned” and “Blue” before making way for the singular, sardonic, indefinable trio, Primus, led by genius Les Claypool.
Primus hasn’t changed its formula since its inception in 1984. The Bay Area trio plays a slappy, proggy, bass-heavy, and bizarre blend of metal, funk, and improvisational music that is instantly recognizable. They are known for their mind-blowing, hilarious, and weird videos, Les Claypool’s virtuosic bass playing, and their quirky tunes like “My Name Is Mud” and “Jerry Was A Racecar Driver.” They haven’t changed their sound, formula, or approach. They are the perfect tour partner for an artist like Keenan, who embraces the absurd, the underground,
Primus began their set with their number “Here Comes The Bastards” from their groundbreaking 1991 release “Sailing the Seas of Cheese.” Claypool’s bass playing takes up a lot of the space, and his nasally, reedy vocal twang is a signature part of the sound. Claypool was joined by new drummer John “Hoffer” Hoffman and fret master, Larry “Ler” LaLonde, one of rock’s most unusual guitarists. As with previous trios like Rush or Cream, Primus manages to produce a full-bodied sound and a rounded sound with no gaps.
Next, the band started to play “Groundhog Day.” Still, Claypool’s attention was caught by the sign language interpreter who was providing an excellent interpretation of their lyrics, and he stopped the song to engage in some fantastic banter. Claypool asked the ASL Interpreter: “Are you signing everything?” She answered in the affirmative. He then added, “Can you sign supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?” This is one of those spontaneous moments that can only happen at a live show. The band began and finished the tune, bathed in a mix of purple, blue, and red lights, and the bass rumble shook the fillings of thousands of adoring fans.
Primus finished their first set with a reggae-shuffle Zappaesque number, “Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread,” from the Brown Album (1997). They went off in an improvisational shuffle, marked by great drum fills, rumbling bass, and chunky guitar stabs and upstrokes.
And then, it was time for Pusifer, one of Keenan’s three bands. Puscifer (Keenan, Carina Round (vocals and keyboards), guitarist Mat Mitchell, bassist Greg Edwards (Failure), and drummer Gunnar Olsen) were on deck. They began their three-song first set with the moody, driving number, “Man Overboard,” from 2011’s Conditions of My Parole LP. They also played “Horizons” and a powerful, intense version of “Indigo Children.”
There were bad jokes, odd videos, and a senior Maynard in a wheelchair joking, falling asleep mid-sentence, or waking up suddenly, spouting gibberish. One of Keenan’s jokes went like this: “What do you call a bear without ears?” “B.” During another set from Puscifer, they also invited Clownvis on stage during the cut, “Bullet Train To Iowa,” to play ping pong with drummer Josh Freese.
Primus returned to play another set and played probably their two best-known numbers: “My Name Is Mud” and “Jerry Was A Racecar Driver.” Every time Primus plays the latter, you can watch the audience bounce up and down and “dance,” or what passes for dancing. Primus sucks! Indeed.
Towards the end of the night, A Perfect Circle returned to the stage after Puscifer and Primus finished their sets. They played their modern-rock hit single, “Judith.” This song and its accompanying video best represent the APC sound – big guitars, towering vocals, and superb drumming, complemented by Keenan’s heartfelt lyrics and vocals about the death of his late mother. Guitarist Billy Howerdel’s slide guitar lines echoed into the stratosphere.
Another musical and visual highlight of the night’s Sessanta 2.0 celebration was the sight and fury of three drummers–Josh Freese, John Hoffman, and Gunnar Olsen, all behind their massive drum kits, on their thrones, and bashing away to the Primus number “Southbound Pachyderm” from atop the gigantic drum riser. After finishing that song, Keenan finally told the crowd to take out their phones and photograph to their heart’s content. They indulged him.
Finally, it was time for the evening’s ending number, Puscifer’s “Grand Canyon.” Every musician came out to “jam” on it. After they finished, Claypool popped a confetti popper, the band’s guitarists threw souvenir guitar picks to the audience, the band members embraced, took bows, waved to the audience, and exited the stage after a dizzying, jam-packed extravaganza Maynard-style.
There will still be many great shows this summer, but it’s safe to say that Sessanta 2.0 will stand out as one of the most unique, memorable, and singular ones of the year. We counted a total of 31 numbers from each of the evening’s three amazing acts. Fans walked out as the skies opened yet again. They might have been soggy, but they had just witnessed something revelatory, and the rain was forgotten.
