Review of A Perfect Circle at the Festival Pier in Philadelphia 07.16.2011
It has been seven years since A Perfect Circle has taken the stage and news of their reuniting and touring excited fans of the band and Tool.
A Perfect Circle is the brain child of Billy Howerdel (Ashes Divide) and he was able to get James Maynard Keenan (Tool, Puscifer) to provide vocals for the project. The two created two amazing records with the help of Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, The Vandals, so many more) and a rotating effort of top notch musicians. The current lineup sees James Iha (Smashing Pumkins), Matt McJunkins (Ashes Divide) and Jeff Friedl (Ashes Divide, Puscifer).
Another piece of information you need to know, in an interview prior to the A Perfect Circle tour, Maynard said that the band never really supported their peace covers album entitled eMOTIVE. That was what this tour was going to be about. That album sucked, in my opinion. It was cover versions of notable peace/antiwar anthems released around the time of the US Presidential election in 2004.
Now I knew going into this show it was to promote that record, but what I couldn't expect was just HOW many they were going to play and that they were going to remix their own songs.
The band sounded great and shouldn't be classified as a cover band because they have way more talent than that. They played 18 total songs and 10 of them were off eMOTIVE and eight of them were covers. Let's dive deeper.
The band started out with a really slow, lulling cover of Crucifix's Annihilation. They followed up with an etherial version of Imagine before ripping into Weak and Powerless and Rose. The crowd was into and loved it feeling that band was going to continue this excitement and intensity they brought with those two songs. That wasn't to be.
A Perfect Circle bounced back into two covers What's Going On and People Are People. This is about when the crowd started to turn against the band, but then they played a rousing rendition of The Outsider to bring the crowd back around. It was a tremendous show of crowd control. It was like heroin. A Perfect Circle would just give you a small taste and then pull it right back and go into these long drawn out covers that sounded NOTHING like the original. If I didn't know the lyrics to those songs, I would have never known what they were.
Even their own songs they remixed. A few people around me as I was walking out were complaining about the set and said they didn't even play 3 Libras and Judith. A Perfect Circle had played 3 Libras, but it was so remixed it sounded nothing like the original.
Maynard also performed the entire show from the back left of the stage with no lights on him. He never once took center stage and rarely interacted with the crowd. I am fine with reclusively on stage, Chris Cornell kind of did that at Soundgarden letting the band's sound and performance speak for him. But when your band is quickly losing the audience because of a dreadful setlist, you need to perform from the front.
To say this was the worst concert I have ever been to would be underselling Tom Petty and The Allman Brothers concert a few years back. Like A Perfect Circle, Tom rarely played his own music and went for extended jam sessions with various musicians. (another peeve of mine). I should have trusted the other reviews and tried to get rid of the ticket before the show. Then my thoughts on the band wouldn't have been soured.
If I were you holding a ticket to the remaining shows, get someone to buy your ticket who hasn't seen the reviews. You won't like this show and I say this as a big APC fan. In an economy that sucks ass and discretionary income is hard to find, fans don't want to see their favorite band play someone else's work. We paid to see APC play THEIR songs. Toss in a few covers now and then, but don't let it dominate the set.
Set list
Annihilation (cover)
Imagine (cover)
Weak and Powerless
Rose
What's Going On (cover)
People Are People (cover)
The Outsider
What's So Funny 'bout Peace Love and Understanding (cover)
When the Levee Breaks (cover)
The Noose
3 Libras (remixed version from aMotive)
Gravity
Gimme Gimme Gimme (cover)
Magdalena
Passive
Counting Bodies Like Sheep (remix version from eMotive)
Fiddle and the Drum (cover)
By and Down
Who cares what songs they played last night. They sounded amazing. Instead of worrying what song they played you should of enjoyed this very talented band. Maynard always stands in the back. Any real fans of APC should still go you will be disappointed if you don't go. I was blown away by them last night. Don't listen to this clown. Maynard is a god.
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You outed yourself right away as a pole smoker and thus your opinion can't be trusted on this manner.
One thing I have to do is remain objective. And one question I asked myself was "would the common APC fan enjoy this show?" The answer to that is definitely not.
A common APC fan would expect to hear songs from the first two albums with emotive tossed in to round out the set. That isn't what you are getting. So when you rhetorically asked "who cares what songs they played" a lot of fans care.
Secondly, a simple GIS would show you Maynard does not always perform in the back (whether APC or Tool) and that is a "this tour only" phenomenon. But, let's just blindly take Maynard's cock in our mouths and asses while proclaiming him to be a "god."
I stand by my review as it is objectively written, citing facts and my experience and those around me at the Philadelphia show. Your "review" was based on conjecture and a love of Maynard's hang down.
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Sadly this first poster is correct,,,It wasn't my favorite APC show, and since when do you promote and album 5 years later, and a rather weak album at that. Furthermore, why festival pier? Is that the best they could do?
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I agree with toolarmy. If you are a true fan of APC you will like any song they play cause they are amazing. For the casual fan they may not enjoy it. But telling people not to go is wrong. Also Maynard always stands in the back he has not stood in thefront for years. You can't say he should stand in the front. He says he can't stand in front of the stage all of the lights bother him, and he likes to stand in the back and get into the music. I agree you are not a true fan so of course if they dont play there know songs you would not like it.
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This was my first APC show and last. I agree with barkeep, emotive was weak and shouldn't have been promoted. I wasted money seeing them and they didn't play Judith not even a switched up version.
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I don't understand why a group has to play their known songs for people to enjoy. They sounded amazing but because they don't play Judith everyone is upset. Everyone has a right to their own opinion but maybe this us a good thing next time they are here only their true fans will be at the show not all you posers.
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Maynard stands in the back. It is not a tour only thing. Johnpal and toolarmy are correct. Maynard says "I can't chew gum and walk at the same time. The lights bother me so I stand in the back where I can get into the music". He has been standing in the back for years for tool and APC. So Craig Wettner you are wrong and maybe you should do some research before you make a post like this.
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The lights bother Bono but he still leads from the front. There are ways around that, like don't have spot lights or strobes.
But I too was at the show and hated it, not because he stood in the back, he could have sung off stage, but because the setlist sucked monkey ass.
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If Me bending over and taking it in the ass would make Maynard happy I would do it
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If I wear the same wig Maynard wears and let you call me Maynard will you let me give it to you in the ass?
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This is the mostcomments a Craig Wettner blog has ever seen. Congrats Craig you have made it!
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Nothing motivates like an angry mob! WHAR is my pitchfork WHAR!?
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maybe they shouldnt tour if the lights are too bright?
i would consider myself to be a "true fan" of APC, but i wouldnt pay to see them again. i can listen to them at home with my dick in my hand and have a better experience.
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Here is a question for all you posters. Should a band pick songs for their fans or since they are the artists they play what they want to play?
By reading the post most of you will disagree with me I feel like the band should play what they want they are the artist. Who are we as fans to tell them what to play. I loved the show on Saturday night. I can listen to them play any song and enjoy it.
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As a paying customer, I think there should be a balance between what the band wants artistically and what the fans want. I think that was the original point by the poster. Do your covers, do your remix but know that the fans can only take so much of that.
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I saw APC in Vegas last Nov. They were incredible. Josh Freese was drumming. The fans knew what to expect as it was advertised that for a 2 night tour the 1st night was Mer de Noms, 2nd night was Thirteenth Step. If there was a 3rd night it was eMotive. They did not play each song as originally recorded (if you want to hear that - STAY HOME and listen to your CD's). APC fans on the East Coastcomplained they were ignored during last years tour. So to appease those fans they scheduled East Coast tour dates. Don't you ever get tired doing the same thing over and over again...well, so do musicians. They are artists and NEED to express themselves. I'm sure they like to change it up just to keep it FRESH & INTERESTING, not only for them but for their fans. I am from PA and was lucky to see them at the Palms last year. I unfortunately was unable to see them in Philly due to previous vacation plans. Sounds like I missed another amazing show by APC. Can't wait for the CD release of the new music they have been working on the past 2 years. A TRUE APC FAN.
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