Puscifer’s “V is for Viagra” tour came to the historic Moore Theater in Seattle on November 11, 2009, an intimate setting with a little over 1,400 seats.
SweetHead opened the evening with eight songs, most of them sounding identical. The lead singer has a great gravelly voice a la Kim Carnes, but she shouts through her songs and needs work on her stagecraft.
Maynard James Keenan appeared on a large video screen inside a tent, appearing to be confused that he was still in Seattle. Like a good egg, he agreed to do one more show for us and the rest of the band got up out of their sleeping bags, lit the BBQ, and made their way to their instruments.
Yes, I said tents and sleeping bags. Camp chairs. Bottles of Chupacabra wine. And a BBQ. OK it had a Disney-esque flame, but it’s the thought that counts.
And the thoughts in the Tool front-man’s head is what we were treated to for about a two-hour show, complete with video billboards, visitors drifting on and off the stage, and Talking–Heads style monitors scattered at all angles. If you like Tool or APC, you will love Puscifer, and if you haven’t gotten around to listening to either of the former, Puscifer is a grand introduction to Keenan’s genius. This show had material from the two already-released albums and selections from their upcoming offering.
Throughout this tour, the props and band members change, but tonight Ted Alexander, Matt Mitchell, Johnny Polonski, and Jeffrey Brooks did the honors. Every few songs or so, a video interlude played that asked the burning question: “What Is A Puscifer?”
Keenan’s voice is a classic, able to project thought and emotion while leading listeners deeper into the tracks. Powerful anthem songs “DoZo” and “The Undertaker” took full advantage of the acoustics at the Moore, especially when Alexander let loose on the kettle set.
I didn’t catch the name of the female vocalist onstage tonight, but she and Keenan stood behind monitors that projected them at the mics so the effect was that of a giant video head and a normal sized body standing below. Although that was disconcerting, it lent a techno air to the retro stage props and actually worked out all right.
I’m the type of music fan who can listen to a good musical score, but if the lyrics don’t make sense or are just stupid, I won’t download it. There were no negatives to the music from Puscifer: lots of bass and drums and an orchestral feeling to the keyboard work made songs like “The Mission” and “Queen B” a pure listening pleasure, but the lyrics are satirical enough to satisfy the alternative/industrial poet in anyone, and both of those songs are definitely in my playlists now.
“The Humbling River” closed the show, and is a compelling plea for peace laced between hypnotic drums and guitar with dynamic harmonies. Afterwards, the audience was treated to copies of V Is For Vagina CDs and if there was anyone who wasn’t convinced that they had already scored with this small-venue extravaganza, this should have done it.
I’ve seen Tool in concert and loved them, but this show made Keenan seem somehow more personal and responsive to the audience. If this is the kind of project that he does between Tool albums, me and those other 1400+ fans will be just fine with that.
And yes, Tim Alexander in a Little Red Riding outfit is funny.
DOWNLOAD: Puscifer - Queen B (MP3) or Follow us for more Puscifer MP3s (Twitter)
he is amazing bro his style can not be touched....some people dont know what he is talking about caz u dont do what he does he is sickkk bra
by dylyn on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 11.59 am from the entry: Wiz Khalifa: Burn After Rolling (Mixtape)
Wow,Great post.Thanks for sharing with us. land wi
by wisconsin land on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 09.53 am from the entry: of Montreal + Gang Gang Dance - Orpheum Theatre (Boston, MA; Oct. 30, 2008)
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
sounds like a really interesting show. I didn’t know you were allowed to bbq indoors…
nice job!