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A PERFECT CIRCLE
Bender Arena (American University), Washington,
DC
March 2001
Review written by
ERIC
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I saw the band A Perfect Circle in concert
recently. If A Perfect Circle is new to you, let me
give you a brief introduction. Their album Mer De Noms
is an excellent collection of material that is widely diversified
from detuned guitars to elegant violins to saturated electronics
to raspy yet melodic vocals. The lead singer
in A Perfect Circle is Maynard James Keenan (he's
the full-time vocalist for Tool). The concert. This
was actually one of the best concerts I've been to
in a few years. The music was tight and sounded great;
the vocals mirrored the cd; the stage show was entertaining
and the band was energetic. They opened with
a song called Renholder (it begins with an eerie violin).
The song is an instrumental. This gave Maynard time
to come out in dramatic fashion (and the crowd roared
during his entrance). A Perfect Circle stormed immediately
into Thinking of You (which has some wicked
electronics and thunderous drums). The mosh pit began!
I'm a fan of A Perfect Circle. However, I thought
to myself, "A Perfect Circle rocks, but they aren't
Pantera." It was funny seeing mostly college kids
trying to mosh and crowd surf to a band that doesn't
resemble a metal band. Back to the music. Between the
haunting ambience of Rose and the crunchy guitar of
Thomas, these songs were the highlights of the night. I
was impressed how guitarist Billy Howerdel made
some simple chords and riffs sound so interesting
(his choice of effects contributed to this). His background
vocals complimented Maynard's vocals. The
backdrop of the show was subtle yet effective.
They used hieroglyphics which faded on and off with varying
colors and motion. Everyone in the band was active.
Maynard sang his soul through the microphone.
He threw water into the crowd (we needed it!). At one
point, Maynard entertained the ladies by taking his pants
off. He had boxer shorts which had colored lights
which blinked (only Maynard "the madman" could've
pulled this off). It was a great show and an eventful
night.
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