Written by Samuel Barker
Nov 01, 2003 at 08:00 PM
Jeordie on BassOriginally, A Perfect Circle was a side project between two components of Tool, Maynard James Keenan and guitar tech Billy Howerdale, but somewhere it all went horribly wrong. The band became another in the line of current “supergroups.” How much of this was planned is a question since original rhythm guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen left the group after recording their latest album, Thirteenth Step.The additions of Jeordie White (better known as Twiggy Ramirez of Marilyn Manson fame) on bass, Josh Freese of the Vandals on drums and James Iha, with his talent completely wasted, on rhythm guitar leaves a lot of promise for future songs but felt under-utilized on this night.

A Perfect Circle feels like Keenan’s attempt to show he can sing like any other top 40 rock group singer around and not just be the spooky presence at the head of Tool’s music. But, the question is, why would anyone want to be another commercial alternative rock singer?

The majority of the songs sounded just as lifeless as anything else you would hear on the radio in today’s markets. With a few eerie songs thrown in to keep the Tool fans interested, the band seemed to be using a 5,500-plus crowd to find their musical direction.

Of course, when a band like this releases an album and then goes through a major line-up change, things often have to be sorted out in the live format and this, being the second show on the tour, felt that way. As times goes on, the chemisty may work itself out, or you may see another line-up in the near future.

Maynard in the shadows...However, Keenan was not about to abandon his entire schtick. As he took his place upon a riser between the drums and Iha, he paced in circles like a caged animal with his mid-back length hair obscuring his face (considering he was bald with tour a little over a year ago, this was more than likely a wig). As he does with Tool, Keenan always hides in the shadows or obscures his view somehow.

Of course, Keenan wasn’t the only person hiding in the darkness, Freese and Iha, were at each side of Keenan’s riser were placed in darkness as well. Howerdale and White were the only band members to have any light put on them, and that was a pale red wash. As anyone who loves rock knows, rock is a flashy music, not to be hidden in the dark.

Perhaps this darkness was the bands way of hiding themselves while they figured out where they wanted to go with everything. Leaving Iha to play simple chords and ignore the sonic noise bending that he achieved with the Smashing Pumpkins was the first mistake this band needs to fix.

Joe Cardemone kicks it off for the Icarus LineSpeaking of noise bending, the Icarus Line brought their brand of noise-ridden rock n’ roll to town. Opening the show for A Perfect Circle was a challenge the band took well and responded to with plenty of confrontation and attitude.

While audience members were initially shocked by the ferocity of the set, responding with boos and a hail of bottles and various other pieces of debris, the band tore through 8 songs from their upcoming release without leaving anything behind.

Lead vocalist Joe Cardemone paced around the stage taunting the audience while delivering the vocals in the unsettling tone he’s known for, as guitarist Aaron North climbed up on his speaker cabinets and toyed with pedals to add a layer of noise to the mix.

As the set rolled on, the vocals got a bit more controlled and the riffs became larger. The band has been listening to their Led Zeppelin albums lately. With this explosion of energy and quality rock songs, the boos and debris-tossing quickly turned into applause.

While the more established opener was searching for their identity, the openers had their act together and seem poised for their major label debut. Get used to seeing them, they’ll more than likely be back soon.