08/06/2003 • I SAW A PERFECT CIRCLE
I just saw A Perfect Circle at the TLA on South Street (Philadelphia). I did some reading of reviews and reports from all the dates they've done so far, and from what I can tell they played the same set and Maynard told the same spontaneous jokes as all the others. Let me say that the band sounded very tight, and I enjoyed it. The new material was cool, and the old songs sounded about as good as ever.

Now... a few things that came to my mind during the show. The opening act was Pygmy Love Circus. For those of you who don't know, Pygmy Love Circus is a joke of a band that is opening all the dates on this sold out tour because their drummer is in a band with Maynard. So much for separating Tool and APC. =P Meanwhile, there is a GREAT fucking band called DREDG, who has come out publicly and said that they would love to tour with A Perfect Circle, because it would be a good fit, and the audience might be able to appreciate them. I agree fully with Dredg on this one. That band is amazing and will forever dwell in obscurity, because radio, tv, and major label touring acts don't seem to wanna take chances. Meanwhile, we all got to listen to the guy from Pygmy Love Circle call us "assholes". Is Danny Carey a good drummer? Yes. Is Tool a good band? Yes. Does any of that shit have anything to do with who should be opening for A Perfect Circle? Fuck no. If I was in a band that sold millions of albums and had sold out tours all over, I would wanna hook up a friend of mine too... but not a freind that already has all that same shit. Like, if you're gonna donate money, donate it to someone who needs it rather then to Microsoft. Get me?

My only other gripe is that the band looked about as excited to be playing that show as Cristopher Reeve does on your average Wednesday. Maynard stood in his box up above everyone else, and James had about the same stage presence as his amp. Billy rocked like Billy always does, and Twiggy looked like a carefully subdued version of the Twiggy that used to rock the fuck out at Manson shows. I was begging for more heavy parts just so I could be sure that they were still awake. Like... HELLLOOOO... you guys get paid alot of money be fucking ROCK STARS! Get excited about it, jeez.

For the record, I love this band, and I look forward to hearing the new album and to seeing them live again. I am critical of some things, only because I want to be blown away when I see a band that I dig. Just the SOUND of good music isn't enough. I can sit home and listen to cd's if that's all I want. But for the people that paid WAY over face value, and bought the $40 tshirt, I think a little energy on stage isn't too much to ask for. Call me crazy. Hopefully the band will become more comfortable playing live, and the show will evolve. All in all... good show.