Puscifer December 12, the Pearl.
While his more popular bands Tool and A Perfect Circle remain in endless holding patterns, singer Maynard James Keenan has the freedom to cut loose with Puscifer, which is more or less a solo project. The collective’s third album, Money Shot, was released in October, and the supporting tour is Puscifer’s biggest production yet, a goofy stage show in contrast to the more austere, serious live performances by Keenan’s other bands. Saturday’s concert at the Pearl began not with an opening band but with a performance from a Mexican-style wrestling troupe dubbed Luchafer, and the five wrestlers remained on stage throughout the entire Puscifer set.
Puscifer's set at the Pearl was preceded by a performance from Mexican-style wrestling troupe Luchafer.
After half an hour of suplexes and body slams, the band took the stage, with a luchador-masked Keenan and fellow singer Carina Round performing frequently from within the wrestling ring. The wrestlers riled up the crowd between songs, periodically grappled with each other both in and out of the ring, and even occasionally served as roadies. In the meantime, the band performed a set filled with songs from Money Shot, with Keenan and Round sharing the vocals pretty much equally.
Live, the band’s sound is heavier and more organic than on record, dominated by guitars over electronics. Keenan has assembled a strong lineup to tour with, and his penchant for remaining in the shadows allowed his bandmates (especially Round) to shine. Even if the music was sometimes repetitive, the audience remained enthusiastic, and anyone who might have gotten bored would have perked right up when wrestlers in chicken and turtle costumes started battling it out between songs.
