After what seems like an eternity for Puscifer fans, they finally graced the Irish shores last weekend with their eagerly anticipated Existential Reckoning tour.
Five of us from Donegal and Derry squeezed into a VW Polo and hit the road. Blasting the experimental rock band’s catalogue was just ‘The Remedy’ we needed to pass the time on the 122 mile journey to Dublin.
The support band was Night Club, an American goth electronic duo. Their stage setup was indicative of an LA night club with multiple tube lights and the excessive smoke almost enveloping singer Emily Kavanaugh at times. Her energy whipped the eager Dublin crowd into a Puscifer-ready frenzy.
Their stand out song for me was Schizophrenic with its raw, punchy sound still playing in my head days later.
The moment Night Club left the stage, the tension in the air was thick with apprehension for the arrival of the enigmatic Puscifer. The stage set with a large retro screen each side, elevated platform in the centre and futuristic light display was an audiovisual masterpiece and the fans knew that what was about to happen was worth the wait.
When Maynard James Keenan and fellow core band members Carina Round and Mat Mitchell took the stage, along with drummer Gunnar Olsen and bassist Greg Edwards, the Olympia Theatre erupted. The sheer noise of cheering and recognition left Puscifer under no illusion of just how welcome they were and the crowd did not relent quickly.
The next two hours were a live theatrical experience, both surreal and entertaining. Aliens roamed the stage, agents plucked Billy D from the crowd early on and Dick Merkin explained their search for extraterrestrial life forms. They also played a video where he clarified that anyone flouting the strict No Camera rules would be fed into a meat grinder and made into Spam.
The band’s set list focused heavily on the Existential Reckoning album but favourites like The Remedy and Conditions of my Parole had the crowd singing louder than Keenan and Round themselves. With Men-in-black style agents policing the stage, Dick Merkin attempting to dance and both he and Carina wearing microphone harnesses, the performances were far from ordinary.
There was a 7 minute intermission after which Billy D adorned the stage and, with the aliens pouring him Irish whiskey, he treated us to the last few songs including Vagina Mine and Bullet Train to Iowa.
He encouraged the crowd to ‘make this world a better place through random acts of kindness’ with his mission statement and gave the fans permission to record the last song, Bedlamite. An array of phones shot into the air determined to capture a fraction of the magic Puscifer brought with them.
Saturday night was far more than a music gig – it was a creative production set to the backdrop of visionary eclectic rock music with some alien antics along the way. An unforgettable experience. Until next time, Puscifer.
Review by Karen Hamilton for MPM
