Sessanta Ends on a High Note at Forest Hills Stadium

Review by Kelly Besaw

Photos by Chris Besaw

This past Saturday marked the final show of the Sessanta Tour, a celebration of Maynard James Keenan’s 60^th birthday. Sessanta was originally supposed to be a one-off show with A Perfect Circle, Puscifer and Primus. After the announcement was made, the bands started to add more shows to the celebration and expanded it to twenty shows total. Talk about a birthday celebration!

I was fortunate to be able to attend the final performance at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY. The party started at almost 7pm on the dot with a quick intro video immediately followed by A Perfect Circle taking the stage and kicking things off with one of their more haunting songs, “The Package.” APC played three songs with no break before Maynard hopped on a chair lift that took him up to a raised platform with a couch, chairs and table so he and the rest of the band could relax and watch Primus perform their first set. I guess the chair lift comes in handy once you hit 60. Keenan looks to be in great shape but what would a 60^th birthday celebration be without jokes about aging?

Les Claypool and company took the stage to the crowd going nuts as the opening chords of “Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers” hit the air. I could spend the rest of my life trying to figure out how Les plays like he does. He is incredible. By now, I had figured out that each band was playing three songs for their first set. Claypool paused for a moment and told the audience that this tour had been “the most fun he had ever had quite possibly in his entire career.”

All the musicians looked like they were having a great time. Maynard was in a fancy suit, looking very dapper but smiling the entire evening, Billy Howerdel, Greg Edwards and others were wearing party hats, Les brought out the pig mask, and Carina Round wore a gorgeous party dress. It was certainly a celebratory atmosphere. A game of ping pong ensued on the stage while Les Claypool rode the chair lift up and down and up and down again much to the amusement of the fans.

Puscifer’s first set was awesome. Keenan and Round exchanged vocals during “Galileo” and paraded around the stage for “Tiny Monsters” and “Indigo Children.” It was my first time seeing Puscifer live, and I was impressed. Keenan’s vocals are incredible on their own, but he found his perfect match with Carina Round.

The party continued as the bands got ready for their second set. Primus kept the crowd amped by playing fan favorites, “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” and “My Name is Mud.” The best was an altered version of “Tommy the Cat” called “Maynard the Cat” where Maynard crept around the stage like a cat and sang parts of the song. When they were done, he got right up and joined the other members of Puscifer to perform their second set of the evening. They moved things along with very short breaks between the “acts.”

Throughout the various sets, band members joined other bands onstage or hung out in the onstage “lounge area” and watched the show. It was hard to tell who was playing with who at times as one set flowed right into the next. I enjoyed Puscifer’s performance of “Bullet Train to Iowa.”

One of my favorite albums of all time is A Perfect Circle’s Thirteenth Step. I love every song and the way it tells a story that is left mostly to interpretation. I was happy to hear them play several songs from that album including, “The Noose,” and “The Outsider.” I hope that someday they do an anniversary tour and play the album in its entirety.

Other highlights from the evening included Puscifer’s “The Remedy,” APC’s powerful performance of “Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums” and Primus playing “Southbound Pachyderm” with all three drummers. Incredible! Les Claypool joined APC onstage slapping his upright bass during “So Long and Thanks for All the Fish.”

The final “set” for the evening included three songs from the Sessanta E.P.P.P. including “Kindred” (A Perfect Circle), “No Angel” (Puscifer), and “Pablo’s Hippos” (written for Primus by Keenan). It would seem that the new music signifies that Keenan has no plans of stopping at 60.

The birthday bash tour ended with all three bands onstage reciting “Grand Canyon” by Puscifer. Of course, no party would be complete without piñatas and prizes. Two massive piñatas with the number 60 on them were lowered down to the stage and were eventually busted up by Keenan and company. Out poured guitar pics, party streamers, noise makers and other party favors. Happy birthday Mr. Keenan and thank you for letting us all celebrate with you!

Setlist:

A Perfect Circle Set I

The Package
Disillusioned
The Contrarian

Primus Set I

Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers
Too Many Puppies
Eleven

Puscifer Set I

Galileo
Tiny Monsters
Indigo Children

Primus Set II

Jerry Was a Race Car Driver
My Name is Mud
Tommy the Cat (with Maynard James Keenan)

Puscifer Set II

Postulous
Momma Sed
Bullet Train to Iowa
The Underwhelming

A Perfect Circle Set II