Maynard James Keenan – frontman of Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer – is known for his flair for the dramatic. His various bands are famous for the theatrical aspects added to their shows. Fans that filled the Jubilee Auditorium on November 30th for the lone Alberta stop of Puscifer's current tour – in support of their recent release Money Shot – had no idea what to expect. Just that "Luchafer" would be opening at 8pm and Puscifer on stage at 8:30pm.
"Luchafer" ended up being 5 lucha (Mexican) wrestlers, having a match in a ring on the stage – likely a first in the history of the Jubilee Auditorium. The lucha style is very acrobatic and high flying, and the audience seemed impressed, if confused, by the action in the ring. Then the lights went down and remained dark as the stage was prepared. Video clips aired building anticipation until a spotlight lit up drummer Jeff Freidl, who was front and centre showing again the uniqueness of the show. The ring remained on stage, with Keenan and singer Carina Round backlit in the ring singing the show opener Simultaneous.
Soon the wrestlers were back, sitting on bleachers on the side of the stage, head banging and weaving as if entranced by the music and playing cheerleaders. The show was broken up into three acts, each broken up by a short match in the ring. The audience didn't quite grasp the good guys (a male and female wrestler in blue, and a short wrestler in a Venom outfit) and the bad guys (a man and woman in red and black) aspect immediately but eventually began to boo the "rudos" - or bad guys.
The show primarily featured tracks from Money Shot although some other popular songs like Vagina Mine and Rev 22:20 off of "V" Is For Vagina or Man Overboard & Telling Ghosts from Conditions Of My Parole also made appearances. Signs posted in the lobby compared the show to an opera – telling a story – and it certainly did that. Cameras were banned, and anyone caught snapping a photo in any manner was given the choice of deleting them and getting a warning, or being escorted out. Keenan runs a tight ship and it was in full effect.
As a wrestling fan, it was surreal to see the influence of sports entertainment on the show. At one point drawings of various Mexican and Japanese legends scrolled across the screen. During the song The Undertaker the poor little Venom wrestler as driven into the stage with a tombstone piledriver, followed by the bad guy striking the classic pose associated with the legendary WWE star The Undertaker. You didn't have to be a wrestling fan to appreciate the concert, but it certainly added another layer to the night.
The Puscifer concert will go down as one of the oddest but also most entertaining shows in Calgary in 2015. Everything was on point, from the ethereal, stunningly beautiful music to the effects and images presented on screen. Sometimes a concert is a straightforward show. Sometimes, it is art. In the case of Puscifer, the artistry is second to none and the results will be remembered by those lucky enough to see it for the rest of our lives. 