A PERFECT CIRCLE: THIRTEENTH STEP 2003-2004
EL PASO, TX [DON HASKINS CENTER]
3.27.04


By Mykur


I drove out to El Paso this weekend for the A Perfect Circle/Mars Volta show, and I have to say that the show exceeded even my expectations. This is the third time I’ve seen them on this tour, and it was definitely the best I’ve heard them sound.

First and foremost, though, something must be said about The Mars Volta. The Volta’s set was unbelievable. This was my first time to see them perform, and I was very curious to see how they would transmit the energy and volatility of the album to a live show. Their performance, though, was perfect. The music transferred divinely to a live setting. It was absolutely explosive. They played for a little over an hour, and their set included a most amazing version of Cicatriz.

Then A Perfect Circle came out. They opened with Vanishing, as usual, and again Maynard was in his shadow box with the drums. As I mentioned before, the band sounded spectacular. Not only was everyone playing incredibly well, but the acoustics in the auditorium were much better than in the shows I had seen them in previously. My respect for Josh was raised to a new level after seeing him play an outstanding show, despite his broken knee. Jeordie was roaming around a lot that night, wandering over to jam with Billy a few times, and even singing us a slowed down version of Fred’s Got Slacks, including a Billy’s Got Britches verse. James seemed to be much more comfortable with everything (Note: I haven’t seen them since the opening shows in San Antonio and Houston), and was playing very well, even treating us to a version of a Velvet Underground song. I thought Billy was particularly remarkable in that show; he was really feeling the music, and his playing was excellent. Maynard of course gave his usual intense performance. He said a few words against censorship, and even decided to do an experiment throughout the night, in which the entire audience was to shout “shit fuck” on his count of three.

The set was beautiful, as can be expected from A Perfect Circle. It was much the same as their other shows, except when they treated us to a breathtaking version of Brena. My favorite live song of theirs is The Package, and Saturday night, it was mind-blowing. There was an incredibly intense moment where Billy slipped off into a long moment of feedback between the end choruses that only seemed to heighten the power of the song. Magdalena, 3 Libras, Thomas, Thinking of You…everything was amazing beyond words. Judith was a searing closer, as usual, with every member of the audience shouting the lyrics at the top of their voices. Every time I see this band, I can’t help but feel admiration for the individual talent of every person in that band. The synergy of their performances, though, and the way they come together, is stunning. Despite the fact that I exhausted myself driving 1100 miles in one weekend, just to see them perform, I still feel that I owe them so much for that performance. Amazing!

I forgot to add that Jeordie did a version of "I am the tax man" at the very end of the show after everyone else had left the stage. It was dark, so I couldn't tell exactly what he was doing, but it appeared that he was running back and forth between two mics that were lying on the ground. I think perhaps he was a bit drunk