A PERFECT CIRCLE: THIRTEENTH STEP 2003-2004
OTTAWA, ONT [CONGRESS CENTRE]
9.5.03
By n_dez
9:45pm .. lights go down. After a solid performance by Pigmy Love Circus, APC steps on stage with an intense electrical feeling in the crowd. It's dark, we see the shadows of the musicians taking place, everyone waiting impatiently to see their favorite musician, especially since the recent lineup upgrade.
They kick off with Pet, a new song. Great song, very APC like and just the kind of new material we've been waiting to here. It doesn't take long to notice that the band is tight, so tight it's incredible. And for the newcomers, they seem to have adapted quite nicely to the new setting, James being very quick because he has joined about 2 months ago. They go next to play The Hollow and Magdalena, some of the crowds favorite. Maynard kept singing in the box like platform on stage, which was odd in the beginning, but after a few songs, it kinda made sense. Every musician was outstanding. Jeordie was rockin with the bass, sporting a white shirt, which was somewhat unusual but I think it's what suits him best. James Iha on the platform to the left was being what a great rhythm guitarist should be. His guitar sound was heavy and he played aggresive style hard rock, which was new to him, and he managed to showcase some great guitar skills. Billy is still the guitar god and he sings to. Josh has a heavy drumming that pounds in every place in your body. Maynard is the enigmatic singer who manages to have some decent, yet brief, interventions with the crowd .. " we apologize for our president " ..
They played Weak and Powerless, Orestes, Thinking of You, in which James did a solo song of the Canadian band Triumph before it, The Package, 3 Libras, The Outsider, Rose, the highlight the jam session during Thomas with Danny Carey on toms, man did that ever get intense .. They closed with the nurse who loved me and Judith .. At the very end of Judith when they should leave the stage, Jeordie picks up the guitar, re tunes it in a different key I think, and starts to jam Zero by The Smashing Pumpkins with James, who is playing bass, and Josh holding the beat .. man the crowd got rockin pretty hard at that point, but it was too brief, James didn't seem to play too much of it and the left the stage with a wall of noise. Overall, great show, great crowd and awesome musicianship.