A PERFECT CIRCLE: THIRTEENTH STEP 2003-2004
SALT LAKE CITY, UT [THE E CENTER]
3.18.04


By Ty Silva


We got to the e center around 6:45 or so. They didn't let us in until 7 and my friend and I were some of the first people in. We got seated and had a pretty good view of the stage.

Around 8, Mars Volta came on and no one much cared for them. Their songs weren't that bad, but they don't have the range to drag out their songs as long as they did. Only one guy was dancing around, lol.

At this time a "Maynard, Maynard" chant broke out behind me. Around 9, the lights went out and as a curtain dropped, a deep, rich, maroon light illuminated the room. We could see James Iha's siloheutte and my hands and knees were shaking. They started with Vanishing which is completely and utterly beautiful to hear live. Twiggy was on the left side of the stage. James was on a pedestal behind Twiggy. Billy was on the right side. Josh and his set were on a pedestal behind Billy and Maynard was kind of on Josh and James's level in a box like thing made out of trees.

For Vanishing, there was a sheet over the box and you could just see his shadow. They kept changing lights behind him and it made it look like he was teleporting. Then Pet hit and we could see them really well. I freaked out knowing that Twiggy was right there. I could see him, James and Billy the best. I forget the order of the songs after this, but during the breaks, Maynard introduced the band. When he said, "Jeordie White", I screamed "YEAH, YOU FUCKING RULE, TWIGGY!!!"

At another point Maynard encouraged us all to vote. Then at another point, he said, "I know this might seem kind of juvenile, but on the count of 3, can you all say: Fuck?" So he was like, "1,2, 3" and everyone screamed fuck at the top of their lungs. Later after another few songs, he said, "I'm going to give you guys a present if I think you're fast learners since this is the first show of the u.s. tour." So he's like, "1,2,3" and everyone's like, "FUCK" again. He's like, "You guys are fast learners." So our present was Twiggy singing, "Fred's got slacks". Lol, very funny and Twiggy has a really nice voice. I also remember Maynard told a joke about two condoms at a gay bar and Billy introduced the song Thomas.

I have to say that The Outsider was by far, the best one live. Everyone was totally into it and it just created an entire atmosphere. Brena was stunning and gripping as well. The band was just incredible. They didn't miss a note, beat or string. Just perfect. During Judith, everyone was singing along, especially the "FUCK YOUR GOD" part. We saw about 5 people getting kicked out and someone's like, "They're just having fun, leave them alone!" and we all booed the security guards. LoL. They did Judith last and it was like the gates of heaven were opening up to us. Everyone was just so taken in by it. I also have to mention that the lighting was just incredible, so vibrant and beautiful.

After they were done, Twiggy and James stayed out and jammed. Twiggy got on Josh's Drums and was playing those while James played his guitar. Even after James left, Twiggy stayed out and played the drums and threw what he could into the pit. The only 2 disappointments were they didn't play Orestes and I wish I could have been in the pit to catch something or be a little closer. It was so incredible and perfect. I recommend it to everyone. It was my first concert, but I think it's going to be incredibly hard to top.

Here's what songs they did as I can remember. I can't remember the order. I know they opened with Vanishing and then Pet and I know they played Judith last. But here's all the songs I remember them playing:

Vanishing
Pet
The Hollow
Magdalena
Rose
Brena
Weak and Powerless
Blue
3 Libras
Thinking Of You
The Package
The Noose
Thomas
The Nurse Who Loved Me (This was changed for the live rendition)
The Outsider
Judith

They also played a bridge song in there, but I can't remember whether it was Crimes or Lullaby. I also think they MIGHT have played Sleeping Beauty, but I can't remember for sure. I was inhaling a lot of pot smoke at the time, lol.