A Perfect Circle

Usually I don't have time to go to a lot of shows, but I make the time when a friend asks me to tag along and has seats right behind the sound engineer. I went to see APC at the Tweeter Center in Camden NJ probably 5 years ago. The show started with an opening act of mini kiss which was basically midgets playing kiss covers which with illegal substances in the air, and near death of heat stroke I found amusing and hilarious. By the time the show started the lights went out and it was very similar to watching a movie. Manyard (the lead singer of APC along with Tool) was behind a white screen banging on two slanted timpani's with the lights behind him flashing on and off giving the effect of him disappearing and coming back in different places and positions within the box. This was ironic due to the opening song being called "vanishing" after a minute or two of vocals with drums the guitars and bass kicked in (with James from Smashing Pumpkins on guitar, and Twiggy (I think that's his name) from Marilyn Manson on Bass. It was a truly amazing scene. The background were these old trees similar to what one might see in the wizard of oz but were much darker and had lights in the branches shining light down on the band members.

The Tweeter center usually hosts big acts such as Incubus,Tool, The Philharmonic, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Pixies,Dave Matthews Band, The Mars Volta etc...so it is notorious for having an amazing sound system and was designed with orchestra in mind so the acoustics are some of the best in the area, compared to clubs and smaller venues in Philly or at a stadium. APC played about an hr and a half set keeping pretty close to songs from the new CD in a dramatic cinematic matter, as if acting out their songs. While I don't believe APC is musically the best in the world when compared to people such as Bach or numerous Jazz musicians such as Jaco Pastorious, their creativity with image, and providing the right amount of sound to back it up made for a very entertaining show. Also, their backgrounds in other bands, as guitar technicians (the main guitarist), and studio drummers (Josh Reese) made for a sonically pleasing and professional sound.

Overall I would definitely see them again, I was very entertained and was not distracted from watching the stage for even a second.


Josh Jardine