Primus Sucks and Maynard is an Old Fuck.
Sessanta. Maynard’s Birthday Bash. Pine Knob 2024.
Pine Knob had a proper opening day last night with Maynard’s Sessanta Show. Talk about a fucking gig. A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, and Primus all sharing the stage for over two hours, absolutely slaying. I’ve been fortunate over the years to see all three bands live, and they are all big time players when it comes to their craft. Put them all together and it becomes an epic experience like no other.
The format was organized perfectly, rotating the three groups throughout the night, it gave each band adequate time to shine. Being able to see Les play with APC and Puscifer and Maynard hoping on with Primus were collaborations you didn’t know you needed in your life until you actually witnessed it.
I gotta say too, I am the biggest fan of shows that have strict no phone policies. Every single show that enacts these rules are so much better, it hearkens back to the glory days when smart phones weren’t a thing and you could enjoy a performance without being distracted by the glow of everyone’s dumb fucking cell phone. The atmosphere is so much more in tune with the performance this way. It makes it that much more magical.
The stage was set up with three drum kits atop risers, along with couches and birthday decorations, a ping pong table to the right of the stage. Situated for a proper aging celebration. Can’t forget the geriatric staircase lifts that were installed along the stage.
A Perfect Circle kicked things off after the pre recorded message from Maynard warning the crowd about not fingering their phones. They opened the show with The Package, my personal favorite song by them, and it sounded incredible. I was lucky enough to be down on the pavilion, and the sound was amazing, with a straight shot view of the stage you couldn’t ask for better seats. The first few times I saw APC, I felt like Maynard was a little off, he was by no means bad, but it wasn’t the strongest performances from the 10 or so times I’ve seen him perform over the years. After the song ended Maynard tried to get the crowd engaged using the same “it sounds like Toledo” joke he’s been using for at least the last 15 years. It’s a classic though, and gets the crowd revved up.
Last night, may have been the best he has sounded. Much like his wine, his vocals seem to be getting better with age. After the first song they wheeled out a cart with cupcakes on it and delivered it to Maynard prompting parts of the crowd to attempt to sing him happy birthday.
They played a couple cuts off “Eat the Elephant” with Carina Round joining the band ‘The Contrarian’
Primus came out to start their first act and immediately went into a bruising version of ‘Those Damn Blue Collar Tweakers’ which happens to be one of my personal favorite cuts from the band. They were a full on assault machine as they plowed through ‘Too many Puppies’ into ‘Sgt Baker’ and rounding it out with ‘Follow the Fool’
Puscifer took over and they ran through a few staples, the chemistry between Carina Round and Maynard is so undeniable, and really gives Puscifer their signature sound.
Primus took over and played a few classics, starting with ‘Jerry was a race car driver’ and ‘My Name is Mud’ Maynard took over the Tom Waits part on ‘Tommy the Cat’ and it was incredible.
Puscifer took over and entranced the crowd, playing a few cuts from Existential and ‘Momma Said’
A Perfect Circle took the reigns playing some of the early stuff, ‘The Hollow’ ‘The Noose’ and ‘Outsider’ Tim Alexander joined in on ‘The Hollow’ giving the rhythm section some bigger balls. Les Hopped in on ‘So long, and thanks for all the fish’ he stuck around to help Puscifer lay down ‘Humbling River’ before going into one of my favorite lyrical tracks of all time, ‘The Remedy’
APC went into a sinister version of Counting Bodies like Sheep before delivering a hot and nasty ‘Judith’
The absolute highlight of the night was Primus’s ‘Southbound Pachyderm’ with Billy Howerdell joining in and all three drummers just hammering out a ferocious jam on Pachyderm. Mind melting, soul stirring, sonic carnage.
They all played the new songs Maynard wrote for each band, and they all translated really well live. The Primus cut ‘Pablo’s Hippos’ being the highlight of the three new ones. To close out the night everyone got together and wailed on Puscifer’s soundscape epic ‘Grand Canyon’
During the last song Maynard lifted the phone ban and allowed photos without the flash and video to be recorded. Which is a trend he’s been doing on the last few Tool tours. What a nice guy.
For being 60, Maynard hasn’t lost a bit, and as much as I love Tool, he sounds considerably better with APC and Puscifer, it could be the softer nature of the music? Maybe it’s all the ju jitsu? Hard to say not knowing really. But he is still by and far one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Certainly of this generation. Primus also proved yet again how they are underrated Behemoths of the stage. If you’re not doing everything in your power to catch a Primus show you simply are not living your best life. The night was full on nonstop musical masterpieces and silly hijinxs. A true testimonial to the shear artistic visions Maynard brings into this world. Hopefully he runs it back for his 70th birthday, because it was a truly magical experience.
Check out all three bands if you have been living under a rock the past twenty years. You can find them all on Spotify. It’s a worthy endeavor and your ears will thank you.