The second round of Sessanta, a celebration of vocalist Maynard James Keenan’s 60th…er 61st birthday, made its way through Huntsville, AL on a rainy Sunday evening. On its second year of celebrating, the tour brought along the same acts A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, and Primus. Orion Amphitheater played host for the evening, with fans packing in with ponchos and rain jackets as rain fell the duration of the evening.
The show format is much different than your normal show. Each act would get a mini set of 3 or 4 songs before continuing right along to the next act. Band members would intertwine with each other and guest on songs by each act to create a more fun, unique experience. Ultimately this back and forth lead to the final song of the evening, Puscifer’s ‘Grand Canyon’, which featured a stage jam packed with all 3 bands.
Quite a few notable moments would take place throughout the evening. First being a birthday cupcake for the now 61 year Keenan, who proceeded to engage a fan on the front row in a rock, paper, scissors battle to share the cupcake with. Primus would welcome Fishbone’s bassist Norwood Fisher, for the track ‘Dutches and the Proverbial Mind Spread’. Bassist Les Claypool and Norwood extended the track with some back and forth slap bass jams to really get the crowd moving.
Keenan’s birthday celebration was the perfect way for him to showcase a long career with both A Perfect Circle and Puscifer. The powerful takes on both A Perfect Circle tracks, ‘The Outsider’, and ‘Judith’ showed just how powerful his vocals can still be. Keenan’s quirkiness and seriousness could both be noted during the show. His serious take on being present during the show and keeping phones put up drew a large applause for the respectful audience. His quirkiness would show through some pre-recorded videos of him sitting in a wheelchair making jokes during a brief intermission.
The tours production team deserve praise as they seamlessly moved bands and gear in and out with no setbacks between songs and acts. Not an easy task with a large stage production and tall stage risers for all 3 drum kits. On the sides of the drum risers, band members would find themselves sipping on drinks and sitting on the couches set aside which made for a true party vibe.
Sessanta provided everything you would expect from a celebration show. Great acts playing career spanning songs, talented musicians sharing the stage, and a fun but laid back atmosphere.
