For the past couple of weeks, I’ve had A Perfect Circle’s “3 Libras” stuck in my head. I’m not complaing about it, I love this song. It’s crazy too, to realize that it’s been 25 years since their debut album, Mer De Noms was released. As far as debut albums go, it’s definitely one of the best. Interestingly, though “Judith” was the first single, the band actually wanted “3 Libras” to be the first one released. I always find things like that interesting. The video for “3 Libras” is really a beautiful one. Directed by Paul Hunter, who made his name in the HipHop/R&B world with artists like Eminem (“The Way I Am, “Superman”), D’Angelo (“How Does It Feel”), also directed videos for Marilyn Manson (“The Dope Show,” “I Don’t Like The Drugs…”), Hole (“Malibu”), Lenny Kravitz (“Fly Away”). The video for “3 Libras” is dark, haunting, and such a compliment to a great song. The way the cinematography and cameras pull the viewer in at certain moments, to the choice of color used throughout, and the sensuality, all these things make for a great video. I miss when bands would make videos like this. Take a few minutes out of your day and really explore the music video for A Perfect Circle’s “3 Libras,” you’ll really enjoy it!
I’ve spent the past week trying to put into words about how truly amazing and stunning the two nights of Nine Inch Nails were at The Forum. Those two nights were beyond magical and therapeutic for me as well as being the 20th and 21st times I’ve seen my all time favorite band. It’s astounding to me that songs written over 30 years ago can sound so fresh and invigorating. Almost to the point of taking on a whole new meaning. What Trent Reznor has been able to do with constantly being able to captivate an audience and make a show an entire experience is otherworldly.
The stage set up for this whole tour was something else too. Staring out on a small stage in the middle of the floor, Trent appears alone, at a piano, and begins playing the most absolutely beautiful stripped down version of “Right Where It Belongs.” This is one of those songs in the Nine Inch Nails catalog that will make tears start flowing and choke you up. Just when you thought it was over though, Trent pulls out my another stripped down song in “Somewhat Damaged.” Now this is my all time favorite Nine Inch Nails song and when I say this was emotional, I truly mean it. So much so that in the first 5 minutes of the show both nights, the tears were definitely filling up my eyes. From there another stripped down song in “Ruiner,” followed by the “Nothing Can Stop Me Now” remix of “Piggy” which can be found don the Further Down The Spiral remix album. I always love when Trent pulls out these versions live. It adds so much more of an extra dimension to the songs and live show.
At this point, the crowd was in the palm of Trent’s hands and then a full on onslaught of heaviness in the form of “Wish,” “March Of The Pigs,” “Reptile,” Heresy,” “Copy Of A” and “Gave Up.” It doesn’t matter how many times in my life I’ve heard those songs be it on album or live, I always seem to go apeshit. And at these 2 shows, oh did I. The way this part started with “Wish” and ended with “Gave Up” put it this way, if you still had a voice after these songs, you weren’t loud enough. By the end of “Reptile” on night one and by the end of “Wish” on night two, my voice was gone!
Then after that part of the set, Trent and Atticus moved back to the middle stage where they were joined by Boyz Noize for a set of songs that were remixed in a very awesome way. The highlight of this part was when they played “Vessel” from the very underrated and unsung masterpiece that is Year Zero. This had the crowd in a dancing frenzy. The crowd of course went nuts for “Closer” but the audience pop during the new song “As Alive As I Need You To Be” was something else. Closing out that portion was a really great remix version of “Came Back Haunted.” If you haven’t ever really given Hesitation Marks a listen, you should.
As the band headed back to the main stage after that awesome remix set, Trent and company unleashed more awesomeness with even more intensity as the band blasted “Mr. Self Destruct,” “Less Than, and “The Perfect Drug” into the stratosphere. Having Josh Freese back on the drums in Nine Inch Nails is like having him back home. Josh’s ferocious performance of “The Perfect Drug” is one of those that should be studied and watched a zillion times. It’s that good. Rounding out the set was the always fun “I’m Afraid Of American’s” which is quite the relevant song in the days we live in. As well as the staples of “The Hand That Feeds,” “Head Like A Hole,” and “Hurt.”
I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the production of the tour. The lights, visuals, performances, and energy of the whole thing was unlike anything I’ve been to all year. You could tell that this tour was meaningful in a myriad of different ways. Trent even said, he wasn’t going to do a tour unless it was something that was substantial. And oh boy was it. As I mentioned these were my 20th and 21st times seeing Nine Inch Nails and I can honestly say this tour is in my top five NIN shows of all time! Thank you Trent, Atticus, Robin, Josh and Alessandro for two nights of absolute gold! I can’t wait till the next time!
Overall Rating: A
Review and Photos By: Brian Lacy
Set List (Same For Both Nights): 01) Right Where It Belongs (with Somewhat Damaged) 02) Ruiner 03) Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now Remix) 04) Wish 05) March Of The Pigs 06) Reptile 07) Heresy 08) Copy Of A 09) Gave Up 10) Vessel (Remix) 11) Closer (Remix) 12) As Alive As You Need Me To Be 13) Came Back Haunted (Remix) 14) Mr. Self Destruct 15) Less Than 16) The Perfect Drug 17) I’m Afraid Of Americans (David Bowie Cover) 18) The Hand That Feeds 19) Head Like A Hole 20) Hurt
One of Audioeclectica’s longtime favorite’s VOWWS have released a fiery new single from their upcoming new album. The song “Blood’s On Fire” is one of those songs that is infectious and a vibe all on its own. The riff of the song drives it, the rhythm sways you in multiple directions and the vocals lift you into a trance. The new album was co-produced by A Perfect Circle’s Billy Howerdel and features live drums from the tour de force that is Josh Fresse. One of the things I love most about VOWWS is that they aren’t complacent in their ideas. Each song and album shows great growth and evolution. I’m quite excited to hear this album and see them live again! Enjoy!!
I quite enjoy waking up with a song in my head. How it gets there is a story for another time. This morning I woke up with an instrumental part in my head and it didn’t take long to figure out what song it was. “The Noose” by A Perfect Circle is the song that started things off this morning and what a great track it is. It’s one of those songs that not only captivates you as your listen but, the lyrical content makes you think too. The Thirteenth Step is a concept album that pulls from the different aspects and perspectives of recovery and the 12 steps. “The Noose” definitely pulls from the step of making amends. It’s quite a song both lyrically and musically. This is one of those album/deep cuts that make an album strong and prove that a band is more than just the singles they release. One can hope that if A Perfect Circle regroups, and get back into writing/recording, that they find their way back to where they left off on The Thirteenth Step.
The other day I was having a conversation with a friend and we got to talking about how fast time has gone by. While in this discussion, it somehow evolved into how old certain albums are now. One of the ones that got brought up was A Perfect Circle’s debut album, Mer De Noms, which is now 23 years old. Crazy! I still remember the day it came out and spending hours upon hours listening to it. So much so that it became my go to album in the summer of 2000. Naturally, this made me go put the album on later and it’s still as good as it was the first listen through. One of the songs I’ve always loved on that album is the opening track, “The Hollow.” It’s a damn good song and one of my all time favorite track one’s. It’s got such a great impact to start the album off and all the little nuances about the song make it all the more intriguing each time you listen. Also something that many don’t know is that this is the only song on the album that Josh Fresse doesn’t play drums on. Instead Tim Alexander from Primus is the drummer on this song. Also, “The Hollow” was the third and final single released from their debut album.
This morning I woke up with a part of a song in my head and it took me a minute to realize what it was and then once it hit, I knew what I was going to write about today. The song I had in my head was “3 Libras” by A Perfect Circle. To this day, this song is still one of my favorites and when it gets to that part of the album it gives me chills. One of my favorite performances of “3 Libras” actually comes from their appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno (that long ago). This one is a stand out not just for how well they rocked the song but, having Paz Lenchantin play violin throughout the song and having one of my all time favorite musicians, Danny Lohner join them on bass to round it out made it that much more memorable. Revisit this gem of a performance with me!
A Perfect Circle- 3 Libras (Live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno):
When the news first broke that Billy Howerdel of A Perfect Circle/Ashes Divide was going to put out a solo album under his name, I became very intrigued. While reading about the making of the album, there was a quote of Billy’s that really stood out to me, “”This is me stepping back into my early teen self and making the record I would’ve made if I had the means and the knowledge when I first picked up a guitar — just in 2022.” I couldn’t love that statement more. I love that he went back to the well of what first really got his passion of music going and created an album that pays homage to those musical influences and inspirations but this record is one that can stand on it’s own during a resurgence of that sound.
What Normal Was is ten songs of goth tinged, dark pop, with melancholic tendencies and a sense of ambience that is both haunting and beautiful. Digging into his love for bands like The Cure, Depeche Mode and Siouxie and the Banshee’s, you can hear those bands in certain moments wheteher it’s a synth, vocal melody, bass line, guitar part or even a drum beat. But this isn’t a “copy” of those bands. Instead this is Billy making the album that he grew up wanting to make. I have a strange thing about wanting to go track by track as I feel like it gives the listener a preconceived notion but I do want to highlight a couple tracks. Opener “Selfish Heart” is one hell of a track to kick off the record. The vocal delivery on this song is superb. As the album continues tracks like “Free and Weightless,” “Ani,” “Beautiful Mistake,” “Poison Flowers,” and “Bring Honor Back Home” have all been standouts each time I listen. Closing song “Stars” is quite the contemplative track and one that gives the album an open ending to continue on this path at a later date.
What Normal Was is the type of album in 2022 that is not only needed but it’s a teaching tool for all these younger bands and “kids” who don’t quite understand how to make this type of music. The homage portion of the album and the desire to create something that you’ve always dreamed of makes this album work. It’s not just Billy stepping out of the shadow of Maynard and A Perfect Circle, this is Billy discovering who he is as a musician and songwriter. What Normal Was is a record that will grow on you after a few listens. There’s even a part of it that will make you want to seek out the bands and albums that helped to inspire this record. Personally, I can’t wait to hear what Billy Howerdel does next in his musical evolution.
Billy Howerdel best known for his work in A Perfect Circle is gearing up to drop his debut solo album, What Normal Was on June 10. Now, you might think “solo album?” wasn’t Ashes Divide his solo project? Well yes and no. This album was originally started as a follow up to the first Ashes Divide album but as time progressed and the songs began to continuously take shape, it just didn’t work in the realm that is/was Ashes Divide. This album is shaped quite differently. Billy mentioned about this album “This is me stepping back into my early teen self and making the record I would have made if I had the means and the knowledge when I first picked up a guitar—just in 2022. It’s that moment as a kid when you hear a record, close your eyes, and go somewhere else. That was the time I found my lane, so to speak. During the making of this album, a global pandemic’s chaos had a silver lining. It gave me time to tighten the songs into the place I’d hoped they could be. When I look back, I don’t think I’d change anything about it.” With that in mind, these songs pay homage and hark back to a time when music was making a huge impression on the life of Billy Howerdel.
Back in the year 2000 (how fitting for this since Conan used to have a segment on his show about “The Year 2000”), while A Perfect Circle was supporting the release of their amazing debut album, Mer De Noms, and while on tour with Nine Inch Nails, they made a stop to perform “Judith” on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. This performance is absolutely killer. Josh Freese is a beast behind the kit and was such an integral part of this band. It’s too bad he wasn’t involved in their recent return along with Paz Lenchantin on bass and Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar. Either way, enjoy this gem!
A Perfect Circle- Judith on Late Night with Conan O’Brien:
Since the announcement that A Perfect Circle will be returning, I thought making an ultimate set list for them is very appropriate.
I’m curious to see what your ultimate/dream set list would be for A Perfect Circle.
As usual here are the rules:
Rule 1: What line up of the band would it be
Rule 2: Where would you want to see the show
Rule 3: maximum 25 songs
Lineup: Maynard James Keenan, Billy Howerdel, Josh Freese, Danny Lohner, Troy Van Leeuwen, and Paz Lenchantin
Venue: Fonda Theatre- Los Angeles, CA
Set List:
01) The Hollow
02) The Outsider
03) Rose
04) Orestes
05) Gravity
06) Passive
07) Sleeping Beauty
08) Weak and Powerless
09) By and Down
10) The Package
11) Judith
12) Thomas
13) Thinking of You
14) Blue
15) Pet
16) The Noose
17) 3 Libras
18) Magdalena
AUDIOECLECTICA 