Maynard James Kennan’s Birthday Extravaganza Continues as Sessanta 2.0 Takes Over The Mann Center In Philadelphia
The first run of the Sessanta Tour was a monumental celebration of Maynard James Keenan’s 60th birthday, uniting three of his most distinct musical projects—A Perfect Circle, Primus, and Puscifer—on a single stage for an unprecedented collaborative experience. This wasn’t merely a concert series; it was a masterclass in artistic fusion, with rotating performances, shared stage time, and creative interplay between the bands that blurred traditional set boundaries. Audiences across the country witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle as Keenan and his musical cohorts merged their catalogues in a dynamic and theatrical showcase of musicianship, humor, and progressive artistry. From the introspective weight of A Perfect Circle’s anthems, to the surreal experimentalism of Puscifer, and the off-kilter, bass-driven madness of Primus, Sessanta became a transcendent tribute to Keenan’s eccentric legacy.
Now, as Sessanta Tour Version 2.0 kicks off, anticipation is at an all-time high. Fans are eager to see how the evolution of the concept will push boundaries even further—whether through deeper collaboration, rare setlist inclusions, or visual reinventions. With the groundwork already laid by the wildly successful first leg, Version 2.0 promises to amplify everything that made the original tour special, offering both returning fans and newcomers another rare glimpse into the creative universe that surrounds Keenan. The chemistry between the bands, the unpredictable set structure, and the theatrical flair that defined the tour’s original run suggest that this second iteration won’t just match expectations—it may very well redefine them. And everyone in attendance at this sold out show at The Mann Center will witness this multilayered musical multiverse first hand.
A Perfect Circle opened the Sessanta Tour with a captivating performance that set the tone for the evening’s musical journey. The band commenced their set with “The Package,” a track known for its slow-building intensity, featuring Maynard James Keenan’s haunting vocals and Billy Howerdel’s intricate guitar work. Drummer Josh Freese, returning to the band for this tour, delivered a powerful performance, adding dynamic energy to the song. Bassist Matt McJunkins completed the lineup, contributing to the band’s rich, layered sound.
Following “The Package,” the band transitioned into “Disillusioned,” a contemplative piece from their 2018 album Eat the Elephant. The song’s ethereal melodies and thought-provoking lyrics were enhanced by McJunkins and Howerdel, who provided harmonious backing vocals, creating a poignant atmosphere. The set concluded with “Blue,” a track that hadn’t been performed live since 2018, marking a special moment for long-time fans. The song’s melancholic tones and introspective lyrics resonated deeply with the audience, bringing the opening set to a memorable close.
The band’s performance was visually complemented by a minimalist stage setup, featuring a two-tiered design with three drum kits on the upper level and couches for the musicians to relax and observe when not performing. This arrangement fostered a sense of camaraderie among the artists, as they took turns performing and supporting each other’s sets throughout the evening.
Primus brought their signature blend of eccentricity and virtuosity to the Sessanta Tour stage, delivering a performance that was as sonically complex as it was visually surreal. Frontman Les Claypool commanded the audience with his unmistakable bass tone and theatrical presence, donning his trademark bowler hat and bending and slapping notes with dizzying precision. Joined by long-time bandmates Larry “Ler” LaLonde on guitar and new comer Josh Hoffman on drums, the trio dove into “Those Damn Blue Collar Tweekers” early in their set—a gritty, groove-laden anthem that highlighted Claypool’s knack for storytelling and social satire. The song’s extended jam segments allowed each member to flex their musical muscles, drawing cheers from a crowd mesmerized by the band’s unconventional rhythm and tone.
From there, Primus took the audience further down the rabbit hole with “Groundhog Day,” a classic from their Frizzle Fry album. The track’s warped time signatures and dissonant riffs turned the venue into a whirlwind of psychedelic funk-metal, with LaLonde’s wild guitar flourishes weaving in and out of Claypool’s bass lines like a hallucination come to life. Hoffman’s drumming anchored the chaos with mathematical precision, adding thunderous fills that matched the band’s unpredictable energy. The trio’s chemistry was palpable, their years of collaboration manifesting in a tight but playful performance that kept the crowd on edge, never quite knowing what strange twist might come next.
The highlight for many fans was the inclusion of the rarely performed “Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread,” a sprawling, progressive epic from The Brown Album. The song’s shifting dynamics and narrative cadence allowed Primus to stretch out in a more experimental space, with eerie atmospherics and haunting instrumental interludes that showcased their range beyond quirky grooves. Claypool’s vocals took on a more somber tone, while LaLonde’s textural guitar work gave the track a surreal, dreamlike quality. As the song closed with a disorienting yet satisfying crescendo, it was clear that Primus had once again proven their place as one of the most inventive and fearless live acts in modern music—a perfect fit for the genre-blurring celebration that is the Sessanta Tour.
Puscifer’s performance during the Sessanta Tour was an immersive blend of theater, satire, and synth-heavy rock, providing a striking contrast to the other acts on the bill. Fronted by Maynard James Keenan and Carina Round, the band emerged with a flair for the bizarre, donning matching uniforms and integrating stylized choreography and video segments that echoed their long-standing penchant for multimedia storytelling. The set began with “Man Overboard,” a brooding track that set a dark, introspective tone. Carina’s harmonies swirled around Keenan’s distorted vocals as bassist Mat Mitchell and drummer Gunnar Olsen drove the song with pulsing low-end rhythms and precise electronic beats, evoking a cinematic sense of tension and atmosphere.
The mood shifted slightly with “Horizons,” a standout from Existential Reckoning, which introduced soaring melodies and spacey synth textures to the mix. Mitchell’s guitar and synth work layered beautifully behind Keenan and Round’s dual vocals, creating a lush, haunting soundscape that enveloped the crowd in a trance-like state. The minimalist lighting and carefully timed video projections added to the hypnotic feel, emphasizing Puscifer’s commitment to performance as a full-spectrum experience. Rather than focusing on individual showmanship, the band embraced a unified aesthetic—equal parts absurd and sophisticated—that invited the audience into their strange and satirical world.
Closing their set with “Indigo Children,” Puscifer took the audience back to their roots with a tribal, groove-driven arrangement that pulsed with primal energy. Keenan and Round’s voices moved in call-and-response over the track’s rhythmic backbone, while Mitchell’s synths and percussion created a layered, immersive foundation. The performance was punctuated with ironic humor and surreal visuals, further blurring the line between concert and performance art. As they exited the stage, it was clear that Puscifer had once again delivered a uniquely cerebral and visually arresting set—one that challenged conventions and added a fascinating counterpoint to the Sessanta Tour’s eclectic celebration of Maynard James Keenan’s musical legacy.
Primus and Puscifer each delivered spellbinding performances during the Sessanta Tour, pushing boundaries both musically and theatrically. As the show transitioned from Puscifer’s brooding art rock to the eccentric flair of Primus, the energy shifted dramatically. Les Claypool led the charge with his iconic fretless bass and surreal showmanship, while guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde layered in angular riffs that veered from chaotic to melodic. Behind them, Josh Hoffman showcased remarkable precision and groove, locking in tightly with Claypool’s complex rhythms while adding his own flair to the classic material. The band launched into “Welcome to This World” with an explosive force, its jittery tempo and warped groove setting the tone for the delightfully strange ride ahead.
“Little Lord Fentanyl” became one of the night’s most memorable moments. The track’s theatrical elements were amplified by a surprise collaboration—Maynard James Keenan and Carina Round emerged not from center stage, but from the side stairs, acting as backup vocalists cloaked in anonymity at first. Their voices added a sinister, cult-like tone to the twisted nursery rhyme-style chorus, giving the performance an eerie and satirical edge. Claypool, in his typically oddball fashion, acted as a demented preacher, narrating the song’s absurdity with glee. The interplay between the three vocalists, paired with Hoffman’s precise yet playful drumming and LaLonde’s slippery guitar tones, gave the performance a unique blend of menace and hilarity.
Primus rounded out their portion of the night with a triple-shot of fan favorites: “My Name Is Mud,” “Jerry Was a Racecar Driver,” and “Welcome to This World.” “My Name Is Mud” was as thunderous and grimy as ever, with Claypool thumping his bass like a hammer while spitting out the lyrics with snarling confidence. “Jerry Was a Racecar Driver” brought the crowd to a boil with its frenetic energy and off-kilter narrative, featuring one of LaLonde’s wildest solos of the night. Hoffman held down the chaos with impeccable timing, adding subtle flourishes that kept the groove alive without sacrificing the song’s unhinged vibe. The Primus set felt less like a traditional concert and more like a surreal carnival—a perfect match for the twisted energy of the Sessanta experience.
After a brief stage reset, the lights dimmed and Puscifer entered to the disorienting pulse of “Flippant.” Dressed in matching uniforms and bathed in shifting hues of red and blue, the band transformed the stage into a post-modern sci-fi satire. Maynard James Keenan, now front and center, paired his mechanical, emotionless delivery with Carina Round’s rich harmonies, creating a vocal interplay that felt robotic yet deeply emotive. Guitarist and producer Mat Mitchell anchored the sound with eerie synth layers and taut guitar riffs, while drummer Gunnar Olsen laid down a tight, electronic-tinged rhythm section that pulsed through the venue like circuitry.
“Bullet Train to Iowa” was a highlight not only musically but visually, complete with projected visuals of Keenan’s alter ego Agent Dick Merkin and a hilarious yet unsettling mid-song monologue. The song’s tongue-in-cheek social commentary was delivered with dry wit and robotic swagger, as Carina and Maynard traded lines and movements like synchronized androids. “No Angel” followed with a far more introspective atmosphere—Round’s voice floated delicately over sparse synths and echoing guitar textures, while Keenan’s subtle delivery gave the song a ghostly elegance. Olsen’s drumming was minimal but deeply effective, driving the song with a heartbeat-like pulse that gave weight to every vocal phrase.
Puscifer closed with “The Algorithm,” a sprawling, genre-defying track that tied together the band’s themes of surveillance, technology, and existential dread. The performance was underscored by a massive wall of sound, with Mitchell’s swirling synths and Olsen’s hybrid electronic-acoustic drumming pushing the song toward industrial territory. Keenan and Round moved in hypnotic unison, their voices weaving in and out of each other like binary code. The song ended with a thunderous crescendo and a stark fade to black, leaving the audience suspended in eerie silence before erupting into applause. As the lights returned and the Sessanta collective reassembled for a final bow, it was clear that both Primus and Puscifer had delivered not only standout performances but vital contributions to a tour that was equal parts celebration and strange sonic ritual.
The show continued its genre-defying spectacle as A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, and Primus returned to the stage for their third sets of the night—each band delivering a fresh layer of sonic intensity and theatrical intrigue. A Perfect Circle began their second appearance with “The Contrarian,” a brooding and methodical composition made even more immersive by the vocal interplay between Maynard James Keenan and Carina Round. Round’s haunting harmonies brought new emotional depth to the song, creating a dual vocal performance that shimmered atop Billy Howerdel’s lush guitar textures. Greg Edwards added subtle synth accents and guitar flourishes, while bassist Matt McJunkins and drummer Josh Freese laid down a slow-burning, hypnotic groove that cast a spell over the audience.
From there, the band unveiled a newer track, “The Doomer,” with Carina Round again joining Maynard at the mic. Their harmonized vocals floated eerily over minimalist verses that built into a crescendo of layered guitars and ominous percussion. Freese’s drumming was particularly dynamic on this number, shifting seamlessly between restraint and thunderous propulsion. The stage was bathed in dark purples and deep reds, emphasizing the song’s tone of dread and reflection. Howerdel’s lead guitar carried a spectral quality, painting emotional strokes in between verses and making “The Doomer” feel like a lament for an unraveling world.
Rounding out their second set, A Perfect Circle delivered a powerful one-two punch with fan favorites “Weak and Powerless” and “The Outsider.” “Weak and Powerless” surged with vulnerability and tension, with Maynard’s voice piercing through a haze of melancholic riffs and distorted rhythm. McJunkins’ bass tone was rich and resonant, anchoring the band’s melodic descent. “The Outsider,” in contrast, was explosive—its defiant energy and anthemic chorus igniting a fiery reaction from the crowd. Howerdel’s guitar screamed with dissonance and urgency, while Freese’s crashing cymbals and galloping beats gave the track the raw edge it needed to close the set with intensity and catharsis.
After A Perfect Circle exited, Puscifer emerged once more in full theatrical form, beginning with the soul-stirring “The Humbling River.” The song unfolded slowly, with Keenan and Carina Round trading vocals in a delicate, almost spiritual exchange. Mat Mitchell’s guitar work shimmered like water in moonlight, and Gunnar Olsen’s restrained drumming enhanced the song’s emotional gravity. The crowd stood still, captivated by the reverence and vulnerability in the performance, which played like a solemn hymn amidst the more chaotic segments of the night. It was a moment of collective stillness, a reminder of the philosophical depth at the heart of Puscifer’s satire and spectacle.
The tone shifted dramatically with “Polar Bear,” a track that mixed absurdist lyricism with a danceable electro-rock pulse. Keenan, adopting another of his Agent Merkin personas, brought comic relief to the stage with robotic movements and tongue-in-cheek facial expressions, while Carina matched him with playful call-and-response vocals. The band dove into “The Remedy” to close their segment—a relentless anthem of defiance and liberation. Mitchell’s guitar growled with menace, Olsen’s drums pounded with unrelenting drive, and Keenan’s snarl cut through the mix with conviction. As strobes flashed and the chorus roared, Puscifer delivered a release that was both cathartic and chaotic, ending their set on a thrilling high.
Primus reemerged with just as much force and far more funk, launching into “Pablo’s Hippos,” a politically charged deep cut brimming with groove and sarcasm. Les Claypool, with his signature upright bass and warped charisma, narrated the song with a sardonic grin, while guitarist Larry LaLonde added jagged, angular riffs that danced unpredictably around the beat. Drummer Josh Hoffman, filling in seamlessly on this tour, brought a solid backbone to the piece, maintaining the complex rhythm with finesse and swagger.
The band then dove into the militaristic chaos of “Too Many Puppies,” Claypool barking out each line like a drill sergeant while LaLonde shredded through a dissonant solo. Hoffman’s precise drumming mirrored the song’s social commentary with a mechanical brutality, closing the set with a thunderous bang.
A Perfect Circle’s final set of the evening brought a blend of catharsis and unfiltered emotion that resonated deeply with the audience. Opening with the hauntingly elegant “The Noose,” the band delivered a slow, deliberate performance rich with tension and release. Maynard James Keenan stood back in the shadows, his signature silhouette barely visible as his voice soared over the song’s escalating intensity. Billy Howerdel’s guitar shimmered with melancholy, while Edward’s subtle guitar layering and Matt McJunkins’ somber bass lines created a richly textured atmosphere. Josh Freese’s drumming added an undercurrent of menace, gradually growing more forceful as the song built to its explosive climax, pulling the audience into its meditative swirl.
They followed with “Kindred,” a newer track that showcased A Perfect Circle’s evolving sonic identity. Carina Round returned to the stage to join Maynard on vocals, the two blending in eerie harmony across the song’s ghostly verses and emotionally charged chorus. Howerdel’s guitar tone was glassy and haunting, matching the song’s lyrical themes of distance and disillusionment. The band’s dynamic control was masterful—quiet moments stretched taut before giving way to sweeping crescendos, each band member contributing to a seamless tapestry of sound. Greg Edward’s minimalistic touches on keys and ambient guitar loops elevated the track’s introspective tone, while Freese once again demonstrated his skill at anchoring even the most delicate arrangements with steady, expressive drumming.
They closed their performance with a fiery rendition of “Judith,” the band’s most aggressive and direct song. The crowd roared as the first notes rang out, and Maynard’s voice—equal parts anguish and fury—cut through the distortion like a blade. Howerdel tore through the iconic main riff with precision, while McJunkins’ bass surged beneath it like a second wave of attack. Freese pounded his kit with surgical intensity, pushing the tempo and underscoring every bar with urgency. The emotional weight of the song was amplified by the visual contrast onstage: Maynard’s stoic stance and distant harmonies offered a stark counterpoint to the musical chaos unfolding behind them. It was a visceral ending to A Perfect Circle’s set, leaving the crowd exhilarated and breathless.
Primus returned for their final act, closing out their performance with an extended and mesmerizing version of “Southbound Pachyderm.” Les Claypool took the lead with his fretless bass carving the song’s unmistakable groove, his presence playful and commanding. Larry “Ler” LaLonde’s guitar danced unpredictably through the mix, slipping between psychedelic bends and jagged textures. But what truly elevated this performance into something extraordinary was the rotating, and eventually unified, trio of drummers: Josh Hoffman (Primus), Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle), and Gunnar Olsen (Puscifer). It began subtly—with Hoffman laying the foundation while Freese joined in from the side, adding polyrhythmic textures on auxiliary percussion.
As the song developed, Olsen stepped in, contributing electronic pads and atmospheric textures that added a dreamlike quality to the piece. The stage slowly transformed into a rhythmic cathedral—three drummers weaving together an intricate lattice of percussion that ebbed and flowed in lockstep with the band’s hypnotic instrumentation. As the song reached its climax, all three drummers performed in sync, each taking moments to lead before passing the baton, sometimes trading fills, sometimes uniting in thunderous unison. Claypool and LaLonde stretched the instrumental jam into exploratory territory, allowing the percussion to guide the dynamic shifts. The result was not just a song, but a multi-sensory journey that fused improvisation, precision, and sheer spectacle. “Southbound Pachyderm” became a tour de force—an unforgettable collaborative climax that symbolized the spirit of Sessanta: unity, creativity, and masterful musicianship across boundaries.
The night reached its transcendent finale with a breathtaking performance of Puscifer’s “Grand Canyon,” transforming the stage into a sprawling sonic landscape shared by every musician from the Sessanta Tour. As the deep pulse of the track began, Les Claypool stepped forward with his upright electric bass, laying down a resonant, earthy groove that rumbled beneath the surface like tectonic plates shifting. Carina Round’s vocals glided effortlessly over the atmospheric textures, her voice intertwining with Maynard James Keenan’s in a seamless blend of awe and reverence. Mat Mitchell (guitar/synth), Gunnar Olsen (drums), and Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle’s drummer) locked into a slow-burning rhythm alongside Primus’ Josh Hoffman, creating a hypnotic percussive foundation that carried the song forward like a slow river cutting through stone.
The stage swelled with collaborative energy as Billy Howerdel and Greg Edwards added shimmering guitar flourishes, painting panoramic sonic vistas while Matt McJunkins’ bass lines gave the track additional depth and pulse. Larry “Ler” LaLonde contributed ambient textures that merged with synth elements, enhancing the expansive feel of the song as Les Claypool stepped forward with his upright electric bass, laying down a resonant, earthy groove that rumbled beneath the surface like tectonic plates shifting.. Maynard stood center stage with Carina Round, a quiet force guiding the ensemble through a solemn, almost spiritual performance. As the track reached its crescendo, all three drummers—Freese, Hoffman, and Olsen—rose into a synchronized swell, pounding in unison as lights mimicked the fiery glow of a desert sunset. With every member of A Perfect Circle, Primus, and Puscifer onstage, “Grand Canyon” was more than a closing song—it was a grand, unified statement of musical reverence and camaraderie, drawing the Sessanta celebration to a powerful, majestic close.
