a perfect circle / electronic picnic (if then do, olivier saint-germain, kressel, likewise)
10-07-2011
parc de la riviere, gatineau & lebreton flats, ottawa
i wasn't planning on attending this show. i spent the afternoon dancing it up in a park a few blocks away, and dance it up i sure did in between engaging in cliched dreamer moments connecting with the sunset and the skyline. that the process of intertwining electronic beats at massive decibels with the beauty and serenity of nature can be profound, especially while intoxicated, is well known; it was a fun, messy day punctuated with gorgeous, recallable imagery...
the route i'd normally take home was blocked off due to the ottawa bluesfest, which takes over a huge area adjacent to downtown for two weeks in ottawa every summer. the act playing was a perfect circle, which is an act that, being a tool fan, i spent some time listening to 10 years ago and an act that i wouldn't have minded seeing, but not at a $60 price tag. nonetheless, i had to search for a detour around the show...
...and i found one that led directly into the concert grounds. fate can be cruel, but it can also be blissful. yes, i accidentally "snuck" into the show for free...
i missed the first 20-30 minutes, which is a bit of a shame (and i'm not complaining given the price i paid) because that was probably the material from mer de noms (released: 2000) that i would have known the best. as it is, while i *did* pick out a few songs i know, it seemed to me like the last half of the set was mostly covers.
now, while they *did* release a record of covers, i'd have to argue that it's a tad lame to tour that material instead of the original material that most of the audience was there to see. i heard a number of grumblings in the audience; "they didn't play ...". whining? fair? "..." was generally a song that any reasonable fan would have really expected them to play instead of a half hour covers set. i can sympathize with that criticism...
...but i can't sympathize with the "no encore" criticism, which i also overheard a dozen times, because they played for two hours, it was a festival set and there's a noise bylaw in ottawa that kicks in at 11:00.
on the one hand, i'm glad i made it into the show. it was nice hearing maynard's voice again, and it brought back a few memories. on the other hand, i'm glad i didn't pay for the show and can understand why some of the people that did were a little disappointed.
i think it's probably time for maynard, iha, howerdel and the masses to leave apc in the past.
there is some ottawa footage above, but here is a full set from the same period:
