Puscifer blows minds at psychedelic show

PUSCIFER, NEIL HAMBURGER, Capitol Theatre, Nov. 18

What started as a camping trip turned into a musically psychedelic, technological mind trip at the Capitol Theatre Wednesday night.

Puscifer, led by Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, kicked off the show in a tent pitched on the stage. After clearing things up with his manager (via mobile phone and MacBook Pro), he made his band — featuring guitarist Johnny Polonski and guest percussionist Tim Alexander (of Primus) play an 1½-hour set that included all the songs from the band's debut CD "V Is for. ..."

The stage was decked out with a barbecue grill, lawn chairs, bottles of wine, two HD TV monitors and a large video screen hung over the stage,

Keenan delivered his trademark sublimely frantic vocals on powerful arrangements of "Momma Sed," "Indigo Children" and "Polar Bear."

When not needed, the band members casually put down their instruments, sat in lawn chairs and sipped the wine, and when they prepped themselves to join the playing, they kept the casual atmosphere alive and nonchalantly stepped to their stations and began to play.

"Dozo," "The Undertaker," "Queen B" and "The Mission" were performed with unnatural precision that appeared both brilliant and spooky.

And the audience ate it all up and screamed for more.

Alexander, all dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood, added his powerful syncopation to the throng while Polonski pushed and pulled dynamic sounds and screams from his guitar.

Even opening comedian Neil Hamburger stepped onto the stage and helped himself to a drink before stopping the show during the holy-roller rant of "Sour Grapes" to deliver one of his off-color jokes.

The darkness of "Trekka," and the sinister toy piano intro to "Drunk With Power" were other shades of mystique and nuance that peppered the set.

Still, music and sets weren't the only things the show offered.

Between every few songs, the big screen lit up with comedy video skits that pondered what the band's name, which happened to be the name of the band's demon-girl mascot, really meant.

Puscifer took the stage after a hit-and-miss comedy act performed by Hamburger.

Some audience members heckled Hamburger, who heckled back. Others laughed at every button-pushing joke and off-color riddle.

Britney Spears, Aerosmith, Michael Jackson and Down syndrome children were caught in Hamburger's cross hairs.

e-mail: scott@desnews.com