A Perfect Circle is a perfect amalgamation of alternative metal and alternative rock music. For the past eighteen years, this supergroup has performed in front of millions at some of the most famous arenas in the world.
The band is a manifestation of an idea conceived by two members of the iconic band Tool. Maynard James Keenan and Billy Howerdel who wanted to do something new and exciting, were those two. Yes, the band has been on a hiatus for a few years in the past and yes it has undergone line-up changes too but that has not had a detrimental effect on the quality of the music they produce. Now they are on tour and if you are a fan, then grab A Perfect Circle tickets and experience the power of their music live.
Early Life & Influences
A Perfect Circle’s music is not really inspired by a particular artist but music itself. This is what makes them so unique and their music so diverse. They have not really confined themselves to a specific genre and that has been one of their biggest strengths over the years.
Billy Howerdel had been Tool’s guitar technician for quite a while. While Tool was formed in 1990, Howerdel met Maynard James Keenan two years later. That was the time when the band was playing as an opening act for Fishbone. Howerdel was looking for a place to stay around 1995 so Keenan stepped in to help him out and offered him to set up camp in his home.
What was initially a friend helping out a friend, later laid the foundations for the formation of A Perfect Circle. Howerdel began to play certain demos for Keenan who was instantly impressed. Those sessions turned A Perfect Circle into a reality not too long afterwards. Tim Alexander, Troy Van Leeuwen and Paz Lenchantin were brought on board to complete the band’s first line-up.
They stepped on the stage for the first time at the Viper Club Reception in Los Angeles in August 1999. That was followed by a much bigger performance at Coachella in October. It did not take them too long to land a record deal and they hit the studio straight away to start work on their first album.
Breakthrough and Recognition
The name of the album was “Mer de Noms” and it hit the music stores on May 23, 2000. It was a critical and commercial success right from the very beginning. The record went to the fourth spot on the Billboard 200 on its debut and sold a whopping one hundred and eighty thousand copies in the first week alone. Those sales figures meant that Mer de Noms became the best selling debut album by any rock band in Billboard 200 history. The album spent fifty one weeks on the charts and was certified platinum in the United States. It received rave reviews from the critics as well. AllMusic, Q and Sputnikmusic all gave it four stars out of five.
Things began to slow down for A Perfect Circle by the end of the 2000s mainly because Keenan shifted his focus to Tool to record the group’s next album. When he came back, the group hit the road for a three month tour in the first half of 2001. He went back to Tool once again to support and release “Lateralus.” Because of Keenan’s commitments to Tool, their next album had to be delayed. In the meanwhile Leeuwen and Lenchantin left to join other groups and they were replaced by Danny Lohner and Jeordie White.
Notable Works and Album Releases
Keenan then returned in 2003 and the band came out with “Thirteenth Step,” their next album in September of the same year. It did even better than its predecessor and went to chart at the second spot on the Billboard 200 on debut. It sold in excess of two hundred and thirty thousand copies in its first week and also spent seventy eight weeks on the charts. It was certified platinum in the US as well.
Thirteenth Step was also widely applauded by the critics. AllMusic gave it four stars out of five while Alternative Press gave it five out of five. A Perfect Circle went on an extensive tour that began in July of 2003. This tour saw them not only perform in the US but also make their way to Europe, Japan and Australia.
Plans for the band to go on a hiatus were announced in 2004, but there was still time for them to work on and release their third album “Emotive” on November 2, 2004. It went to the second spot on the Billboard Top 200 Albums and was eventually certified gold in the US. Emotive received four stars out of five from The Guardian and three out of five from the Rolling Stone. They did not tour to promote the record because they went on a break shortly afterwards.
A Perfect Circle Tour Tickets
While there were rumors that this was the end of the road for A Perfect Circle, both Kennan and Howerdel refuted those claims. In September 2010, the comeback was officially announced. They began to perform live and continued doing that till 2013. Then in early 2017, after around four years, A Perfect Circle announced that they will be hitting the road again. They also announced that they will be coming out with their fourth album soon, which will be their first studio album in over thirteen years. As Howerdel put it:
"I’m always excited to get the machine back up and going.”
Now that they are performing live and will continue with that for the next few months, expect A Perfect Circle tour tickets to be in demand. If you plan on seeing them live, then this is your chance to do that.
