Maynard James Keenan’s Sessanta concerts were a badass birthday party

The mood was celebratory both onstage and off on April 16, when Maynard James Keenan's Sessanta Tour, in honor of his 60th birthday, came to Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre for the first of two nights of shows.

Moments of silence between songs were often punctuated with shouts of "Happy birthday!" from members of the crowd. Early in the show, Keenan blew out a candle on a cupcake.

But the most joyous moments of the evening came from the music itself, as Keenan's bands Puscifer and A Perfect Circle, as well as Primus, gave the audience three hours of unforgettable entertainment.

Drum kits and musicians in between sets hung out on the upper level of the stage setup, while on the floor, guitarists and singers roamed the stage.

As promised, each band performed a few songs before yielding the stage to another outfit, making for a spectacular three-act performance.

Also as promised, Keenan was unyielding about the no cameras/no phones policy. A brief video at the top of the show featured Keenan as his Puscifer alter ego, Agent Dick Merkin, promising to kill people who broke the rule and turn them into Spam.

He also took the time to shout out his adopted home state of Arizona and provide a bit of political commentary about the recent abortion ban.

“I’ve been out of town for about three weeks, out of state,” he said. “Anything change that I should know about? I don't know, like 1864? Jesus fucking Christ, people. Here’s my short speech, then I’ll fuck off. Register to fucking vote, please.”

It was a rare serious moment in an evening that had plenty of antics, including Keenan and Puscifer's Carina Round playing Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots; people playing ping-pong onstage during a Puscifer set; and Keenan and Les Claypool ascending to the upper level via motorized stair lift, a humorous jab at Keenan's advanced age.

The night closed with all three bands performing Puscifer's "Grand Canyon" (the only number the audience was allowed to photograph or film).

"That's how you turn 60, motherfuckers," Keenan said at the end of the show. We couldn't agree more.

Here's a look back.