Puscifer brought power and intensity to Phoenix concert

It’s always a homecoming of sorts when Maynard James Keenan performs in the Valley.

The adopted son of Arizona, who’s lived in the central part of the state for more than 25 years, and his band Puscifer seared the senses of the crowd on Saturday, March 21, at Arizona Financial Theatre.

The show was the second date on Puscifer’s Normal Isn’t tour, a jaunt named after the band’s newest album, which debuted on Feb. 6.

“What they’ve created with this new record is not a flat surface to dance upon but rather a cave to lurk in and explore, fueled by fierce drums, synths, guitars and vocals,” Phoenix New Times reported in February. “In some of its chambers, the tracks pull you into a frenetic vibe. In others, the music pushes you around as you brood.”

Saturday’s concert gave fans live performances of every song on “Normal Isn’t,” plus a few tracks from earlier albums, such as “Conditions of My Parole” off the album of the same name and “The Underwhelming” and “Bullet Train to Iowa” off 2020’s “Existential Reckoning.”

Like all Keenan-involved concerts, the use of phones and cameras was verboten and strictly monitored until almost the end of the show. The singer is famous for abhoring mid-show photos and videos.

“You’re annoying the person behind you,” he told New Times in 2024. “They shouldn’t have to watch the show through your phone. It’s not going to look good. You’re just wasting your time.”

So, there may not be much footage from this weekend’s show, but for those who attended, the music is still ringing in their ears.

Here’s the full setlist from the March 21 Puscifer concert, along with a few more photos of the show:

• “Thrust”
• “Normal Isn’t”
• “Bad Wolf”
• “Self Evident”
• “The Algorithm”
• “The Quiet Parts”
• “Pendulum”
• “The Underwhelming”
• “Mantastic”
• “Bullet Train to Iowa”
• “The Remedy”
• “The Humbling River”
• “Momma Sed”
• “ImpetuoUs”
• “Seven One”
• “Conditions of My Parole”
• “Grand Canyon”
• “A Public Stoning”