Puscifer in Cleveland

About Puscifer

Puscifer is Maynard James Keenan's side project, a deliberate detour from Tool's mathematical heaviness into something weirder and more theatrical. Started in the '90s as an occasional experiment, it became a full creative outlet where Keenan could indulge his taste for industrial textures, deadpan humor, and unsettling imagery. The project embraces absurdity—album artwork featuring fictional characters, song titles that are deliberately crude, and a general refusal to take itself seriously while remaining sonically ambitious. Where Tool demands reverence, Puscifer invites skepticism. The live experience is deliberately theatrical and occasionally confrontational, with Puscifer often acting as a character rather than just a musician. It's Keenan's playground for exploring the uncomfortable space between aggression and artistry.

Puscifer shows are deliberately weird and sometimes hostile to the audience. Keenan treats crowds like they need to be earned, not entertained. Expect industrial soundscapes, theatrical staging, and an atmosphere that's more unsettling than cathartic. Not everyone leaves happy. That's intentional.

Known for Conditions of My Parole, Mommy Daddy Smoke Crack, The Remedy, Hungry for Heaven, Apocalyptical

Puscifer + Cleveland

Puscifer touched down in Cleveland back in November 2011 at Lakewood Civic Auditorium, delivering a setlist that felt like a tour through Maynard James Keenan's experimental side project at its most confident. They opened with the spoken-word setup of 'Maynard Monologue' before rolling into 'The Green Valley' and the genuinely unsettling 'Tiny Monsters.' The band hit their stride midway through with 'The Rapture (Fear Is a Mind Killa Mix)' and 'Rev 22:20'—heavier moments that proved Puscifer could hold their own beyond the Tool shadow. They closed with 'Tumbleweed,' leaving the crowd with something oddly meditative after nearly two hours in the room.

Puscifer in Cleveland News

• Puscifer’s ‘Normal Isn’t’ tour coming to Akron Civic Theatre in 2026 Cleveland.com · Oct 21, 2025
• Maynard James Keenan brings Sessanta tour to Blossom Music Center (review) Cleveland.com · May 27, 2025
• A Perfect Circle, Primus & Puscifer's Second 'Sessanta' Tour Kicked Off With The Live Debut A New Primus & Maynard James Keenan Song Theprp.com · Apr 25, 2025
• A Perfect Circle, Primus, and Puscifer Set to Kick Off 2025 "Sessanta V2.0" Tour Consequence of Sound · Apr 23, 2025
• A Perfect Circle/Tool/Puscifer Frontman Maynard James Keenan Discusses Sessanta Tour's Origins Cleveland Scene · Apr 22, 2025

Live Music in Cleveland

Cleveland has always been oddly hospitable to art rock and experimental acts—it's the city that gave us Chrissie Hynde and Pere Ubu, after all. That sensibility means Puscifer's blend of industrial textures, spoken word, and prog-adjacent songwriting finds natural purchase here. The crowd tends to be thoughtful rather than rowdy, which suits the band's deliberate, sometimes cryptic approach. It's not a typical rock city anymore, but it still appreciates artists who take risks.

Cleveland road trip to see Puscifer?

Stay in Ohio City, where Victorian brownstones meet serious coffee shops and galleries. Dinner at Fairmount, where chef Jonathon Sawyer sources locally and cooks with real technique—expect seasonal American food that doesn't announce itself. Spend an afternoon at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which is free and genuinely excellent. Walk through the West Side Market before the show, grab something you don't need, and feel the bones of the city. The whole neighborhood has that working-class dignity that makes Cleveland distinct.