The American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by “Ashes Divide” guitarist Billy Howerdel and “Tool” vocalist Maynard James Keenan “A Perfect Circle” have reunited.
The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums. The latest line-up featured Marilyn Manson bassist and former Nine Inch Nails bassist Jeordie White; former guitarist for The Smashing Pumpkins, James Iha; and session drummer Josh Freese, who is best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails, Devo, and The Vandals.
A Perfect Circle has released three albums: Mer de Noms, Thirteenth Step and Emotive. A CD-DVD set, Amotion, has also been released and contains thirteen music videos in addition to a number of song remixes created by Danny Lohner. The group has not recorded, toured or released any new material since its hiatus began in 2004. Since then band members have worked on other projects; the most notable being Keenan’s work on Tool’s 2006 album 10,000 Days, and Howerdel’s founding of the band Ashes Divide.
In a 2008 interview, Keenan announced that he and Howerdel have been working on new material, officially ending the group’s hiatus.
Josh Freese and Billy Howerdel let the cat out of the bag back in August that the band planned to reform and today they announced a short fall tour and TV appearance. Here is the official word:
“A Perfect Circle, led by Maynard James Keenan (Tool, Puscifer) and Billy Howerdel (Ashes Divide), will embark on a five-city tour this fall (dates and ticket on-sale information will be announced shortly).”
On September 13, 2010, via their official Twitter and Facebook accounts, the band announced that Iha and Freese will be involved with the reunion, and that White would be replaced by Matt McJunkins, a former touring member of Puscifer and Ashes Divide.
Shows in Phoenix (Marquee Theatre), Los Angeles (Avalon), Seattle (Showbox at The Market) and San Francisco (The Fillmore) will be three-night stops with each night featuring one of A Perfect Circle’s three albums in its entirety (Mer de Noms, Thirteenth Step and eMOTIVe). Las Vegas (The Pearl) will be a two-night outing (Mer de Noms and Thirteenth Step).
The band will also perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Oct. 27.
For November they have planned 14 gigs in USA, including: Tempe (AZ), Los Angeles (CA), Seattle (WA), San Francisco (CA) and Las Vegas (NV).
Phoenix, Los Angeles and Seattle tickets go on-sale on Sept. 24 at 10 am pst. Las Vegas tickets are on-sale the same day, Sept. 24, at 12 noon pst. Tickets for the San Francisco shows are on sale on Sept. 26 at 10 am pst. There is a two ticket limit on all shows. There will also be VIP packages available thru Ticketmaster.
A Perfect Circle have sold four million records in the U.S. After the band announced their hiatus in 2005, Keenan focused on Tool , launched the multimedia project Puscifer and worked on his burgeoning Arizona vineyards. Howerdel went on to form Ashes Divide who released their debut album, Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright, in 2008.