Puscifer brings Money Shot to life with a cinematic and surreal livestream concert film

Billy D & the Hall of Feathered Serpents featuring ‘Money Shot’ by Puscifer (how’s that for a mouthful?) marks the second concert film from Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer this year, following Existential Reckoning: Live At Arcosanti. Like its predecessor, Billy D & the Hall of Feathered Serpents is a wild cinematic take on the band’s music and live show, and demonstrates the untapped creative potential for future livestream events.

The film starts out with Keenan’s character “Billy D” stumbling through the desert in the midst of an awkward apology call to what we presume to be his partner. He soon notices a beautiful woman and brings her to a dive bar that happens to be populated with a number of Luchadores. After accidentally insulting the Luchadores by ignorantly inquiring about their “underoos,” the highfalutin bartenders (or “bartesians” as they prefer to be called) slip something into Billy D’s drink.

Thus begins a journey through the proverbial rabbit hole as Billy D enters the “Hall of Feathered Serpents,” complete with Luchadores moshing to a performance from Puscifer in the midst of a giant wrestling stage.

“In this prequel to his alleged abduction during Existential Reckoning, we find Billy D trudging through what has been referred to as the Bermuda Triangle of the Southwest,” singer Maynard James Keenan explained in a press release ahead of the show. “As is common within the Puscifer Vortex, Time and Logic have no home out here. Let that go. Just strap in for another magnificent ride through our collective Grey Matter.”

After the elaborate and entertaining opening, the film focuses on Puscifer’s performance of their 2015 album Money Shot in full. Filmed in the historic Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, a striking 1920’s performance hall accentuated with beautiful Mayan-inspired architecture, the setting lends a dramatic backdrop to Puscifer’s ethereal and moody material.

The film then showcases the band (Keenan and Carina Round on vocals, Mat Mitchell on guitar, Greg Edwards on bass and keys, and Gunnar Olsen on drums) playing on a spare stage set up in the Mayan Theatre. That footage alternates with clips of the band performing in and around a giant wrestling ring as the enthusiastic Luchadores dance around them and chase Billy D through the bewildering surroundings.

Before each song begins, we visit with the increasingly loony “bartesians” (played by Jacob Vargas and Clifton Collins) who introduce each track as they experiment with ridiculous new cocktail ideas.

While the overarching narrative of Billy D descending into the band’s netherworld adds an entertaining structure to the film, the beautifully shot and recorded band performances are truly the star here. With Billy D & the Hall of Feathered Serpents, Puscifer has delivered an immersive experience that melds their music with the band’s trademark theatricality and off-beat humour. We’ve come a long way since last year’s iPhone-shot livestreams, and with this film, Puscifer proves just how far acts can go to bring their wildest ideas to life in a way they never could during a traditional live show.

Billy D & the Hall of Feathered Serpents featuring ‘Money Shot’ by Puscifer is available on-demand through Sunday, April 25 at 11:59 pm. Tickets are available here.