Puscifer • Dave Hill • May 5, 2026 • Maverik Center
Reviewed and Photographed by Amelia Weyerstall
Puscifer and Dave Hill played a thrilling and theatrical show. Returning to Utah once again, Pucifer this time played at the Maverik Center in West Valley City for the Normal Isn’t Tour.
Dave Hill
The Comedian rockstar Dave Hill arrived on stage wearing a purple jumpsuit covered in patches via a tiny bicycle covered in stickers, and upon arriving on stage, he crashed the bike. Luckily, it was all part of the show, and Hill jumped off the fallen bike in a ball of energy. Hill started out his set by making very Utah-related jokes, and even made a joke about how “Salt Lake City is the epicenter of Utah,” which had a couple of people in the crowd scream along with their SLC pride.
Hill was also very good at having the crowd fall in love with him. He told the crowd to shout out “Dave, Dave, Dave…” every time there was a silent minute during his set, which kept the crowd asking for more and more from him; the crowd couldn’t get enough of his jokes or his songs. Hill’s act/set had the crowd cheering, laughing, and nodding along to the songs. One of the crowd’s favorite moments was when Hill broke out a set of nunchucks and was waving them around while cracking jokes.
Originally from Cleveland and New York, Hill started out as more of a guitarist than a comedian, playing for several bands over the years, but most notably the 2000s group Valley Lodge. That band famously created the theme song “Go” for “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”. Since then, Hill has taken up the comedy scene, acting, and going on tour with Puscifer.
The jokes weren’t just funny, but so were the stories in the songs as well, the crowd couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. Just like Hill rode in on the bike, he also rode off to end his performance.
Puscifer
The stage was set like it was an industrial factory, multiple levels, and the whole stage had grate- like floors and lights coming up through the floor. Before the band came out onto the stage, a video played, commanding the crowd to put their phones away and not to video or photograph the show in any way. After the crowd shouted in agreement, Puscifer slowly entered the stage with lead vocalists Maynard James Keenan and Carina Round on the upper levels of the stage, and the rest of the band (including original Puscifer member Mat Mitchell on the guitar) on the main level of the stage. Keenan and Round were in their signature Puscifer makeup looks and had very unique and on-theme outfits. Puscifer had everyone up on their feet and jamming out to the songs while performing.
Originally from Los Angeles, Puscifer was a side project created by Keenan (Who’s also the lead singer of Tool), but was later joined by Round and Mitchell to create what we all know today as Puscifer.
About a third of the way through the show, everything paused for a little movie on the backdrop called “Bangers and Mashups,” which was set like a reality cooking show in a very camp aesthetic, very different from Puscifer’s vibe. It went on to have them trying to bake to Round and Keenan bringing “Dark energy” to the show and contrasting the bright and vibrant camp of the fake reality show. This had the crowd laughing along to the moment, and had them cheering when the show was taken over by this dark energy and back to the concert itself. It leads into their hit song, “The Arsonist”. The band had an incredible stage presence, having commanded the crowd’s attention and had them jamming out to the songs.
Halfway through the show, there was an intermission for both the band and the crowd. During this break, a graphic popped up on the screen displaying a countdown till the show continued.
One moment from their set that stuck out in particular was during the song “The Remedy,” to which Keenan and Round staged a fake fight, matching the lyrics and vibe of the song. It wasn’t just a staged argument but a full-on fight with toy Nerf guns, fake bow and arrow, and even Round slapping Keenan across the face. The audience was cheering the whole time and loved the theatrical elements of the performance.
Another big fan favorite moment was during their song “Seven One,” which was almost like a poem over instrumentals, all including facts about the number 7, to which fans could read along to the lyrics as they were popping up on screen. The crowd was going wild.
At the end of the night, Round and Keenan broke character for a moment to thank the Salt Lake City crowd for coming out and showing their support. Dave Hill came back out onto the stage with his bike and joined in on the last song of the night, “A Public Stoning”. Puscifer and Dave Hill played a great show that the crowd absolutely loved.
