So, too, is the show itself, which is preceded by the message: ‘We would like for you to be in the moment as much as possible, with distractions’ proving that while the presentation of live shows may have changed, Maynard’s attitude to their importance definitely hasn’t. What follows is a cohesive affair that marries Existential Reckoning’s relatively lo-fi electronics with Kraftwerk-esque visuals, with the band playing the album in sequence, and formal title cards introducing the 12 songs.
During opener Bread And Circus, the lights stay low and the camera angles closely cropped, but as things progress into Apocalyptical and The Underwhelming, the viewer is provided with an increasing sense of scale. The occasional overhead shots, showing the circular tiers of the amphitheater-like structure the band are performing in, give proceedings the air of a ritual. But of what? A divine intervention? An alien abduction? The sacrifice of our selfishness to enable a brighter future, perhaps? All the above?