10 Live Songs Better Than The Studio Recordings
4. When The Levee Breaks - A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle have maintained a reputation for being one of the most ethereal sounding bands of the 2000's. After experimenting with moodier soundscapes on their last record Thirteenth Step, the band released a politically charged covers album featuring a version of Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks."
While the actual version the band recorded offered a great synthetic take on the hard rock classic, the song wasn't a true masterstroke until the band performed it at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The opening piano work from James Iha drench the tune in melancholy just before Maynard James Keenan starts to sing of the horrors of this flood. Traces of the the original bluesy Zeppelin cut are nowhere to be found, with Billy Howerdel providing ethereal backing vocals before firing off a guitar passage that sends the listener through the stars.
Shortly after this, the band went on hiatus, leaving this as one of the last great artistic offerings fans would be left with for over a decade. Though the actual recorded version of this song is absolutely beautiful for what it is, it took a live performance to make this song sound like it was coming from a completely different plain of existence.