07.29.09 - Charlotte, NC @ Bojangle's Coliseum [Archive]

Freshspence

07-29-2009, 07:50 PM

well what a difference 2 days, 3 beers, and 1 new perspective does for a show. going into tonight, after ATL, and knowing the setlist, i was going to enjoy the show for what it is (and not what i wanted it to be). and it worked. tonight was solid. instead of fighting the floor crowd and trying to get up close, i just grabbed a spot at the soundboard and chilled. had a beer, waited to tweak to sing like girls about spaceships, headed out for a piss break, grabbed two final beers and headed back in for the main show. standing at the front right corner of the sound board, i had a great view of the entire stage, and hoped i was in quasi-optimal sound position. im sure its just me (since my opinions and preferences seem to buck the trend of this "Opinion" forum") but i like being farther away. tonight i could actually see the new and different visuals everyone has been talking about, and taking into account i wasnt waiting to hear something that wasnt coming, i just enjoyed the show for what it was. and i liked it. much better than ATL. props to everyone who made it happen. i may post more tomorrow, but for now i am done. im honestly very glad tonight redeemed monday night. i was in a pissy mood all day knowing all i was going to hear was the same songs/order ive heard since 2006. but late in the day, i got a new perspective, i changed my expectations, grabbed a new spot on the floor, and rocked the hell out of a killer show. my previously blown faith in tool has been restored. now if i could just get my wife to blow some faith into my tool...

Otto Mustaine

07-29-2009, 08:00 PM

First of all, Danny Carey is a fucking great drummer. And I guess that makes up for the fact that he wore a University of Kansas basketball jersey in Tar Heel country. Danny, Adam and Justin rocked their asses off. But where was Maynard? He wore all black, stood at the back of the stage next to Danny's kit, had his back turned to the audience 95% of the time and had almost zero interaction with the audience. And his vocals really got lost in the mix. But that could be that the acoustics in Bojangles Coliseum aren't great. Also, the stage lights were never pointed at Maynard. Which tells me that the whole black garb, back of stage, etc... is an artistic decision to kind of disappear. Fine. So Maynard gave as little of Maynard as was possible. By contrast, when Lateralus ended and the roadies were taking the Tweak Bird drummer's kit off the stage, Justin helped them. Who would you rather hang out with? Maynard or Justin? And Justin seemed to have a beer stashed in every corner of the stage. Everywhere he went on stage there was a beer waiting for him. I need to learn how to arrange my little world that way. Overall, despite all my bitching about Maynard, it was a great show. I just wish Maynard would make an artistic decision to reappear and give his fans some love.

wes

07-29-2009, 08:07 PM

wow tool just blew 11,000 Fans away in charlotte . They came on at 9:06 p.m.and finished at 10:55 P.m. Great show all around . Very tight tonight. Could hear vocals well . Good visuals . Tool has a great production. Well worth my 60 Bucks . We sat in section112 7 Rows from the floor in the circle . Danny'S kick drum was straight in line with my chest it hit my spine bounced off my sternum and messaged my heart . Seriously I felt every beat it was awsum . Thanks tool your music is very special to me . And I hope to see you again soon.

twentyfive&1

07-29-2009, 08:40 PM

mohaafajita

07-29-2009, 09:10 PM

megatom5

07-29-2009, 09:16 PM

This is my 4th Tool show. I saw them twice touring for lateralus and then the Bonnaroo show in 07 and this one. I've gotta say I was a little hesitant to even go to this show I bought tickets back in June and ever since I saw the first setlist posted I felt something I've never felt before apathy about seeing Tool. Since my formative years of music listening I've been a huge Tool fan, and seeing them put such little effort into a new show is kind of heart breaking honestly. Don't get me wrong the performance tonight was quite good, but it was a good performance of a very tired act. To go into more depth Justin sounded amazing Adam was pretty much spot on and of course Danny just kills everytime. I also liked some of the new visuals especially the stuff projected on the floor. I almost feel bad for the people in the pit because some of the coolest stuff could only be seen from above. Also I thought the sound was pretty good from where I was.

But onto the bad part, Maynard doesn't seem to be trying very hard. he uses the voice distortion thing way too much and it downs out his vocals and he uses it in a good deal of songs that don't have any vocal distortion at all. Some songs still have tight vocals like Schism and Stinkfist but Rosetta Stoned just does not translate well as a live song at least with the vocal part. Also I'm sorry but these shows are kind of a rip off honestly. Think about it, every other time I've seen them they played for about two and a half hours with very little filler in between. This show they played for less than two hours and had nearly a half hour of that being filler/ ambient noise. I have to say that I'm not a fan of Adam's synthesizer intros they just don't mesh well with the songs usually, and lets face the facts all the time spent on these they could being playing a real song. It got to the point that nearly half the people around me would sit down in between songs because of the long drawn out intros. I even timed the intro to Lateralus it took over 4 minutes in that time they could have fit Sober, any number of songs from Opiate. Also what's the deal with the band just standing there for 5 minutes midway through the show? I have to say that overall I'm glad I went, I mean I guess it would have been worse to waste the $60 ticket, but I feel like I got ripped off by my favorite band. I saw Metallica last fall with lamb of god and the sword all for $80, the show lasted almost four hours, I just expect more from a band of this caliber and I know they are capable of so much better. I was talking with some random couple as I was leaving and they basically said this was the last Tool show they would go to because they had seen them thrice now with the same show, I told them they used to be really good with the setlist on lateralus tour. I hate to say it but I might agree with them at least if they keep playing the same shit. And for all the fans who for some reason are acting like their not disappointed in this tour, don't just call me pessimist try to read between the lines.

Flavor Of The Week

07-29-2009, 10:09 PM

Great show. Missed Jambi last tour due to a fight next to us. Got to hear it. Didn't get to hear Aenema last tour, got to hear it this time. So personally I was very pleased.

As far as people whining about Maynard not facing the crowd simply: shut up.

From my vantage point, when he was facing the crowd I saw his profile, when he wasn't facing the crowd - I saw his profile. Boo hoo. Nice 'hawk tho.

I laughed a bit when he would sit down behind Danny. Full leather outfit can't be too comfortable.

Yes, the laser pointer was unfortunate. Liked how Maynard just swung around while singing and sort of gestured to the screens as if, "I'll sing this way now."

All in all, very good show. Thought the sound was great. Lights looked super also.

And my two cents, I feel like the setlist is a perfect repertoire of their material. Thoroughly enjoyable rock band. Party on.

lolmoments:
Myself and two brothers sat together to my left, to my right, two dudes, to their right, two chicks. A guy came up to myself and dudeman, and said, "You're in our seats MAN!" So dude and I look at respective tickets. "Nope, sorry. What section are you in?" "ONE OH EIGHT YOU'RE IN OUR .... oh, sorry." And he walked off. "Learn to READ."

Not a minute later a different guy and his girl come over and say "Is anyone sitting here," as two chicks and one dude were gone. Dude to my right explains yes. "Oh there are people in our seats and we don't want to be mean. ;( " Dude says, "Tell THAT woman and make them move?" "Oh..."

Dude's friend came back and thought we had exaggerated. It was good laugh. Our seats must have looked tantalizing.

third.beyond

07-29-2009, 10:45 PM

I'm still not sure how I feel about this show. It was amazing, regardless... but I don't know if I left feeling the way that I expected to feel. I now believe that I left the show feeling the way that Tool wanted the audience to feel.

Where shall I begin...

Of course Maynard faced away from the audience, only seen in silhouette. His goal was to focus the attention on the other members of the band. They are just as essential to the Tool experience as he is, and don't get credited enough.

At times, I forgot Maynard was even on stage. One almost had to strain to pick out his voice amongst the music. However, I believe it is Tool's goal to make the experience not about the members, but about the music. There was no connection between Maynard and the audience whatsoever. He succeeded in accomplishing this. However, I missed the connection that was achievable through him being visible, and his vocals being more distinct. I guess the ultimate question is does one achieve a better connection to a song through it being presented without the singer being visible, and the vocals being less clear... and gaining a deeper connection to the musical instruments, or is a spectator's connection to a song best achieved through the lyrics? I'm not sure yet, but I do miss the emotion that ensues clarity of vocals, particularly pertaining to songs with deep-seated emotion, such as Tool's. I'm not sure yet, but I still felt distant at certain points throughout the show.

Fun tidbits:
- all screens for Jambi were improperly calibrated, and strange to view. Also, during Jambi, the Alex Grey artwork that is usually projected behind them for their first few songs were out of proportion, and no longer displayed until the first screen was dropped.
- For Schism, the side screens were peculiarly positioned
- For Vicarious, the leftmost screen displayed a sliver of alex grey artwork, while the leftmost screen displayed a mirror image of what was playing on the center screens. Either the leftmost screen should have displayed Alex Grey, or the rightmost screen should have had an image of the vicarious video.
- Someone was having fun with a laser pointer for the first half of the show. They were forcefully removed by security during "lost keys"
- Maynard was very untalkative. "Good evening." "Presenting Ashton *something* from tweak bird, also known as *something*... let the drumsterbation begin!." "Remove that drum kit from the stage (or something like that)" "And thank you for coming out tonight". were his only spoken words.
- Lasers were top-notch. Amazing laser show. Lighting was excellent. All visuals with the exception of some of the video displays were superb.
- The crowd really went wild during the intermission. Maynard did walk away from the back screen and join the rest of the band for a moment, and the entire coliseum lit their lighters. It was quite a sight for a sold out show.
- Frisbees, and other fun things were thrown to the audience by Justin, Danny, and Adam at the end of the show.
- Moshing seemed to be non-existant, even though there were quite a few ridiculous looking dancing people toward the back of the floor.
- Lines for the bathroom were unbelievably long for men, but women could use the restrooms with ease. (not too many ladies in the audience)
- The one time I used the restroom, there were three empty bottles of Delsym cough syrup and two empty containers of Zicam cough spray on the floor. X'D
- Last, but not least, I saw guy purchase as rip-off tool tour shirt for 10 dollars from a t-shirt scalper (idk what they are actually called, but they sell the fake tour shirts) after the scalper pulled the shirt out his ass (literally reached back into his pants and pulled it out). Lol. that made my night.

Eh, it was worth 30 bucks. I'll have to see a few more shows this tour to get used to the new feeling obtained from Maynard performing the way he is. He's never been the spot-light kind of guy, but I think he's really pushing it to the limit, at the stake of their live display. Oh well. They're still selling out. As long as they keep rockin' I'll be happy. :D

third.beyond

07-29-2009, 10:48 PM

ToolNGT

07-29-2009, 11:35 PM

I loved this show. It was my first Tool show and im also very young into my love of tool. Literally i have liked them for like 6 months(im a teenager though soo..). But, my god was this show great. Aenima is my favorite album and aenema was the highlight of my night. It was great, i was yelling every word and so was basically everyone in the whole stadium. Adam, Danny, and Justin were obviously spot on. The only real problem was maynards vocals on Rosetta Stoned. I just couldn't understand one word but that could have been the acoustics in the colliseum or maynard was just quiet. ehh.

I thought that maynard was quite into it. Not talkative or anything but he really seemed into the songs. But, he also seemed bored in some songs. I sat on the right side(from maynards view point) of the stage and a bit up. Great view of the stage!!!

univonc

07-30-2009, 02:01 AM

'Good evening'
'I'd like to introduce Ashton Leach, AKA Laser Leach'
'Let the drumsterbation begin'
'Please excuse these doctors while they remove this drum set'
'Thanks for coming out'

That was about all we got from Maynard, other than excellent singing and a little robot dancing during 46&2.

I watched from the floor, about 6 rows back from the rail. It all sounded great, but was SO fucking loud! I watched the 07 show from the nosebleeds, so this was a nice change to basically the same show.

Jambi kicked ass with the slightly slower tempo. We got the full intro for Flood (a song Maynard sang much better than the original). The crowd energy was over the top for AEnema.

But as was said, the crowd sucked. There are some really dumb fucking people in this world. I hate feeling like I am about to fight someone at all times at a concert.

Let me add to that. The crowd were a bunch of idiots around me. I sat in section 115 which was straight back and only 3 rows are there. Great unobstructed view.

In front i had "monkey boy"who the whole night stood against the rail a did a chimpanzee up and down dance with his hands on the rail. The seats next to me on the left were continuously filled by the "next mystery guest", only to be removed by the female usher.

Then what beats all is that some asshole next to my son on the right was evidently drunk and possibly on something else followed us to the car yelling at the fact that i had an empty seat to hold my recording equipment (which was concealed and not in anyone face). he was evidently more pissed that i used that seat that I paid for holding stuff, despite the multiple unfilled seats around him.

The crowd for Slipknot was more tame than this. would I go see TOOL again? Absolutely, but the crowd made it hard to fully enjoy a full spectacle.

twentyfive&1

07-30-2009, 03:50 AM

I was in front of Justin, about 6 rows back on the floor. Right where the mosh pit full of kids started. Also a fight broke out around here, very beginning of the show.

The band was great tonight. It was very loud, and my ears still are ringing. Being the first time I have seen them, I loved the show. However, Maynard seems a step lower than the rest of the crew in effort.

Still had a great time, had a great spot, only negative part is I was sober,

We must have been next to each other - fight to the right, mosh to the left. I had my daughter with me (her 2nd Tool show). She is only 5'4" and a whole bunch of tall and/or goofy bastards kept forcing their way in front of her. She couldn't see shit and had to hold up her cell phone just to get a shitty glimpse of the stage.

Oh, and some really fucked up girl was hitting on my kid. VERY CREEPY.

But the beligerent pricks bullying by and spilling their beers on us with no apology was just about too much.

Not very proud of my home state right now. See you down in Tennessee Bay?

sohnjchlick

07-30-2009, 05:09 AM

This being the 8th time I have seen Tool, I can easily say this was the worst show I have seen. The band was ok but Maynard was terrible. It seemed like he did not care. And I am deeply offended by the setlist. I was pretty much the same setlist I saw two years ago but shorter. I was expecting at least one new song or at the least a new take on a old song. The concert was a money grab and I am just disappointed. I thought I would never say this but Tool was just lazy and I will be hesitant on buying Tool tickets in the future.

McMAN71

07-30-2009, 05:10 AM

It seems that a lot of the negative response about the band's performance centers around the fact that Maynard is not being a frontman anymore. Granted, I remember the old days when Maynard was out front, and it was awesome. But back then, Tool didn't have the light show or the video screens like they do now. Tool, and Maynard especially, have never been ones to make it about themselves. They aren't in their videos. They give very few interviews. Now, they have the means to do the same thing with their stage show.

Last night I paid very little attention to what the band was doing onstage and it was awesome. I have to give some serious props to Junior, because the show was incredible. I think that Maynard has now become the "anti-frontman", which may just be the most punk rock rove that any singer can make. He stands in the back, hiding in the shadows. He changes his voice electronicly to suit the song. He doesn't want you to notice him, because there is so much cool shit going on all around him. Pay attention to the lights and the video, because its the best thing going today. Every other show I go to, the band makes it about themselves. They dance around the stage, talk shit, do long and intricate solos and we eat it up. We expect it from everyone. Sure, other bands have good light shows and use video walls, but it is more of an accent instead of the main focus. I believe that in future shows, Maynard may continue to hide even more. Reviews from 3 or 4 years from may include "we caught a glipmse of Maynard tonight!" My final point to this is that I can understand why we don't get certain older songs that require Maynard to be up front. It wouldn't work for this model. Maybe Junior is the frontman now!

Btw, was it just me, or did we get a couple snippets of new music last night? Specifically, the music the band played prior to Schism, Lost Keys and Vicarious. It was no more than a minute each, contained no riffs or real melodies, but the structure of the music didn't quite fit the songs that they preceded.

For all the people that tend to stay away from the boards before their show: because we knew the setlist, we knew that there would be nothing after Vicarious. The second Maynard exited stage right (again, anti frontman!) we were out, got to the car and were on Monroe Rd is less than 10 minutes AHEAD of the traffic. Most everyone was still hanging around waiting to hear hear Sober. The poor drunken rednecks in front of us were chanting it the whole evening.

All things considered, it was a great night, and I will definately be seeing them again.

eXtreme98

07-30-2009, 05:11 AM

My first concert ever and I must say it was epic :P

Yeah, I saw some dude getting removed from the G.A. area. I was on Adams side at the very top @ 107.

Anyway, my favorite was Rosetta Stoned :)

Tweak bird was awesome and when the drummer played with Tool and just jammed with DC that was cool to watch.

Over all, amazing concert and I will definitely see them again.

McMAN71

07-30-2009, 05:43 AM

For all visitors to Charlotte: located to the west of Charlotte is Gaston county. Gaston county is a mostly rural "old south" area that happens to be the birthplace of Fred Durst. In fact, Durst lived in Gastonia until junior year of high school, when his father was foced forced to resign from the sherrifs dept. Although there are many fine people living in Gaston county, and parts of it are quite nice, there are a disprapotionate number of young men who look, talk, dress and act like Mr. Durst. In 2009. I believe that every one of those young men were at the Tool show last night. They are no longer represenative of Charlotte as a whole, and the were thankfully not the majority of those in attendance last night, but they were there, as they are in many rock shows and they tend to really make their presence known to the detrement of those around them. As long as you realize that they cant help it, and they really are mostly harmless, you can begin to ignore them and have a great time at the show.

l David l

07-30-2009, 05:50 AM

Second show this tour, first being Duluth, which I did not review because I thought it was medicore for a Tool concert and didnt want to add to all the negative reviews. 4th time overall, last two being on the previous tour.

First off, way the fuck better than Duluth. I had section 118 which was just before mid way back and half way up at Duluth, view wasnt that great. I heard how much better it is to get seats so you can see everything.

Well I had floor tix for this concert. I loved being able to work my way closer and closer to the band and actually seeing the expressions on their faces.

Sound was 10000 times better than Duluth. It was louuuud which I prefer, and could actually hear Maynard trying to sing this time.

I missed Jambi cus fucking traffic was rediculous and not to mention you had to pay to park, so if you were about the 5th car in line before paying, it still took 5 minutes to get up there. That shit slowed the traffic down big time.

Highlights for me were Flood and Aenema. Also the extended sections from Stinkfist and Schism, love those so much. I think they need to work on the drum off/solo section in Lateralus. Its cool and everything and I love watching Danny wail away on the drums, but I think he coulda done a better job. Like last tour was a bit better on that part.

You guys complain a lot about the crowd. Its a rock concert in the south. Youre gonna see a lot of idiots. Just ignore them unless they are elbowing you in the face or something. I was fine on the floor, packed in there.

Very nice to be up so close to the band. During lateralus and a few other songs, you could see Danny smiling just having a blast, same with Justin. Adam was getting into it too, which he's usually a little more reserved. Maynard was Maynard, no surprise there but didnt ruin anything for me. It was expected. He did move around and dance back there in the shadows though.

OMG about the line for the bathrooms. Obviously no line for womens cus the crowd was 90% male, but seriously. I left right before Lost Keys to take a piss, got to the line for the bathroom in 20 seconds. Ended up missing the beginning of Rosetta. The bathroom was a line of about 6 or 8 stalls, and you had to wait in a small little hallway next to a bunch of big sweaty dudes. The girl I was with was waiting outside and got hit on by like every guy there, so she just told them shes waiting for her boyfriend and some guy made a smart comment right when I walked out. Kinda funny but glad it didnt turn into anything bad.

Over all the band as a 3/4 was tight as hell. Very energetic, smiling, having a good time. They were really appreciative after Vicarious before they got off the stage. I came within 50 ft of catching Dannys frisbee (not sure what its called?). When he threw one of his sticks to the crowd, he chucked it hard as hell and it hit off something on the cealing and bounced back to the stage, he laughed.

hmm, thats about it from me. Still think its funny how most of the crowd starts singing "Ill keep digging" before the extended part in Stinkfist, and they get all the way to "feel something" before they realize its different.

Hope they do one more album and one more tour.

kanaduh

07-30-2009, 06:02 AM

in a rush to get on the road for fairfax so i'm sorry if anything is repeated from previous reviews:

-I hope other people can back me up on this, I was fucking pissed last night! After Flood in the brief improvization before Aenema, Adam walked over and said something to both danny and justin. I was waiting for aenema to start, but then danny started playing the first few seconds of...eulogy! I swear to god I heard it. Then 5 seconds later, adam started playing the guitar parts to eulogy as well. It was only for a few seconds, but i'm 100% sure I heard that. My heart stopped for a good 10 seconds in excitement.

Alas, those opening notes of Aenema were quite disapointing.

Next I have to mention this venue... "Bojangles Coliseum"
I've never seen a venue like this before!
Security did not exist, seriously. "jwb" and I walked from our hotel through the back entrance of the venue before the show and managed to get into a restricted area. We talked with the video tech for tool for a bit and got approached by event staff asking how the hell we got back in the tour bus area. There was nothing blocking it off...

After throwing back some beers at the hotel, we walked back around 7:30 after the doors opened and once again walked through this back entrance. There was one significantly overweight security guard sitting on her chair who saw jwb and I hop the barrier, but she didn't do anything - not that she was really capable of doing anything. We wander into this tented area where they are selling beer and "bojangles chicken".

Turns out we somehow already got into the ticket area without showing our ticket. We were able to walk right into the venue without beign searched or getting tickets scanned. It was hilarious - The security made absolutely no sense. There was one entrance from the tented area with 6 guards using those special wands for finding metal on people entering - yet right beside that door there was another door that was wide open with free access in/out of the venue. We just walked right in...

Pretty standard show for tool. Maynard didn't say much and faced the back for 90% of the show. Danny is a monster. Justin was drunk. Adam was typical adam. Visuals were incredible. I'm still ticked about that euology tease though.

Spent a good 15 minutes chatting with Junior before the show... thanks again.

On the way out of the venue we saw Ashton of Tweak Bird sitting on the steps having a smoke. Hundreds of people walked by and didn't recognize him. We talked for about 10 minutes. He's an awesome guy. Every day of this tour I'm gaining more and more respect for Tweak Bird.

that's all for now, gotta hit the road for fairfax...

Rated R1

07-30-2009, 06:13 AM

I.H.P.

07-30-2009, 07:04 AM

3rd Tool show...1st since 2002 Lateralus, so setlist and visuals were all new to me.

Thought it was a great show. Sat in section 116 which was a straight view to the stage.

Seems to me the first four songs were in place to to get your adrenaline flowing, in the event it wasn't already. Lost Keys started a complete mind fuck for the next 75 minutes! Then again maybe it was the weed, considering I couldn't fire up because of the late arrivals and the security guard assisting others to their seats. I got my mind right during Schism and from there it was nothing short of mesmerizing. It's hard to select one moment that was the highlight of the show.

Now the negatives...Charlotte Coliseum, Cricket Arena, Independence Arena, Bojangles Arena...whatever the name of the venue may be for the calender year. This place sucks. Its old, the acoustics are bad and the traffic congestion, just to get in and out, is unreal. Seriously, why is this building still standing? It's great for nostalgic reasons as I have seen many events there throughout my 36 years but I seriuosly doubt I will watch another show at this venue. Then again I said the same thing after seeing APC there five years ago.

Overall the show was worth my $60. Not as good as 2002, but then again nothing will ever touch the Lateralus tour.

Wish I was young again and could travel from show to show but it's back to the real world for me. School starts in a few weeks and I got a new group of Astronomy students to teach.

Thanks TOOL!

Christopher-GOBLIN

07-30-2009, 07:52 AM

The dude above me is right man, the fucking traffic was terrible. Me and my girl sat there so long we just opened the 'car bar' and started pregaming with some Coronas. Took forever till I found out about the back way in. That's what she said.

Nard kinda sucked I thought. I think he only sings around 40% of the actual lyrics, maybe less. The other 60% is gibberish. I think we saw Puscyfur performing with Nard's band tonight, but no Nard. It's a shame you couldn't have been with us last night Maynard. The crowd on the floor noticed it too man. You could VISIBLY see the crowd's energy drop when he would start half-assing lyrics.

My girl saw them for the first time and said it seemed like the lead singer didn't want to be there. She is wise beyond her years for a noob.

Ok, enough about Puscyfur. The positives:

First - The crowd. Yep, you guys. Everyone was super fucking cool man. Even the hipster mosh kids were decent. Dude, this kid right beside me got down on the ground and started praying during Lateralus. First time I've ever seen prayer at a rock concert.

Adam Jones - The best part of the night for me was when he started jamming with that talk-box during Jambi. That's probably his best guitar solo.

Danny - Awesome as always man, I know you get props with pretty much every post on here, but you earn it man.

Lights, video, laser- Killer. They make the show. You know you're good, Junior, whenever your lights get the same roaring applause as the band. Junior was better than Maynard last night.

I won't have my hopes as high in Cincinasty, so I think I will have a better time. Oh yeah, my girl won't be there bitching, which will be ever better.

NCToolfan

07-30-2009, 08:02 AM

vortex2177

07-30-2009, 08:04 AM

Tool fan since 92. This was my 3rd show. The band played just fine, but the acoustics were horrible. The traffic and venue were ridiculous as well, as were the crowd. That's my own fault for buying floor tickets at 32 years old. I would be ECSTATIC if at least 2/3 of that crowd ended up in Arizona Bay. Too bad they don't live in California.....
As far as the bitching about Maynard and set lists, LOL. It's their music, they can play whatever they want, and I love the fact that Maynard doesn't feel the need to be a rock star and suck up to a crowd. Let him do his thing and quit fucking whining. He probably doesn't like you anyway.
Overall a good experience for me personally and as always, well worth the money. That being said, I will NEVER AGAIN visit the Bojangles Coliseum.

vortex2177

07-30-2009, 08:27 AM

P.S. I LOVE the synth noodling. It seems to get longer every time I see them, and being a long time electronic music fan (and shitty producer) that really appeals to me.

third.beyond

07-30-2009, 08:33 AM

vortex2177

07-30-2009, 08:38 AM

No, but I did notice the Eulogy tease as well as the potential 10,000 Days thunder.

twentyfive&1

07-30-2009, 09:03 AM

I heard that also, I got excited for a little while before they started aenema.

I was on the floor about 10-15 feet back from the rail right infront of Justin. Lots of drunk idiots all around me pushing there way to the front. After the first few songs it started to calm down, but at the start of the show I was getting pushed from every direction possible. Towards the end of the show there was a mosh pit a few rows of people infront of me, which is probably the same one mentioned before in the thread.

This was my third Tool show (Greenville SC, Winston Salem NC 07), I would have to say it was on par with the SC show from 2 years ago. It was nice being so close to the band also, had a good view of the band for the entire show pretty much. Only problems were that I couldn't understand anything Maynards sang during Rosetta Stoned. I also noticed that Maynard was singing something different during Aenema, but I couldn't hear what it was.

That's exactly where I was too, so I know what you are talking about. Your entire perception matches mine. The Mosh kids were having a really good time. The fight crowd to the right - not so much! It reminded me of the lyric 'crashes on my left and one on my right'.

I could sense some real tension waiting for Aenema to start. I was so focused on praying for H that I missed the other tunes hinted.

mohaafajita

07-30-2009, 09:21 AM

We must have been next to each other - fight to the right, mosh to the left. I had my daughter with me (her 2nd Tool show). She is only 5'4" and a whole bunch of tall and/or goofy bastards kept forcing their way in front of her. She couldn't see shit and had to hold up her cell phone just to get a shitty glimpse of the stage.

Oh, and some really fucked up girl was hitting on my kid. VERY CREEPY.

But the beligerent pricks bullying by and spilling their beers on us with no apology was just about too much.

Not very proud of my home state right now. See you down in Tennessee Bay?

Yea, I probably saw her and you. I could have been right next to you as I recall a smaller girl holding a cell phone up right beside me. I hopped into the mosh a couple times, but mostly I jammed to myself, harder than anyone else around me it seemed. I was gettin the fuck down. It was my first Tool concert, so I was feeling the music go through me. The black security guard dude was a prick, but what can you expect. He shined his stupid light during Stinkfist(?) i think at the fighters, wow man, that's going to do a lot. I smelled weed and cigs throughout the whole time. Hell I even lit up a cig myself for a couple of minutes.

I also yelled out play something from Opiate, with a reply from a guy behind me saying, " That's not gonna happen." But hey, it was worth a shot.

Traffic was horrific. I was sitting there for possibly 45 minutes, in the main street too, waiting to get out, very unorginized.

!

mlbrady89

07-30-2009, 12:18 PM

Ha i registered just to post on this thread. I am from charlotte and was stoked to finally not have to travel to see tool. I had general admission tickets and was happy it wasnt packed down on the floor. Funny enough i believe my last show at bojangles(cricket arena then) was a perfect circle so i expected similar audio. It was a bit loud at times but better than it being too quiet. Visuals were amazing as usual. Expected setlist, the jam during schism was sick and maynards shinanigans were humorous as usual. With that being said, I am very dissapointed in my home city for the amount of redneck assholes in attendence for this show. Rude belligerent people looking for a fight. Tools performances are visually stimulating and having to keep an eye on people around you ruins this aspect. I still had an awesome time, i expected more out of charlotte and its tool fans. Its a toss up on whether ill be returning for a tool show in the queen city.

hot mess

07-30-2009, 12:18 PM

sorry for everyone that got surrounded by dumbasses. there's always going to be a good percentage of idiots at a tool show, but i really lucked up. thanks to angela for helping me secure a rail spot and to kat and her boyfriend for saving my space when i had to pee or re-beer. seriously the nicest people i've ever met at a tool show, one of the biggest reasons it's the best show i've seen yet (of 3).

also, i think that the sound quality just varies for every person there because of where they're positioned. so i was on the rail, justin's side, and i could hear it all clear as a bell. wasn't even as loud as i was expecting (but also couldn't hear a damn thing once i was out)! of course maynard wasn't loud enough, but then again he never is.

so yeah, thanks to all you considerate non-idiot tool fans for making me proud to be one of you!

jbwiv

07-30-2009, 12:24 PM

This was my first show, and I have to admit I came away a little disappointed. The visual experience was pretty good, and the guitars, bass and drums sounded great. However, you could barely make out Maynard's vocals at all. Much of the time, I couldn't tell if he was singing or not. I'm sure part of this was the acoustics at the arena, but surely the soundboard guys could've done a better job in trying to fix it.

Consequently, most of the show was instrumental. Oh well. Still fun.

kobe24bryant

07-30-2009, 12:44 PM

Tool is amazing. For all of the people whining about how the show sucked and it was too short and that Maynard never looked at the crowd. Why do you care if he lookes at anything, there style and perfection is what makes Tool who they are. With every album and every concert they have evolved. And not just into what some people think they should be or do. I have only seen them 4 times and yes there was a lot less of the typical Gray artwork as backdrops like when they were on the Lateralus tour, but Tool can play for 7 minutes and still have a better fucking show than anyonelse, excluding (Rage, Alice in Chains, Pre black album Metallica, Pantera). Stop fucking whining of course I want them to play for 3 hours, but if you have ever seen them before then you've probably seen them play Sober. Tool is who they are because they are not here to fucking be what you want them to be, they are there motherfuckinselves. I'm from California and live in South Carolina, so to all of the people who came from the show besides from the Carolinas then I apologize to you for the way these dumb fucking rednecks act. Not everyone who lives around here is like that.

Without a doubt I will see TOOL anychance I get, there the last of a dying breed of good musicians.

Lotus2thrdeye

07-30-2009, 02:06 PM

I finally get to post my follow up on this show.
This was my second time seeing Tool and i must say...i was not disappointed.
They have lost the mystery and darkness since the old days, but i felt really at home with the band last night. For the first time everyone on stage seemed to be having fun.

Maynard...what ever ppl keep bitching about I'm not sure. I feel like Maynard is finally done trying to be dark and trying to be a frontman. After a while you want to show the crowd who you really are. He is just chill. He's not there to impress anyone. So please everyone quit dictating how the show went down based on maynards level of activity on stage. I mean the guy is in his mid to late 40's. He cantt sing like he used to. And all you dumbasses complaining that he is singing like he used to....I dont see anyone else trying. His vocals and singign style is very unique and probably very hard for someone his age to do. So stop comparing him to other musicians his age.

Adam...this guy has really been surprising me lately. I have never heard him be so free with his sound. He seems to be really expanding and at a very fast rate. Its quite lovely actually. Adam was rather.....animated. He seemed like he was having a great time. I cant wait to hear what he has for the next album. Im also looking forward to more of his artwork.

Justin...Always animated. Played so well. I was in an area in the pit that the bass was heavy. One of my friends (who is a wonderful bass player) was with me and enjoyed that feeling everytime Justin pulled a string.

Danny...of all the members of the band I would love to actually sit down and talk to it would be Danny. He is Danny and thats all there is to it. Fucking inincredible drummer and artist. How much he has contributed to the band.

Audience...Most of you belong in A.A. I can understand getting smashed at a show. Espessially a Tool show. WTF is wrong with you ppl. Please keep you shirts on. Quit having sex in public. I will most likely never see another Tool show in NC. I was very Let down by my home state.

Venue...I loved how small the venue was. There wasnt a bad seat in the House. Sold out. Security was none-existent. The sound was a bit distorted though.

Lights...HOLY FUCKING SHIT

If anyone ever gets the opportunity to see these guys please do so. It definately an experience.
Peace out.

NCToolfan

07-30-2009, 02:18 PM

Did anybody get an Event Poster? I waited in line after the show for a good 20 minutes and it sold out 3 people infront of me. I was pissed. The only ones left were the signed ones for $100.

Hands

07-30-2009, 02:27 PM

People mentioned a eulogy tease, which I heard... but it was so brief that it didn't have much of an effect on me. I also recall Adam playing a few notes from pushit, between songs. I got really pumped for that.

I also noticed the rain / thunder after rosetta stoned. Since this was my first show this tour, I wasn't aware that it was a typical intermission between songs. Made me think they were about to bust out some wings / 10k days.

Anyone else hear that pushit tease?

I heard the eulogy tease (and about punched my friend in the face with glee). I also was almost positive wings/10k was coming after they started playing the thunder.

Second Tool show, saw them in Winston-Salem in 2007 and this show was a little better IMO. I dug the fuck out of Aenema which I've wanted to see live since I started listening to Tool in 2002 or so, and everything else was great. That venue was just as bad as Joel Coliseum though, total clusterfuck bodypress everywhere and tons of drunken meathead douches that should think about learning to swim. That having been said the people around me were pretty cool (Section 113).

I think it was during the soundscape prelude to either Aenema or Vicarious that some dude in a section pretty close by was literally shrieking "PRYING OPEN MY THIRD EYE" over and over again, if I had been close to him I'd have high-fived for sure. He was literally yelling himself hoarse repeating it for like 3 or 4 minutes. I still hope someday I'll see that song live.

Oh, and I dunno if it was the mix or the place, but most of the time it was real hard to hear Maynard.

junior

07-30-2009, 02:38 PM

Maybe Junior is the frontman now!

I hope not. God help us all.

andro

07-30-2009, 02:54 PM

7th show since '97.

I didn't have any problems with traffic, but I got to the venue early for just that reason. Traffic on the way out was non-existent, but that's because I pulled a Maynard and left at the very last note of Vicarious.

I was in section 117 on the last row, crowd around me was fine. No beer spilled on us, no puke, no particularly annoying people around.

Is Maynard ok physically? I've never heard his voice sound as frail and weak as it sounded last night. I assume he is sick, it's something that seems to happen on every tour. That said, it's always interesting to hear how he has toned back his vocal intensity. I actually like hearing songs sung in a different key, it's refreshing in a way.

The rest of the band was spot-on, as always. There were a few moments where I thought they might have screwed up, but I'll blame it on the venue's acoustics.

Maybe I don't remember the 10k Days screens very well, but the videos last night seemed to have a lot of new content. There was a lot of video that was removed completely, and almost everything that stayed was changed around from the way I remember. Even the Stinkfist video had some sections that I hadn't noticed before.

I don't understand the Tool elitists' constant need to bash the band. I think I like the rednecks more than I like the OGT asshats. At least the rednecks enjoy themselves.

Speaking of the venue, there were NO HANDRAILS in the aisles toward the upper portion of the building. This is really unacceptable and I'll think twice before giving ticketbastard my cc#.

I still can't shake the feeling that this is a farewell tour. I really hope that's not the case.

bobrutus87

07-30-2009, 03:09 PM

I would have to say that Tool played very well. Folks, Maynard was Maynard. Of course he's not going to be the same as 7 years ago. Artists change and grow as time goes along. If this does not happen, then you can no longer be called an artist. Although it may not be what you wanted it to be, it was exactly what he wanted it to be. When a painter paints a picture, he or she doesn't paint according to what the viewers want, they paint according to what they see, what they want. As far as the setlist goes, I have no idea. I can see why people would be dissapointed with the exact same thing they have seen over and over again. I was also pissed about the Euology tease. My eyes got wide for just a second. And, i'm thinking maybe Mayanrd wanted us to look at the visuals instead of him; or maybe he was just pissed about the guy with the laser, who knows. As for the fans, I was in section 112 not far up at all...row L i think. I had a great view of the stage, and was pleased with the people surrounding me...no problems...good thing about having a seat i suppose. But, all in all i was pleased, especially with the light show which was exquisite. I will see them again.

jon46and2

07-30-2009, 03:22 PM

I have been a fan of Tool since 1994. This is my 3rd Tool show and my first since 2001. I'll try not to be redundant here. Overall, I was very pleased with the performance and had a great time. We had floor tickets and showed up fairly early. We drove in the back way and was glad that I did, because when we crossed the overpass I noticed that concert traffic was backed up about a mile up Independence Blvd. in the exit lane. Luckily we had no problems with the traffic, so I was able to get a spot close to the front. I ended up about 4 rows back from the rail in front of Adam.

At the previous shows that I attended in 2001, which were outdoor venues (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte and Walnut Creek Amphitheater in Raleigh), I had lawn tickets and was fairly far away. Being up front was awesome, besides the fact that my ears are still ringing from being under the hanging tower speakers. It was very loud, but it's always cool to feel the bass thumping in your chest! The vocals seemed a little buried to me, but it may have just been my position under the speakers.

As far as the playlist, I read the reviews of the past shows on the tour and I knew what to expect. Sure there are songs I would have loved to hear, but it wasn't a disappointment. I thought it was a good mix of older and newer material. I agree there were a lot of jackasses at this show, but anytime you get that many people together in one place, it's to be expected. I realize that it's a rock concert, it's crowded, and people want to have fun, but when you start knocking into me and elbowing my girlfriend in the head, that's where I have to draw the line.

There were a lot of cool people there too though, there were some guys behind me that helped me keep the assholes shoved out of our area. At one point some guy came out of nowhere and crashed into the guys behind me and shoved his way to the front, it was ridiculous. I mean, if you want a spot up front, get there early like everybody else did. I was more than happy to help anyone that had to leave to get beer or go to the bathroom get back up front to their original spot, but not these line jumping assholes.

I saw the kid with the laser pointer getting busted and from where I was standing it looked like they tossed him over the rail on his head, a couple of the security guys grabbed him, dragged him by us and carried him out, I thought it was pretty funny. Also, one of the security guys kept running around throwing water on people with cameras when he saw them, I got hit a few times, because a girl in front of me kept taking pics.

Maynard was in the back as usual, which I don't have a problem with, let him stand wherever he wants to and stop reading so much into it already. Danny was amazing as always, a beast on the drums. I saw where someone mentioned that Danny threw some frisbees out after the show, just to clarify, those were actually drum heads. I had a good view of Adam and after the show he seemed very appreciative of the fans and that was cool. I thought the lights and visuals were well done too, different from the 2001 shows. Kudos to the crew.

After the show, I thought everyone was pretty courteous in the parking lot and we were able to get out of there in about 15 minutes, I was expecting at least an hour, so that was a pleasant surprise. The back entrance was definitely the best. Based on my experience at this show, I would definitely go see them for a fourth time. It's always great seeing them live!

BTW, I thought Tweak Bird did a pretty good job, I will definitely check them out. Cool to see a 2 piece band with a sound that big.

l David l

07-30-2009, 03:43 PM

^^^ dude, break that up into paragraphs, or whatever. wayyy to hard to read.

also, the thunder you guys heard I believe is part of their intro to the flood. you get some thunder then sound of rain, then the flood. first time I heard the thunder on this tour was in duluth and i thought we were about to get a special treat of wings/10k days. although that song isnt the greatest live.

megatom5

07-30-2009, 04:21 PM

One more thing. I strained to listen to maynard's lyrics during aenema. They were changed up a bit. But it sounded to me at one point that he said "fret for your blogging" Lol. Did anyone else hear that?

Yeah I definitely heard some new lyrics on this song. I am almost certain he said "fret for your blog" and "fret for your slinky" yes I swear he said slinky. Anyone else think they heard some wierd stuff on this song.

megatom5

07-30-2009, 04:29 PM

I heard the eulogy tease (and about punched my friend in the face with glee). I also was almost positive wings/10k was coming after they started playing the thunder.

Second Tool show, saw them in Winston-Salem in 2007 and this show was a little better IMO. I dug the fuck out of Aenema which I've wanted to see live since I started listening to Tool in 2002 or so, and everything else was great. That venue was just as bad as Joel Coliseum though, total clusterfuck bodypress everywhere and tons of drunken meathead douches that should think about learning to swim. That having been said the people around me were pretty cool.

I think it was during the soundscape prelude to either Aenema or Vicarious that some dude in a section pretty close by was literally shrieking "PRYING OPEN MY THIRD EYE" over and over again, if I had been close to him I'd have high-fived for sure. He was literally yelling himself hoarse repeating it for like 3 or 4 minutes. I still hope someday I'll see that song live.

Yeah the seemed to be teasing a bunch of songs at this show. I heard the buzzing sound from pushit and either adam or justin did the guitar scratch from Prison Sex, both of these teases had me almost jumping for joy. But alas none of this comes to fruition. During the Prison Sex tease I thought I saw Adam and Danny look over to Maynard and he shook his head. FYI I was basically right beside Justin but not on the floor.

megatom5

07-30-2009, 04:40 PM

This was my third show. I saw them in Knoxville in '02 and in Greenville on the 10Kdays tour. Everyone is seems to focus their negativity on Maynard, but he seemed to be more animated then he was at the previous shows. The only thing I didn't care for with respect to Maynard was him singing Vicarious through the megaphone. The worst thing was is the fucking traffic. I left Columbia, SC at 6:00 and was within 2 miles of the arena by 7:20. I did not get to my seat until the beginning of 46+2! It was ridiculous! I was so pissed I missed Jambi because it is such a kick ass song to start the show. I will NEVER go to a show at that arena again. I'm really hoping this was not a farewell tour. My next goal is to see them in an outdoor venue. Sorry I am kind of rambling, but I am still recovering...
I had a read hard time with traffic too I guess you came up 77. The traffic on Independence Blv was rediculous and from what I could tell it wasn't even for the show as it turned off about a half mile before the arena. Note to anyone who goes to this venue again. I've been their several times, recently to see Slipknot in February and the best thing to do with is to park at the little hotel beside the arena they never tow, there are always people tailgating. I got out of their in about two minutes. And they have a surprisingly cool security staff.
Security Gaurd: "Did you put up that bottle of rum"
Me: "Uh... What bottle?"
SG: "Just make sure it's in your trunk, I don't think you want to get an open container."

YUBitchin

07-30-2009, 05:30 PM

About 10 rows back of Adam on floor. Great show.

I heard MJK clear all night. What more do people want for a summer tour?
I think it was cool they were playing w/o an album to promote.

Also, if you want this band to play covers, please, someone, refund these people and help them back to the bus, the short bus.

I wish they would have played longer too but it was an incredible show.

People want to hear that one song. If they played that one song for everyone they'de still be playing. I saw one girl crying 'cause they didn't play Sober. Really. I think she's living it.

No venue that big can produce even a single acoustic. How can MJK keep in time when a wall of sound is bouncing back at him a third time. Still it sounded great.

The crowd. Not bad except for the dancers. I was there to see TOOL, others came to see Usher. Dancers? How pitiful. Anyone angry and ready to fight should be sent for the dancers.

Also, couldn't see the 4-man pose off for all the camera phones, silly.

Do you not feel a second of suspension when they take the stage? If you weren't into the hysteria when Stinkfist played then, please, stay at the 4 hour Metallica show. In fact, that's your punishment.

I would have paid 10 times that much to provide the euphoria of the show and the afterglow. Thanks guys, see you in the Queen City.

Toolchapel

07-30-2009, 06:48 PM

Ok so I have been a tool fan for 16 years! I have seen tool "back in the good days" so to speak like people are posting on here. To tell you the truth last night was a good show. The fans were god awful cant believe I live in a state with such ignorant assholes!! People fighting before the first song is even half way done?!?! Who the fuck goes to a Tool concert to fight! Then people being so drunk they pass the fuck out before tweak bird is even dont with their set?? I mean where do these butt nuggets come from and WHY are they tool fans cause they obviously dont get what Tool is all about. anyway back to show sorry lol

As far as everyone bitching about maynard and him being in the back and saying he cant sing... umm in Charlotte in 2001 as I recall he was also in the back and not in the front so since about 2000-2001 maynard has been flirting with this whole act. And honestly who really gives a fuck its Tool!!! Be glad that one day when we are all old fucks and these little punk ass kids say "man I wish I could have seen tool play live". WE CAN!! so get the fuck over it and quit bitching about maynard!!! The sound sucked ass in that closet of a arena good view but shitty ass sound. You could almost spit from one side of the arena to the other haha. If you honestly think maynard can no longer since if you get the chance before they are all done with tours GO TO A OUTDOOR EVENT! I have seen them outdoors and Indoors and indoors you never heard maynard well but outdoors sounds totally different.

I thought the guys were pretty fucking spot on last night and I mean ALL even maynard. As far as people bitching about the setlist..... ITS 16 FUCKING SHOWS!! lol what do you expect them to do spend 30million to make a couple million so you can hear THE SONG that you want to hear? Give me a break be fucking proud that they are stopping in your city on this short tour! I will see tool every chance I get untill they stop or I die whatever comes first haha There will never be another maynard, danny, adam, or justin!! so take it when you can get it and enjoy the show and stop all the bitching damn. ok im done spiral out

Lotus2thrdeye

07-31-2009, 03:13 PM

I never mentioned this earlier and I feel it neccessary to do so now. Tweak Bird was amazing. A lot of talent in that band.

RoseofDark

07-31-2009, 06:45 PM

This was my second Tool show. I loved it. As always Maynard was amazing, as was the rest of the band. The light show was amazing. The negative, I had floor tickets. I was the first in line and didn't get in front, which was fine. When Tool started to play the people became stupid, pushing their way through the crowd. Should have gotten there earlier if they wanted good spots. When Maynard seen fights break out he turned his back, other than that, he faced sideways. But that is Maynard, he can do what he pleases! I moved to the back to get away from the idiots. Thanks Maynard for coming here. The coliseum is small and old but I would go anywhere to see Maynard. Just next time I will get seats

dr funkmaster

07-31-2009, 11:55 PM

Nothing really unique to add to the conversation, but had a great time at show #9. Sound was great on the floor...though I had to take a receipt in my pocket, tear it up, and use that as ear plugs, hah. The reverb before Jambi was about to make my ear drums explode. Was hoping for something different from Atlanta, but I'm not complaining.

Lateralus was particular amazing this time and Danny, Justin, and even Adam were impressed and laughing at Tweak Birds drummer's performance. Maynard starting it off with "Let the drumsturbation begin!" was pretty hilarious as well.

I always love Flood live and Rosetta Stoned has been particularly crisp this tour.

Overall excellent show. My only regret was not getting one of the 2009 concert posters there since I didn't realize they were soldout online already. Oh well...I'll see if ebay prices come down in a few months.

If any of you were in the group of us throwing the frisbee around for an hour in the parking after the show, thanks for a great time. And if you were around while we were shrieking the guitar part to Parabola coming from some dude's car, I hope you were amused more than horrified, haha. Traffic forced us to skip dinner so I think the beers affected us a little more than usual, hah.

gigiallin

08-01-2009, 02:11 AM

love tool. saw them 15 years ago for the first time and several times since. glad i went however, if ever aenema made me feel better about my own misanthropy this was the time. the people next to my husband and myself were idiots. don't they realize they are the ones being described in the song as they sing along? i'll answer my own question...with a resounding, NO!! thusly their "idiot" status. i physically had to move one person from directly in front of my face. he hadn't previously been there, walked over to TALK to his friends and wanted to stand about 1/2" in front of my face to do so even though there was room all around us. then there were the dumb whores dancing like club kids to the music. i felt like vomiting in my own mouth.

the acoustics in the venue were horrid at best and the traffic to get to the parking area was atrocious. won't go to that venue again.

all this being said and as aforementioned, i do love tool and am glad i attended.

Freshspence

08-01-2009, 01:13 PM

Question on the CLT venue-specific posters: For those that purchased one (either signed or not) would you mind sharing the total number in the bottom left corner? i got a signed and its ##/400ish. im mainly wondering if that is indicating there were 400ish signed ones or 400 total signed/not signed. im not asking for anything other than my own curiousity. i will not be selling on ebay. can PM me if dont want to reveal in the open forum. thanks in advance.

CzarCDG

08-03-2009, 09:46 AM

I thought the show was good as always. I agree with everyone else in wanting to see the setlist changed up a bit. It is a good selection of songs. I've just seen it many times. The band sounded great as Maynard lurked in the shadows. I respect him enough to accept any way he wants to perform. He just did not seem to feel well. The visuals were impressive. Especially the change in lighting with Alex Grey's backdrop. I bought my $100 autographed poster and went home happy after seeing my favorite band live. Does Adam do 450 signed/unsigned posters per show or 450 total. Tweak Bird is a great opener for Tool. Same Tool setlist live > any other band live...

shadowfromwithin

08-03-2009, 01:24 PM

This was my first Tool concert and I was completely blown away. Maynard was super in the fact that he let the rest of the band shine as well as the art. This was the most spectatular event I have ever witnessed. To me the set list catalouged their work greatly. There were a couple of personal favs I would have liked to hear, but other than that it was great. Danny of course was awesome. I don't think you will ever find a more talented group of artist. The light show and art were out of this world amazing. Thank you Tool for the awsome experience and I hope you come back to NC soon.

I did see one complete idiot in front of me dancing in the walk way obstructing the view. But the people beside my husband and I were really cool and were a pleasure to sit beside.

Parking was not bad and we were able to get out pretty quick. The staff was also very helpful and polite.

KarmaTheDog

08-03-2009, 04:17 PM

Tool is my favorite band but I must say I was let down a little. The screen visuals were not up to par. Seen better shit on the youtube posts. Same set as all the other shows so far. And kill the sound man. I couldn't hear maynard at all. The rest of the band was tight as usual. Tweak Bird is amazing. Must buy thier cd.
I flew out from Va to see them. This was my third show. I saw them in 97 and 01. Both of those shows were unreal. I'm feeling these guys (mostly Maynard) are getting bored with TOOL. TOOL was about shocking or making people think. I feel like thier last cd is something they just slapped together. I was hoping for less 10000day songs and more older stuff.. At least Pushit, the patient, opiate...but A bad TOOL show is better than a good show from papa roach(who was in town at the time and I drank w/ the drummer at Connells pub) or anyother crap band..
Out of 1-10 I give it a 7.5 The Va beach lateralus concert was an 10 as was seeing them in va beach lalapoloza.

Timshel

08-03-2009, 04:20 PM

It's not the sound guy's fault the venue is a sixty year old dump that wasn't designed for acoustics.

SpiralOut67

08-04-2009, 12:52 PM

I don't know what everyone else was expecting from this tour but DAMMIT PLEASE leave Maynard the fuck alone! I don't know where everyone else was standing at, but from sec. 109, row F, seats 5 & 6,(halfway back,twenty rows up) the sound was fucking amazing and I thought everyone in the band had good energy and seemed to really enjoy themselves. Lateralus damn near sent my heart into spams!

Maynard had to start the show off dealing with the douchebag with the laser pointer but I think he sang well and put on a great show. Everyone who bitched about the voice-box on Stinkfist listen to the CD, that's how the song is supposed to be sung! We all know that Maynard has been removing himself from the spotlight for some time now. Why is his lack of "spotlight" time a surprise to anyone? I think he just wants the focus on the whole group and the total experience at a TOOL show and not so focused on him.

Why can't all of you who are on here bitching about the setlist just appreciate the fact that Maynard, Danny, Justin and Adam took time from their summer to come out on tour so that we could see the greatest fucking band of all time perform for our enjoyment? I mean come on, I'd pay to see TOOL play the fucking alphabet EVERY night if they would do it, wouldn't you? Then take a deep breath, quit bitching because they didn't play Sober or Prison Sex (If you knew anything about Maynard you would know that he has stated that he has moved past those things in his life and won't be singing about them any more, so get over it!), and just relish in the fact that you got to see TOOL play at least one last time!

I loved the show. I loved the sound. I loved everyone's effort and I would just like to take this time to say THANK YOU to TOOL for coming to my city and rocking out in the first place I ever saw a concert when I was a kid!!! It is a memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life! You guys rock!!!

mupetmower

08-05-2009, 05:26 AM

I'm still not sure how I feel about this show. It was amazing, regardless... but I don't know if I left feeling the way that I expected to feel. I now believe that I left the show feeling the way that Tool wanted the audience to feel.

- The one time I used the restroom, there were three empty bottles of Delsym cough syrup and two empty containers of Zicam cough spray on the floor. X'D

Haha. Those were mine. 0.o
Thats really funny that someone commented on that.

organicdestroyer

08-05-2009, 07:37 AM

We stayed at the Marriott in Matthews about 10 miles outside Charlotte on 74. Coming in we saw the line of cars and couldn't believe the back up. I had VIP parking so it took us no time to park. We had to wait for a friend because we had his ticket and he was stuck in the traffic so we waited outside and listened to Tweak Bird and got prepared. Security was cool just a wave of a wand and your in.(They never look at whats in your hands!)

Section 109-Row G-Seat 21
I must say that this show had a different energy than any other show I have been to. I can't really explain it but it seemed more of just a jam session than a concert. I don't know if thats good or bad I had a good time so.....Maybe its my fault for reading reviews and knowing the set list but I do that before every tour so that is normal for me. I will say that I thought the sound was good in my section and all the guys seemed to be into it.
I am glad they got that mother with laser pointer I was so worried he was going to piss Maynard off and ruin the whole show. I'm 99% sure that is whay he had his back to us and didn't say much. What the hell is the fun in that anyway? Everyone im my section was cool smoking was no problem. Security didn't hassel anyone around me.
I thought my ears were going to expload during Lost Keys. Rosetta was great and Lateralus was insane. All the songs were preformed well I didn't hear any big mistakes. Most of the people around me didn't seem very into it. Some were sitting down, screwing with cell phones, going for more beer and I just stood in the same spot and soaked it all up. This should be a time to absorb as much as we can because it isn't going to last forever. I hope for a couple more shows I can go to but I'd say thats it. I hope I'm wrong and they release more material and tour forever but I don't see it happening. Sure I wish the set was a little different but I am happy with what I got and appreciate it.

JRHE

08-05-2009, 01:50 PM

Did anybody notice the Tree of Life on the roof? or for that fact any of the symbols from the lights and lasers? I have to admit that Maynard just walking off stage at the end of the show was a little upsetting, but you have to think that he has his vineyards and his side projects to keep up with plus he is a dad. Not the best show I've been to but the look on my friends face for his first Tool concert was priceless

Imyourzero

08-09-2009, 05:12 PM

This was my first Tool show. Section 121, Row II, Seat 5. It was very much worth the $60, as seeing the boys perform live was certainly on my "to do" list after REALLY getting into them over the past few months. Since I hadn't previously read anything about the set list or how it is recycled, I didn't know what to expect (and as such, kept hoping to hear The Grudge and The Pot, as well as some of their older material) but I can't say I walked away disappointed.

I did, however, know to expect Maynard to be in the shadows beside of Danny and have done enough reading to know that that's just his thing now, and why he chose to perform that way. I don't have a problem with that at all; and although I enjoy watching tapings of their older shows where Maynard stood out front with that creepy stare, I also enjoy the way he chooses to perform now and respect his decision behind that. The older and newer shows are just different, with each having their unique qualities. The older shows seem more raw, and in some ways passionate, while the newer shows are more refined and are obviously geared to provide more of an overall "experience" which I was definitely glad to be a part of. The sound clips between songs, along with the video and lighting effects make for a package that's not soon forgotten (unless you've seen this same set list performed over and over ad nauseum).

I agree with an earlier poster about there being something very special about being in the upper sections. What we gave up by not being able to clearly see everyone's faces, we made up for by not having to put up with as many drunken idiots pushing us around and not having to worry about getting back to our place if we had to leave to piss or re-beer (I didn't do either). At one point there were a couple of spinning pink lights that absolutely bathed the floor with ovals of spinning pink luminosity...it was just breathtaking as they looked like a pair of alien eyes that were scanning the audience. Amazing. Not to mention the jaw-dropping laser show. It was definitely a sight to behold from up there.

At most other concerts I've been to, I have had no problem drinking a few brews to feed my excitement and get a little loosened up before/during the show. I did not want to drink at this particular show, as alcohol tends to have somewhat dulling effects on the senses and I wanted to experience the show with as much clarity as possible. I was surprised that my friend, who had recently introduced me to the world of portobello mushrooms, decided not to eat ANY before the show...of course he had to drive back to the hotel afterwards and that might have played a role in it but he was just floored by this show (it was his first also). I definitely don't think that you need to indulge in ANY substances to enjoy Tool, although some good bud doesn't exactly detract from the experience, either. But although I knew that people would be smoking at this concert, I refrained from doing so as I had no idea how lax the security would be and I was not about to risk getting booted from my first, and possibly only (who knows?) Tool show.

During the weeks preceeding the show, my buddy and I kept talking about how we were going to go crazy with a big dose of portobellos before the show and just get lost. In the few days prior though, we both realized that would be a bad idea as we wanted to be aware of everything that was going on. We took both of our cars to Charlotte due to the number of people going along, and both drove to the stadium. Yes, traffic was awful (took over an hour to traverse the final 1.5 miles or so) and the ticket lines were very long, which really worried me because we arrived well after 8:00 and of course I didn't want to miss a note of Tool. It kinda pissed me off that one of the ladies at the venue directed us to the other line, saying it was "shorter," when in fact it appeared to be longer, at least by the time we scrambled over there and found a place at the back of that clusterfuck. But it all worked out beautifully as we got inside, waited for our only female member of the group to hit the bathroom, and found our seats with only a short time left until Tool took the stage. We completely missed Tweak Bird, and although some of the comments here lead me to believe they might have been worth seeing, none of us were too upset about it.

I did end up eating a small amount of portobellos beforehand, and another in our group ate a-plenty and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the show (he was absolutely quiet the entire time, lol). I was sweating my balls off and when one member of our group departed and came back with some Sprite I just about hugged him. But I was still on Earth the whole time (thankfully) and, now that I know they recycle the set list I might have been inclined to go with a heartier portion if I had been able to catch them in Fairfax the following night. At the time though, I thought that if I ever get to see them again I won't do anything at all for as pure an experience as possible. We'll see.

Luckily I didn't see a lot of the drunk, belligerent a-holes that some of you saw there that evening. That never makes shows more enjoyable for me. I am a peace-lovin' guy and there I was, standing up there taking it all in (literally, as at several points I would find myself inhaling the aroma of some bomb-ass bud that was being fired up nearby). The only weird thing was some long-haired guy next to us kept turning around and staring at our group (especially the guy that ate the most mushies). I don't understand why, as we were absolutely keeping to ourselves and not yelling or causing any problems. I guess I'm only even mentioning this for the rare possibility that he reads this...if so, dude: WTF was your deal?

I found it interesting that, at most concerts I feel the need to rock out but at this particular show I was almost overwhelmed by the whole experience in that for most of the show all I could do was stand there with my arms crossed, letting the music and visuals take hold. I did manage to get in a headbang or foot stomp during key parts of some songs (it's hard to be still during Stinkfist or "the part" in Lateralus). Lost Keys was all over me...those notes were making my spine tingle in anticipation of what I knew would be coming next.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience despite their being more epic performances in the past. Although this might not have been the "best" venue and other people noted some imperfections, I am grateful to have seen them and it goes without saying that I am looking forward to another album and another tour. After doing much reading about Tool upon my return, I do have some concerns about the band in its current state, most having to do with MJK and his attitude toward the fans and Tool in general but this thread isn't the place to voice those. I will just say that I hope every one of them realizes, and appreciates, what impact they've had on their fans and continues to trudge on with innovative, fresh material that makes us think and carries us to those emotional places that only Tool songs have the unique ability to do. I am most concerned about Maynard after reading some of his comments, but still don't know how seriously to take him sometimes...