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View Full Version : 2006/05/17 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre


swaps
05-02-2006, 11:33 AM
SETLIST --

Lost Keys
Rosetta Stoned
Stinkfist
Forty Six & 2
Jambi
Schism
Right in Two
Sober
Lateralus
Vicarious
Ænema



*DO NOT POST IF YOU WERE NOT AT THE SHOW!

fartbender
05-17-2006, 07:18 PM
just got back from walking home from the tower.. despite a fellow board member promising me a ticket and not calling me to meet up, i went down to the tower, 1 mile from my house, and waited and waited and met someone really cool and had great conversations with them. eventually i went up to the door and saw some old faces i went to school with. after a firefighter let them in, the next time he came out, i went up to him and said:

"excuse me, sir, i couldn't help but notice you help out a couple friends of mine from high school and let them in. i was wondering if you could help me out, as well?"
"hmm, how many, just 2?"
"3, actually"
"ok, i'll be right back"

so we waited for about 4 minutes and i saw him at the door waving me in. so i nodded for olethia (sp?) and another ticketless fellow, justin over. olethia came but justin looked a little puzzled and stayed there. too bad he didn't come because we surely did get in.

from outside i could hear right in two so i'm fairly certain they performed the same set as the last few shows, but it closed as follows:

sober (which i caught about 3/4 of)
lateralus
--sit down break--
jam leading into vicarious
ænima

freakin a man. i paid nothing and still got to see tool.
that makes number 4.

one and one = one eleven
05-17-2006, 07:28 PM
hi jon... its me.. not you... well its kev and marie... your probably wondering how you made a post without posting... you not drunk... you gave me your pass word which is....... fu.

i love tool, so does marie... the show was fucking awesome. fucking. awesome.
i do believe rod stewert pooped his pants after this one.

sat third to last row from the back but seats still kicked ass, and marie is a fucking nut and walked up the asle about 20-30 rows for the last two songs and since no one seemed to mind and others were doing it we stayed there for the last 3 songs, and i just got home to wipe myself.

same setlist as the the past two shows... extended stinkfist kicked ass so did the extended bridge of schism ( first it sounded like adam went too fast, then they all kicked in together and oh my god... oh dear lord... doesnt get much better, go see it yourself. )

sober was definitley a highlight.

so was jambi

so was vicarious

so was schism

so was aenema

so was rosseta stoned

so was right in two

so was lateralus

so was that song they played

and that other song they played

at the end they all came out with the lights on and shook hands with the people in the first couple of rows, threw water bottles. drumsticks, dan fogleburgs, and drum head... for a band as alien and mysterious as tool they seemed like humans at the end which put a smile on everyones face... i can die happy now...

durp!

kylemetal
05-17-2006, 07:35 PM
Set List:
Lost Keys/Rosetta Stoned
Stinkfist
Forty Six & 2
Jambi
Schism
Right in Two
Sober
Lateralus
Vicarious
Aenima

Maynard was a little sick and let the crowd know he wasn't feeling well. Some of the higher vocals took a hit but he held it together pretty well.

fartbender
05-17-2006, 07:38 PM
"....i hope i didn't sound TOO horrible for you"

despite being sick, i thought he sounded great. during the lateralus tours, he did go flat a few times, but from everything i was able to witness, it was all good.

edit...by the way lateralus gave me chills more than once. yeezus.

dvn
05-17-2006, 07:43 PM
Some additional notes...

- Stinkfist was Extended... (no Suspicious Minds/White Lines interlude though)
- They did a cool little new intro to 46&2
- During Schism they sped up the slow interlude, new extended bit there, then played the interlude as normal.
- Right In Two had a teaser of the volume swells in Intesion as an intro.

-dvn

RazZ
05-17-2006, 07:50 PM
This show was easily the best fucking performance i have ever seen in my life. I have seen Tool before but this show blew me away. They played brilliantly. In such an intimate venue, they were absolutely amazing.

fartbender
05-17-2006, 07:51 PM
it was also cool seeing justin play the 3:47-4:07 higher distorted part on bass in vicarious. i never realized that could have been him, i just thought it was an over dub on the guitar.

Kozman04
05-17-2006, 07:54 PM
Tonight was my first time seeing tool, and they blew me away. You could hear them screw up a bit in some spots, but overall it was an amazing show. I couldnt have asked for more. The sound was good for the most part, but there were a few times when it was difficult to hear the guitar, although that might have been because of where i was.

vermesm1
05-17-2006, 07:54 PM
Most amazing experience ever in the history of live music for me. I have seen Tool before but too be able to see them from a distance allowing me to touch the stage was like nothing else.
Danny is not a human being. Really, as a drummer, I cannot even begin to explain what this man accomplishes with his limbs. His little jam session with Justin was unreal.
The entire band played amazing and although Maynard was sick he still got the job done and hardly missed a beat.
In Right In Two the band got off time pretty bad but Adam just shook his head, walked over to Danny then looked at Justin, then with one powerful hit from Danny they were back in time. AMAZING, for them to mess up like that and get back to where they should have been just shows how strongly they are connected.
My friend who sat in the back caught one of Danny's heads which I am sooooo jeolous about and everyone who sat around me was really solid and were genuine tool fans.
Although it was a little short, it was still amazing and I loved every second.

stinky
05-17-2006, 08:06 PM
Some additional notes...

- Stinkfist was Extended... (no Suspicious Minds/White Lines interlude though)
- They did a cool little new intro to 46&2
- During Schism they sped up the slow interlude, new extended bit there, then played the interlude as normal.
- Right In Two had a teaser of the volume swells in Intesion as an intro.

-dvn

I couldn't believe how badly the crowd missed the beginning of the vocals in Stinkfist after the interlude/jam or whatever you call it. So many people were off that I thought the band was actually with them for a second. How could so many people only know the album version? Have they EVER played it that way live?

bradpeterson
05-17-2006, 08:20 PM
Amazing.

It is still sinking in.

Didnt play The Pot, but how could I be disappointed?
I was able to get Floor row GG tickets.

The only regret on the performance was too much in the lower register. It was hard to distinguish the bass lines. The bass vibrated my throat!!!

"Philly's just as I remembered"

"So the new album came out...with new albums come new songs...heres one of them." (Jambi)

shifty50fs
05-17-2006, 08:40 PM
Adam left his mark on the theater by somehow getting a drumhead to sail alllll the way to the ceiling. What an arm on that guy.

TornDown
05-17-2006, 08:42 PM
wow im so happy

crimble
05-17-2006, 08:47 PM
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHEW!!!

got 2 tickets today (7:30ish) face value, me and my brother, what a great show.

"Philly, just as I remember it" - The only way to fix it is to flush it all away.

mike tyson
05-17-2006, 08:48 PM
I'll post a more in-depth review tomorrow after work.

Good show, Maynard was sick, which made it a little bit less amazing.

mindlattice
05-17-2006, 08:56 PM
Good show! Nice venue to see this band. The 10,000 Days songs sound great live. The Rosetta Stoned opener is tasty, and Jambi is really tight live. The little "jams" in between songs are a treat, as is the new Schism breakdown.

crimble
05-17-2006, 08:57 PM
"Maynard was sick, which made it a little bit less amazing."

Not form where I was standing, didn't hurt my experience at all, during the Vicarious "scream", to my ears, he seemed to hit it.

During Rosetta, something happened in the front couple of rows, on Adams side, Maynard motioned to the security guards to remove someone or something, and then he seemed to be pissed the rest of the night which always makes for a great Maynard performance.

Fit4Demolition
05-17-2006, 08:59 PM
Adam left his mark on the theater by somehow getting a drumhead to sail alllll the way to the ceiling. What an arm on that guy.
aw man i almost fell over laughing when that happened. danny is fucking insane. Right in Two was nothing less than mind blowing. ugh my head feels so fucked up right now, im going to bed and posting something more tomorrow. what a fucking night.

tornasunder
05-17-2006, 09:04 PM
Maynard sick, could barely decipher anything from him. 46 & 2 and Schism changes definitely awesome, Tower Theatre acoustics SUCKED listening from lower balcony, Justin dominated a little too much, I didn't think the band was too inspired. Felt like a "warm-up" gig, not sure they know exactly what they want to accomplish on any given night yet. A slight let down for me. Hopefully when they come back in late summer, all the kinks will be worked out. I don't know. Maynard seems to be "burnt out" already.

thegears
05-17-2006, 09:09 PM
severly disappointing. i flew to philly from north carolina by myself, since i only came up with one ticket. the ticket was horrible, second to last row on the floor, but i was hoping the small venue would make up for it.

it didn't.

i was in the seat right next to the door leading to the aisle. i had to deal with people talking constantly during the show as they came back from getting another round of beer. there was hardly any energy in the crowd. i know because i could see everyone very cleary from behind. during most songs the crowd was just standing there with a few people bobbing around.

i have no complaints with the band. maynard was sick but at least he still sang. he didn't sing certain lines to songs and on others he lowered the notes so he could hit them with ease, but it was still a good performance. the rest of the band did fine with a few fuck ups.

my problem was the sound. the volume was horrible. i'm sure it was better closer to the front, but being so far back it was like hearing the band from a distance. i could get louder and cleaner sound in my shitty stock sound system in my car. i just couldn't get into the show at all because the music wasn't driving enough, and no one else was really feeling it either from what i could see with the exception of a few around the front.

next time i won't settle for bad seats. glad some people enjoyed it.

Maynard seems to be "burnt out" already.

i agree with this. could have been because he was sick, but it seemed like he was just going through the motions.

researchtriangle
05-17-2006, 09:26 PM
show was good. maynard didn't seem too into it, but i guess he was sick. i was surprised, as mentioned before, people didn't get in to it that much. guess it's hard when there's all seats. was a good show either way. adam did manage to hit the side wall all the way near the top with the drum head, he gave the crowd some nice geeky waves and awkward smiles too.

electribe1
05-17-2006, 09:26 PM
I have just returned from the show so I have decided to write about it now so it is still fresh in my mind. This was my 5th Tool show.

The pre-show

Wednesday May 17, 2006 - I wasn't feeling very well when I woke up or at work today. I left with sick time at noon and came home to rest up before the show. I left for the Tower Theatre around 3:30pm. I know it seems early considering the 8:30 show time, but one of my favorite parts of going to any show is standing outside the venue in line and talking with other fans. I always find it interesting to hear stories of how people got into different bands, travel stories, stories about trouble obtaining tickets, and just generally shooting the shit.

I arrived at the Tower around 4:30 and found that I was the 6th person in line in behind a nice couple from Philly and in front of a really cool guy named Josh who drove all the way from South Carolina for the show. He said it took him 11 hours on the way up. His story reminded me of the days when I had to travel great distances to see the bands I wanted to see. Tool is only playing a hand full of dates before heading to Europe and Philly was the closest to this guy and he still made the trek...that's a fan.

I had 2 extra tickets to get rid of due to circumstances earlier in the week being what they were. I had one guy coming from WV to trade me for a Radiohead ticket...he showed up right when he said he would and we made the exchange. The other ticket was promised to a girl that contacted me via Craigslist from Jersey. I told her she could have it if she got there before the doors opened. The doors were opening and she was nowhere in sight. As I was being rushed in the by people behind me I had to make a quick deal. I ended up swapping Josh(the dude from SC) my closer extra ticket for his regular ticket and I sold the regular ticket to this guy who came to the venue in hopes to find a ticket but got shut out. I was talking to this guy when I first got to the theatre and he looked like he was about to burst into tears because he was on the verge of being shut out to see his favorite band in the world. Due to all the scalping that had been going on he just couldn't find a ticket. The guys face lit up when I let him have the extra ticket I got from Josh at face value. I was glad he got to see the show. He deserved it.

Josh and I went to our seats and we were STUNNED at how good the seats were. We were 8 rows back from the stage and close enough to smell what the band had for lunch. The Tower is a fantastic venue and I would like to see more shows there...beautiful, classy place. We were getting very excited to see Tool play and we settled in for a tense experience.

The curtain literally went up at 8:45 - no opening band...just straight up Tool. If you have never seen Tool play live...I highly recommend it. It is one of the most rewarding experiences I've had. Every time I see them it just makes me feel so good.

The Review

When the first bass chords began to ring out...all the normal problems of everyday life and the sickness I had been feeling all day just dropped away. And for the next hour and 45 minutes I was engaged in an utterly communal, functional, modular, collective experience with every person in the place. The crowd seemed to move as one while 4 amazingly well rounded musicians and human beings wove a tapestry of swirling, churning, living, breathing, harmonious music that took life on stage and reached out to the hearts minds and(as is always the case with Tool) eyes of everyone in attendance. They played old favorites and new gems and all the while I was in awe, just as I always have been, at how these 4 people seem to come together from the corners of the earth - each at a contrasting end of the spectrum - to form a symbiotic existance for as long as they decide.

Everyone in the Tower Theatre was steamrolled by a freight train tonight, and the experience was worth all the hassle, the bullshit, the wrangling, and the headaches. This is not a night I will soon forget.

The Aftermath

I know it seems cliche, but Tool is truly no ordinary band. Most bands follow a formula of record, tour, tour some more, do a live album, tour, make a video, tour, go to rehab, do a comeback album, die. The members of Tool have a vast array of projects and interests outside of the band that keep their attention in off time and allow for time between albums to stretch and to let people digest their latest offering. Most albums are a total of 50 minutes..45 minutes...some are 30 minutes in lenghth total. Tool continually pushes the boundaries of music by recording these huge sonic landscapes that can't be taken in during a single sitting. Tool records are generally 77:59 seconds long...with the newest CD's allowing for 78 minutes of audio. It takes some people months and years to fully absorb a new Tool record. I still listen to past Tool albums and find new things that I haven't heard in the last 5,000 times I have listened. The band supports the process of digestion by allowing things to marinate for 5 or 6 years before coming back together to start again. It's a unique process that really sets Tool apart in the rock world as a band that doesn't play up or down to their fans, but rather works with the fans so that both they and the band have the best experience possible. Tool has always been very vocal on the subject of personal emotional growth and they show this by bucking the system of normal forms of promotion, print ads, video interviews and such, not worrying about sales and promotion(because they really don't do much promo). It is seldom to never that you see Tool on television. In their own music videos they don't even show their faces...they want the music and imagery associated with it to speak for them. Their official website doesn't even say much about the new album...because they know it doesn't have to. They just leave it to the people who love the music to spread the word. And it must be working because their new album is #1 in the world right now.

I would be hard pressed to find a experience that tops seeing Tool in Indianapolis in 2001 for me, but this comes very close. So, if this wasn't the best show I've ever been to, then it was an extremely close second. I had a great time and I feel really priveledged to have been a part of the event.

The best part? I get to do it all again on Friday night when I see Tool play the City Center Theatre in NYC! It shall be glorious. Stay tuned.

electribe1
05-17-2006, 09:29 PM
"Maynard was sick, which made it a little bit less amazing."

Not form where I was standing, didn't hurt my experience at all, during the Vicarious "scream", to my ears, he seemed to hit it.

During Rosetta, something happened in the front couple of rows, on Adams side, Maynard motioned to the security guards to remove someone or something, and then he seemed to be pissed the rest of the night which always makes for a great Maynard performance.

there was a guy on the stage taking pictures...maynard threw the cap of his water bottle at the guy and hit him in the head...the guy stopped...maynard looked pissed

original f/x
05-17-2006, 09:33 PM
how can peoples opinions vary sooooooooo much?

electribe1
05-17-2006, 09:33 PM
just got back from walking home from the tower.. despite a fellow board member promising me a ticket and not calling me to meet up, i went down to the tower, 1 mile from my house, and waited and waited and met someone really cool and had great conversations with them. eventually i went up to the door and saw some old faces i went to school with. after a firefighter let them in, the next time he came out, i went up to him and said:

"excuse me, sir, i couldn't help but notice you help out a couple friends of mine from high school and let them in. i was wondering if you could help me out, as well?"
"hmm, how many, just 2?"
"3, actually"
"ok, i'll be right back"

so we waited for about 4 minutes and i saw him at the door waving me in. so i nodded for olethia (sp?) and another ticketless fellow, justin over. olethia came but justin looked a little puzzled and stayed there. too bad he didn't come because we surely did get in.

from outside i could hear right in two so i'm fairly certain they performed the same set as the last few shows, but it closed as follows:

sober (which i caught about 3/4 of)
lateralus
--sit down break--
jam leading into vicarious
ænima

freakin a man. i paid nothing and still got to see tool.
that makes number 4.

I am that fellow board member...and i did call...got voicemail 3 times

drone007
05-17-2006, 09:35 PM
a couple comments:

this was the best concert I've been to, I would say. just being so close and being able to watch everybody so clearly, it was quite an experience.

I'm pretty convinced that maynard looked straight at somebody when he sang the "silly monkeys" verses for Right in Two. I think it was the same area that someone else mentioned with a guy that got kicked out. I wonder what shit happened...


Maynard fuckups: 1) couple measures early in rosetta stoned, he knew it though and stopped singing while standing there lookin pissed at himself 2) couple measures early on the ending of jambi, the rest of the band realized it and looked at each other to figure ou8t when to end the song 3) flipped around some lyrics in aenima.

just thought it was cool to see how the band reacts to mess ups like that.


great show, for sure

BURN_POWDER
05-17-2006, 09:36 PM
After much anticipation - tonight was finally the night. I found the previous reviews to be pretty much accurate. Played the same set as the past 2-3 nights, freakin awesome by all means. My only qualm was that for a "front man" Maynard was lame. I just think that for someone making such adamant statements against society (which I don't necessarily disagree with) it seems to weaken the disposition of the band when the one that should be taking the lead is cowering in the background under a cowboy hat. I know that that's kind of his deal with the whole mysterious setting, but gay when you're standing behind the drummer - don't know what to say between songs - just seems like you're a scared little girl . C'mon, grow some balls, get out front, get in our face. If you mean what you say - show it. You have nothing to hide. Your band is really amongst the best, your lyrical ability is beyond 99% of what's out there.. Not that you have to be jumping around head-banging like a mindless twit, but show me - show us - you mean what you say. A little conviction. That's all. No one else is scared, why are you?
-----------------Mr think for yourself, question authority

ProfoundHaytred
05-17-2006, 09:37 PM
Awesome show.. the sound was a little brickwalled. awesome setlist. Ive got a few videos on my Canon Digital and about 80 pics.. Ive torrent them if anyones interesteed.

HarryManback2122
05-17-2006, 09:39 PM
detroit was better

HarryManback2122
05-17-2006, 09:47 PM
.....but i've never been to a bad Tool show

crimble
05-17-2006, 09:52 PM
About getting autographs...

Security were being big old dick heads "stay one the sidewalk or we call the cops..."

When they put up the gates and tell you "the band will not be signing autographs" they are trying to get people to go home and not wait it out. Just give it 1-2 hours after the show and you will get to meet most of the band,
You most likely won't get to meet Maynard, he leaves very soon after the show ends
The rest of the bad will come out and sign stuff, Danny likes purple markers for some reason.
The guys in the band probably hear "you fuckin rock man" 100 times a night.

Zophar666
05-17-2006, 10:08 PM
Well, what more can I say that hasn't already been said? Tool was incredible! This was the third time I've seen them live, and I have to say that they really blew me away this time around! The bass was so deep and thick that you could feel it pound against your chest, and every song was incredibly tight. Some of them, such as Schism, had extended parts added that made them even more incredible. Maynard was sick but you sure couldn't tell when he belted out the chorus of "Sober" or "Lateralus".

I was a little dissapointed that the setlist remained the same.. was hoping for "Wings for Marie / 10,000 Days" and really missed "The Patient". But that's OK, Tool will be back and I'm sure they'll have even more tricks up their sleeve!

Iluvatar
05-17-2006, 10:34 PM
I am so tired. I wish I could read all of the other posts before posting, but I have to just put my 2 cents out there. This was my 5th Tool show, and my brother's first Tool show. For me it was great to see Tool again, unlike any other live experience, and to see the new material is breathtaking. I had my little issues with the acoustics in the Tower, but all in all it was one of the best I've seen. The BEST show I've ever seen was San Diego, CA, Cox arena on Halloween 2001. While most people have already pointed out the few slip ups, I agree that it is really interesting to watch how the band recovers from that. They play wicked complicated stuff anyway, and when something goes wrong, it would be all over for most bands. Tool fixes it with a few stares and a nod. Fantastic musicianship.

I have to be up for work in 3 hours, must turn off self, and put Tool memories away until tomorrow....

G'nite all!
Iluvatar

showtime333
05-17-2006, 10:41 PM
First Tool show, best musical experience of my life. I feel my life is now complete lol. I had terrible seats... third row from the top, row P it was. It was on the left of the theater if your facing the stage, was anyone around that area? The acoustics sucked at the Tower. Couldnt really hear vocals at points. You could tell Maynard was either just sick as hell or burnt out or a mix of both. He didnt say much at all, no jokes or anything. But all in all you cant beat seeing tool live, theres nothing better in music. Cant wait for the Summer tour when Maynard isnt fucking sick. O and Danny is the absolute shit.

waking believing running
05-17-2006, 11:08 PM
i didn't get up there until like 7:30 so i wasn't around to meet up with people before the show at that bar.

i was in the 3rd to last row on the floor and i had no problems, all the people around me were way into the show, moving around, singing - i don't get why some people are saying the crowd wasn't into it. that was my 4th Tool show, probably my favorite so far mainly because they played my 2 favorite songs (Lateralus andd 46 + 2), I could see them so well, and I knew all their songs better than back then. Maynard definately seemed sick, sounded fine but like others said, didn't talk much, but he'lll have all day tomorrow to rest and get ready for 2 more nights in NYC, which I will get to see also, thank God.....one Tool show is never enough. I do not need drugs to see this band live, they are the drug. I can't wait until NYC!!!

JBJBJB
05-17-2006, 11:47 PM
show was sick....visuals captivated me....i was in lower balcony, directly in the middle and i could hear everything just fine....also, would like to thank 94.1wysp and 93.3wmmr for rockin some TooL on the way home....always a pleasure to here them on the radio...

Shpongleyes
05-18-2006, 01:37 AM
how can peoples opinions vary sooooooooo much?


It's because tower theaters acoustics suck really bad at times. basically low and in front (Loge, front to middle rows first level) works best for acoustics, and of course it's good for viewing as well.... i do have to say the house was stretched to the limit during that little feedback display/segue.....however, from the aisle in the far right balcony, it actually sounded pretty decent ...

~Matt

whjeffs
05-18-2006, 02:30 AM
"Maynard was sick, which made it a little bit less amazing."

Not form where I was standing, didn't hurt my experience at all, during the Vicarious "scream", to my ears, he seemed to hit it.

During Rosetta, something happened in the front couple of rows, on Adams side, Maynard motioned to the security guards to remove someone or something, and then he seemed to be pissed the rest of the night which always makes for a great Maynard performance.

there was a guy on the stage taking pictures...maynard threw the cap of his water bottle at the guy and hit him in the head...the guy stopped...maynard looked pissed

I was in the 3rd row on that side right in front of Adam. It was their friend Kevin Willis taking pictures. Maynard threw the bottle cap at him all in good fun.

Styx
05-18-2006, 03:18 AM
Good show. My eighth time seeing them. I was third row in the first balcony. Sound was awful at times, fine at others. The band performed masterfully, as usual. Maynard was sick and obviously completely out of it -- I've never seen him like that before. Literally just standing there doing nothing except go through the motions of singing the songs. You could practically feel him pining for the tour bus. Didn't seem to want to be there. "But I couldn't let Philadelphia down," he said. Which was very nice to say.

Not into the cowboy hat, but nobody's asking me for fashion advice, either.

Watched Danny for most of the show. Iiiiiiiincredible.

dracomordag
05-18-2006, 03:33 AM
full review later, but for right now...

i'd give it an A-/B+. The band did really well most everywhere, except the sound on Rosetta Stoned was just way way way too brickwalled. they obviously worked it out, because the rest of the set was prefect acoustics. Right in Two they messed up a little bit (great little angry march over by Adam and a little jump to signal them all back in time) and were out of tune on the intro, but the climax was incredible. I loved all the little extended breakdowns and those live segues... although one of them (to sober?) was fucking ear-popping.

bunnyzwilleatyou
05-18-2006, 04:57 AM
Justin walked out. Then Adam as lost keys began. Then danny just before rosetta kicked in. Then Maynard popped out from behind one of adam's amps, kinda like hed been waiting there. Rosetta started as a wall of sound but balanced out as it went on.

Visuals were stunning. I love the remixed videos and such. Especially stinkfist (which was extended by the way).

I bought 3 frickin posters and my friend also had one. Theyre nice though.

Some guys 2 rows down from me were smoking doobs almost the whole time.

Sound was pretty well mixed. I was dancing more than other people around me, even though im kinda reserved and such. I kind wish people were more into it. One guy in the center of front row was into it. He was making hand gestures to almost every lyric.

And Im fairly certain i saw a guy with a green face before the show somewhere down in front.

Probably the greatest night of my life up to this point. And it will only get better.

wuphat
05-18-2006, 04:58 AM
Well, what can I say that hasn't been said already? I was in the Left Orchestra Row M seat 22. The seat was on the aisle and I had a pillar supporting the balcony right there. I figured it was perfect. I could stand against the pillar and not get in anyone's way. Not to worry, as soon as the curtain went up, everyone stood and never sat down. (Unless they were trying to toke a joint out of security's view, of course).

I have one thing to say for anyone who for whatever reason doesn't like 10,000 Days. YOU HAVE TO HEAR THESE SONGS LIVE!!!!!!!! CDs, tape, mp3s, video, vinyl...none of these mediums do these 4 men justice. The live show is certainly THE definitive way to hear anything form any album.

I've seen them a number of times before and this was just fucking incredible. I would not have thought after the Lateralus tours that Danny could have gotten better as a percussionist. I WAS WRONG! The man is a fucking machine. There's no other way to put it.

Justin has really stepped it up. The man makes a bass sing in ways I've never heard. It was like the first time I heard Cliff Burton. I was absolutely blown away by his performance.

Adam, to me, has always been the weakest link in the band. Well, I see now that each of them are truly 25% of Tool. Calm, cool, and collected, Adam Jones ran through every part of the show spot on. And BTW, if the backround visuals are an indication of what will be coming later on in the tour, we are all in for a treat.

If Maynard hadn't mentioned that he was sick, I'd never have known it. I can only imagine that they are doing Right in Two instead of The Patient and The Pot because of his cold. I guess the higher register of The Pot might be a bit difficult right now. His wit was as dry as ever, however, he is noticibly more visable this time than last. It still kills me that people fall for the extended Stinkfist. (I'll....Keep...OOPS!!!)

The best part. I'll get to see them Friday and Saturday too.

jmwc95
05-18-2006, 05:06 AM
I was in the back as well, upper balcony, row P, seat 101. I agree that the acoustics from that area weren't that great. I could hear Danny perfectly and the rumble of the bass, but individual guitar notes were indistinguishable and sometimes Maynard's lyrics were hard to hear. I have only heard them in arenas before, but the sound was better in the arenas than in the theater. It was still a great show, but out of my 3 tool experiences, it was the least memorable. I was pissed that I couldn't get the scalper below $150, but the person who sat next to me paid $200 to the same scalper after I bought mine, so I did fairly well. All in all, it wasn't their best show, but it was still worth $150.

millermt
05-18-2006, 05:12 AM
Show was pretty damn good. Only Maynard kept it from being incredible tonight. It sucks that he's sick. He missed a line in Jambi and had to come in at the end of it, he flipped some Aenema lyrics, and worst of all, he cut the screams from the end of Rosetta Stoned. The sound from my seat in first row balcony was great. Energy of the crowd could have definitely been higher overall, but was pretty good at the end. Adam kicked major ass by reproducing the talkbox part of Jambi perfectly. Adam, Justin and Danny were incredible tonight! Maynard did his best, which was enough to make most of the show pretty kick ass.

RÆLITY
05-18-2006, 05:40 AM
I was a tool virgin until last night. I don't think i can say anything to describe my excitement, but i will tell you i couldn't stop grinning after i got home. Didn't really sleep last night. Too excited. I payed out the ass for tickets, and it was more than worth it. I was amazed, and i believe it was quite possibly one of the best, if not the best day of my life. Everything just seemed to go well, and smooth, seemed like a very good day, and then it ended with Tool raping my mind. Oh God was it great! I know i didn't really say anything that someone else didn't already say, but i just had to type it out. Can't wait until they return at the end of the summer!

RaG3aH0liC
05-18-2006, 05:55 AM
Thoroughly enjoyable show. Maynard rockin' the local yocal hat and super-tight wranglers was pretty amusing. As we were walking toward the theater before the show, we wandered by the right door in the alley and caught about 7 min of Rosetta Stoned during the sound check. Definitely enjoyable. As usual, the band is ridiculous......Danny is an angry, drum-killing Yeti monster. It sucks Maynard was under the weather, but how better to further appreciate the next tool offering.

Throw that Bob Marley wanna-be motherfucker outta here.

Hkraig
05-18-2006, 06:47 AM
Amen to everything that you said brother. Last night was one of the most amazing experiences ever introduced into my life and i feel honored to have been part of something so special. TOOL is second to none and i will continue to let them assist me in my search for a higher level of consciousness. Looking forward to seeing them in the fall!!!!!!

Hortcore
05-18-2006, 06:59 AM
Fucking awesome show. Worth the ridiculous price I payed for a ticket and the 7+ hour round trip drive from DC. This was my second TOOL show. Much better seeing them here than in a Stadium/Arena. My seat was in the center of the lower balcony, row B. Did anyone happen to see the jackball dancing back and forth along the isle that split the lodge and the lower balcony? I about fucking died laughing when he was running/skipping with a beer in his hand and tripped. He flew about 10 feet before he bit the carpet. The jackball got back up and started skipping and punching his fists in the air. He was doing more of a "hardcore dance" than a "tool" dance. His friend/girlfriend was next to me. She seemed to not want anything to do with him. That whole bit was entertaining enough.

As for the show, it rocked. I barely noticed the screw ups, the crowed, from where I was sitting, was totally into it. The sound was great. Maynard was hard to hear at times, but I assume he was holding back as he was sick. Contrary to previous city revirews, he barely said a thing. Made a comment like "Philly, just how I remembered it". Then before Jambi, he said something I couldn't make out over the roar of the crowd, but it seemed to be about the new album, and then said "this is one of them", which led into Jambi. He made the same comments mentioned previously about being sick and stuff. He was definately reserved at times, while during other songs (sober and others), he would get really into it and do some air kicks, etc. The rest of the band was awesome and it was great that the crowd was quiet so you could hear the awesome drum part of Right in Two.

No complaints whatsoever....except for having to pay an assload to see my favorite band.

Oh, and a previous poster mentinoed a guy with a green face. I saw him down in the front right.

Highlights of the night:
Rosetta Stonned
Stinkfist
46&2
Jambi
Aenima
The Jackball flying through the air and eating the carpet. Classic.

LogisticPolitic
05-18-2006, 08:07 AM
Anyone that thinks that show was the greatest show in the history of music....I feel sorry for you because you apparently have never seen a real concert.
The show was good, very good, but by far this show could be defined as DECENT at BEST.
The interaction (or lack thereof) from Maynard [sick or not], the acoustics, the seats, the lack of anything truly original in terms of set design (Their videos playing behind them and a setlist dominated by singles).

Sorry, but this show was DECENT. The music was amazing and the performance of Lost Keys was better than expected, but come on people...let's get real here...best show in the history of the world?

See Tool a decade ago and compare that to this show. But what do I know, I'm but a noob...

kamikaze87
05-18-2006, 08:38 AM
Fucking amazing show. I was in row NN next to a cool girl who I believe was named Lisa... name is slipping me. She said she reads the forums, so maybe she will see this.

This was my first Tool concert and even though Maynard was sick, the concert was amazing. My ears are still ringing and the bass was so deep I could feel the hair on my arms rattle.

At the end of the concert Danny threw his drumstick, it landed in my hand and a security guard on the stage took it and handed it to a woman! Oh well at least I got to touch it...heh, that sounded odd. I did get a picture of it though.

When the band went to the main platform the crowd was going fucking apeshit. They tossed a lot of water bottles into the crowd. I'm wondering how many people will get sick from drinking the water maynard threw around. I can hear it now... "Dude I got my cold from Maynard!!"

Anyway the theatre had some amazing architecture and I enjoyed myself, hopefully I'll get to see them again in the Fall.

cjanx
05-18-2006, 09:14 AM
As always it was great to see Tool live again... tight as ever! I was a little disappointed that they didn't play "The Patient" and "The Pot", but "Right in Two" was a welcomed surprise! New songs sounded great, especially "Jambi" and "Vicarious".

I was able to get about 15 rows in front Adam… great view of the entire band! Only wish they turned the A/C on… it was steamin' in there.

Thanks Maynard for sticking it out...

troublefunk
05-18-2006, 09:52 AM
Anyone that thinks that show was the greatest show in the history of music....I feel sorry for you because you apparently have never seen a real concert.
The show was good, very good, but by far this show could be defined as DECENT at BEST.
The interaction (or lack thereof) from Maynard [sick or not], the acoustics, the seats, the lack of anything truly original in terms of set design (Their videos playing behind them and a setlist dominated by singles).

Sorry, but this show was DECENT. The music was amazing and the performance of Lost Keys was better than expected, but come on people...let's get real here...best show in the history of the world?

See Tool a decade ago and compare that to this show. But what do I know, I'm but a noob...


Gimme a break...

Maybe you've seen some better shows in your life, but really, how many? Don't you think its possible that A LOT of people there had never seen the band before, not because they aren't as hardcore as you, but because of age or the simple fact that they got into the band within the past few years? If you're comparing their set design and sick frontman to other concerts with more bells and whistles from other bands, then fine... the show didn't have that.

But for me, as a 10 year plus musician obsessed with Tool for the last four years who'd never seen them before, it was an almost religious experience. I was in a trance. It was more than I thought a musical performance could be. I'm not saying they couldn't be better (because I have nothing to base that on), but there's no way any other band on their best day could come close to it.

If you need them to change their shows more and do more dances to keep it novel and exciting, maybe you just shouldn't go to the shows anymore and be content knowing that you saw them at their best and that we're all getting off on second rate old burnt out tool. But save your pity...

researchtriangle
05-18-2006, 10:08 AM
yeah the show was definitely decent, not a 'religious experience'. can't blame the band though, maynard was obviously under the weather and the acoustics were kind of shitty at the venue. i guess if you have a constant hard on for tool and you were on some kind of psychadelics, then maybe the concert was " AMAZING ".

RaG3aH0liC
05-18-2006, 10:32 AM
Anyone that thinks that show was the greatest show in the history of music....I feel sorry for you because you apparently have never seen a real concert.
The show was good, very good, but by far this show could be defined as DECENT at BEST.
The interaction (or lack thereof) from Maynard [sick or not], the acoustics, the seats, the lack of anything truly original in terms of set design (Their videos playing behind them and a setlist dominated by singles).

Sorry, but this show was DECENT. The music was amazing and the performance of Lost Keys was better than expected, but come on people...let's get real here...best show in the history of the world?

See Tool a decade ago and compare that to this show. But what do I know, I'm but a noob...

Yea, so I will give you that it wasn't the best Tool show I have seen, but after being together ~15 years / 6 albums, it is my humble opinion that anything Tool is willing to give, I am quite ecstatic about being able to see / hear.
So....... it's been 4 years since any kind of a tour, only two weeks since the new album came out, and a sick lead singer to boot. What is your deal? I would assume that your taking part in a Tool forum and getting tix to a pretty exclusive show would mean that you are a fan of the band. However, the post makes it seem more like you just want to whine about something that most people would consider quite the treat. I would say that given the sad state of music at this point in time, we should all feel pretty grateful that Tool is still together / making kick-ass new music and travelling the country to play it for people that ought to just go home and listen to Nickelback if they really want something to bitch about. So in short...... Tool owns. And since you don't know if that next tool show might be their last, show some respect.

evil agent
05-18-2006, 10:40 AM
There's one of those guys in every thread, don't worry. While some of the shows on this tour so far have been a tad rusty, they still sound amazing, and give a great performance!

dracomordag
05-18-2006, 11:03 AM
tower theater is notorious for having some areas with great acoustics, while other places suck. i was lucky enough (unlike my show there a year ago) to get a place with great acoustics.

i was so psyched when they started off intension.... but then was dissapointed when they skipped straight to RiT. I got over it pretty quickly, because it's still a great song. except that intro that was pretty badly out of tune.

Iluvatar
05-18-2006, 11:14 AM
During the "have a seat on the riser and soak in the crowd noise" section at the end, did anyone else see Danny pointing at something, then Adam walked over and got something from the crowd. A black T-shirt or something. Then it seemed like he returned it, shrugged, and went back to sitting.... Don't know. I was in row F, left orchestra, seat 16, and as nice as it was to be in a calm space, I miss the physicality of being in the pit, gripping the front rail for dear life, and being swayed and smashed for love of Tool. I get to look forward to that in the Fall though!

When Oh When will I hear THIRD EYE!!!!!!!

Iluvatar

mosvar
05-18-2006, 11:27 AM
The sound was pretty much rocking me out of teh chair. At some points I had to ask mnyself ......did someone slip some hits in my drink? I was mesmorized more than most of teh other 15 times i have seen them. What a great show and what a great atmosphere.....godo to get out with raplos, tony M., skriz scroce , andy dizzle,squeef , and cracky. Been a long time and glad a show like this brought us all together. I am sorry that the newest tool lover (F) was not able to get a ticket as she wanted to seem them badly.

Sorry abt that but teh show was great and the whole thing rocked my socks off.

Was kind of short but that was expected and worth every dollar. Face value that is........

mike tyson
05-18-2006, 11:36 AM
Okay, here's my beef with the show (mind you, these things didn't ruin the show, but they made it a little less special in my eyes):

- The setlist. I know it's the minitour and it wouldn't be varied that much, but I was still hopeful for at least 1 different song.

- Maynards sickness. You can't blame him for being sick, but his performance was lackluster. He seemed like a fucking asshole for the first like 3-4 songs, then finally around Right in Two he got a little more animated. He missed / couldn't hit some of the screams of his. For example he didn't even do the HUGE "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (can't remember what they said...)" scream at the end of RS.

- The dude in front of me. Just my luck that a 6'5 450 lb guy stood in front of ME.

- The visuals. The new visuals are pretty boring. They have the standard music videos, but apart from that, they sucked. It was cool to see the firy christ image used on the one part, but they mostly sucked. The visuals for "Lateralus" on their last tour were fucking AMAZING, and the new ones blow.

Overall it was an awesome show, but not better than the first time I saw them. The way they all play on stage is awesome. Justin and Maynard are probably the most animated. Danny makes it look so easy (the 46 & 2 solo is intense). Adam is a zombie. They seem a little less dark this tour. Last time I saw them on the Lat tour in '01, it was just such a dark atmosphere, mood, environment. This wasn't like that.


Oh and did anyone else see the fucking RETARD who was front row, center? He had some stupid emo/hardcore hat on and was dancing and being a fucking douchebag the whole show. He was doing stupid fucking hand motions and just being a moron. It didn't ruin my show but I wanted to punch him in the head. He even did like a hand gesture as if he were pushing buttons on a calculator when Maynard sand "I've done the math enough to know..." during Schism.

One last thing.. holy fuck am I glad they only teasted Intension and went into Right in Two.. Intension is such a bad song.

drone007
05-18-2006, 12:30 PM
personally, i would've enjoyed seeing danny do the electronic work during intension, but that would've been the only reason i'd like to see it live.



yeh, i saw the guy dancin in the front haha. he sure was "talented."

spw
05-18-2006, 12:33 PM
Show was amazing.. no surprise-
Everything was incredibly tight-

Wish danny's electronics were a little louder.. for all those little tid bits he plays. Esp. during Jambi.

The new tunes were spot on. Maynards voice a little weak tonight. No affect on anything though..

Noticed that justin improved a bassline or two for the older songs.. playing more complex stuff.. sounded wicked-

They added a few new jam parts to older songs similiar as they do in the middle of Stinkfist.

I thought they did it during Sober??? Someone here will remember better than I.

Thought it was amazing when they sat down after Lateralus.. Just absorbing all glory of their accomplishments... so great.

Really enjoyed alot of the new Visuals -
Of course wasn't as appealing as the later lateralus shows.. but still amazing
I'm sure they'll add for the main tour-

Can't wait to see them in a stadium with the full stage set up- ( hopefully the steel pentagram light holding thing attached to the ceiling )

Danny's drums sounded unreal- about to pick up the new modern drummer with him on the cover. Noticed he has a smaller right kick drum than the left.. Sonor drums sounded amazing- in my opinion way better than the bronze paiste kit- way warmer- more appealing/distinct to their sound-

They also had danny's custom made peice of art ( usually behind him by the gong ) laying in the middle of the floor inbetween the four of them.

I was so happy to get to hear "Right In Two" GREAT- D.C. solo on the pads. /middle of the song.

I thought Sober was extra powerful/moving/tight tonight- I've seen them play it at least 6 or 7 times.. tonight was the best.

OBVIOUSLY- IF you haven't had the experience to see them.. it's worth whatever you have in your checking account..

DO NOT just " wait for the dvd " It won't be the same as being there .. It is definitly one of those lifetime experiences..

I've seen Foo Fighters-oasis-radiohead-Depeche Mode.. Numerous other great bands, that put on amazing shows... trust me- they don't come close..
I've been stubbern in the past about how good my other fav. bands shows were live too.. until....

The chemistry of these four dudes is unreal.

keep it loud-

sw

mobeus1
05-18-2006, 12:34 PM
Oh my GOD!!!!

I am at a loss of words at how amazing that show was. This was my first tool show and all i can say is wow. This is one of the few, if not the only band who is literally better live than they are on the albums. The place was awesome, it was nice and small and to me sounded amazing ( no one member overpowered the other, perfect balance). The greatest thing about them was that it was very loud but it wasnt at that point of pain, it was just amazing. Stinkfist was prolly one of the best songs played, it was just so jamming. The new stuff was absolutely epic, in Vicarious they had these huge and bright stage lights that shone on the crowd that just made it perfect. The breakdown and talkbox solo in Jambi was great too. I don't kow the songs or have such a good ear to tell when they messed up but to me it was 100% spot on. God, the fall can't come soon enough. It was just one of those totally out of body, amazing, unbelievable experiences that all should relish in. To be able to see that the people who right these songs were there and human still hasnt sunken in yet. I loved the extended versions of everything. I dont want to bore anymore of you with worthless talk but all in all, if you like TOOL and havent seen the mat one of these places DO IT NOW!!! My ticket cost $215 and it was probably worth $350... You just dont get another experience like that anywhere.


Peace

mobeus1 fox three

durkabajung
05-18-2006, 12:43 PM
Okay, here's my beef with the show (mind you, these things didn't ruin the show, but they made it a little less special in my eyes):

- The setlist. I know it's the minitour and it wouldn't be varied that much, but I was still hopeful for at least 1 different song.

- Maynards sickness. You can't blame him for being sick, but his performance was lackluster. He seemed like a fucking asshole for the first like 3-4 songs, then finally around Right in Two he got a little more animated. He missed / couldn't hit some of the screams of his. For example he didn't even do the HUGE "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (can't remember what they said...)" scream at the end of RS.

- The dude in front of me. Just my luck that a 6'5 450 lb guy stood in front of ME.

- The visuals. The new visuals are pretty boring. They have the standard music videos, but apart from that, they sucked. It was cool to see the firy christ image used on the one part, but they mostly sucked. The visuals for "Lateralus" on their last tour were fucking AMAZING, and the new ones blow.

Overall it was an awesome show, but not better than the first time I saw them. The way they all play on stage is awesome. Justin and Maynard are probably the most animated. Danny makes it look so easy (the 46 & 2 solo is intense). Adam is a zombie. They seem a little less dark this tour. Last time I saw them on the Lat tour in '01, it was just such a dark atmosphere, mood, environment. This wasn't like that.


Oh and did anyone else see the fucking RETARD who was front row, center? He had some stupid emo/hardcore hat on and was dancing and being a fucking douchebag the whole show. He was doing stupid fucking hand motions and just being a moron. It didn't ruin my show but I wanted to punch him in the head. He even did like a hand gesture as if he were pushing buttons on a calculator when Maynard sand "I've done the math enough to know..." during Schism.

One last thing.. holy fuck am I glad they only teasted Intension and went into Right in Two.. Intension is such a bad song.


I saw him the emo dumbass on the way in the door and I agree, punching him in the head would be a great idea. Anyway, the show: it was great and intense in my opinion. Then again, this is the first time I've seen them. They were great and I liked how they seemed in touch with one another. I wish I'd of seen them on the Lateralus tour but I was 13 when the album came out and there was no way my parents were letting me see them in concert. Oh well though.

The setlist: I enjoyed it especially 46&2. That still brings chills during me especially during the drum solo. Lateralus was amazing as I expected it to be lol. Aenima ,though, wasn't my favorite "close up" song. Lateralus would've been a great closer.

The band: Danny was amazing and so was Justin. Maynard messed up a bit but hey, he's sick and he's 46. Adam seemed depressed but I don't know him so he might not. Oh well right?

The show was insane and from where I sat (Row JI, lower balcony) I thought the acoustics were awesome. Also, Danny's set is so much more massive on stage than in any picture I've seen. I was dead tired during the show unfortunately but I don't think it had much of an effect on me. I woke up yesterday morning at 5:00 and worked 'til 6:45. I made it there in time at least. Anyway, Thanks to everyone who made it a cool and great show, and thanks to everyone who added variety to it....like the dumbass dancing who ate the carpet

jmoth79
05-18-2006, 01:03 PM
Here's a few of mine:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35353831@N00/

more to come, w/ a couple short vids.
most are blurry, cause my camera sucks, and I had
be quick to avoid the ushers.

3rd Tool show and by far the best.

PhillyJoe
05-18-2006, 01:15 PM
BEST SHOW EVER...

and many thanks to Lesa who made it possible for me to see this incredible performance. Third time I've seen Tool and this blew everything I have ever seen or experienced away. It's too bad Maynard was sick, would've been cool to see him gyrate about the floor in true Maynard fashion.

Once again, I can't thank Lesa enough, or this board for bringing us together so I could see this show...

Hortcore
05-18-2006, 01:31 PM
Here's a few of mine:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35353831@N00/

more to come, w/ a couple short vids.
most are blurry, cause my camera sucks, and I had
be quick to avoid the ushers.

3rd Tool show and by far the best.

Great shots, considering the circumstance. Look forward to seeing the videos.

Hortcore
05-18-2006, 01:34 PM
I wish I'd of seen them on the Lateralus tour but I was 13 when the album came out and there was no way my parents were letting me see them in concert.

Oh man, Durkabajung. You're making me feel old! I was 16 when Undertow came out!

Fit4Demolition
05-18-2006, 02:18 PM
the drum solo in Right in Two was just amazing. up until Jambi i was in almost a trance. during schism i felt my eyes welt up a little. my first time seeing tool and i had great seats, Loge tickets are the way to go unless you want to have a chance of getting a drum stick or whatever. i didnt see the setlist before hand and my friend asked me what song they should open up with. i said a couple of songs, but then i said that Lost Keys is probably the best song to open up with. when i heard the bass feedback i just started laughing. my friend went crazy when they started aenima, he didnt expect them to play it. towards the end i was scared of it being over so i couldnt appreciate the songs fully, but i am looking forward to seeing them on the full tour. im gonna try to see them at least twice then.

edit: because im retarded i said Intension instead of Lost Keys, im surprised no one noticed.

Believer
05-18-2006, 02:23 PM
I was alittle piss before the show started since i had one of the worst possible seats, but once the curtain rose it didn't matter where i was as long as i was there. It was still a great view and a much better one than my last Tool show.

The most incredible part of the show was witnessing danny's 46&2 drum solo that was fucking insane. I loved the crazy thing they did in schism. The best songs of the night was probly Sober and Aenima. You could hear everyone singing along to them, and Aenima's performance was so crazy and had so much energy, even though i wanted them to play more songs there was no way they were going to top that so i'm glad they ended it there with a big fucking smile on my face.

nice shots too jmoth, my view looked alot like them.

Rageagainstgburg
05-18-2006, 03:51 PM
i was also a tool virgin..one word to describe my night...amazing.....great show, lazy crowd? i noticed alot of people standing there- not very pumped- personally me and my husband couldnt stand still- i cant wait for the fall tour!!!!!!!!

kingoftheuniverse
05-18-2006, 03:55 PM
Oh and did anyone else see the fucking RETARD who was front row, center? He had some stupid emo/hardcore hat on and was dancing and being a fucking douchebag the whole show. He was doing stupid fucking hand motions and just being a moron. It didn't ruin my show but I wanted to punch him in the head. He even did like a hand gesture as if he were pushing buttons on a calculator when Maynard sand "I've done the math enough to know..." during Schism.



HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAaaa

i saw that clown

i really liked his shooting motion during the "shot by...." line from "vicarious"

dude was too cool for school, or so he thought

i enjoyed the show

9th tool show since '93

seats were good, thought they would be third row, but were actually 8th w/ pit added rows added in

really dug watching danny go off from that close

best moments for me were:

"shine on forever..."

"something kind of sad about..."

"i'm praying for rain..."

good times

Virginity Trey
05-18-2006, 03:56 PM
This was my first Tool show, I was about 10 - 15 rows back. Honestly I thought the quality of sound was pretty crappy, while excluding Maynard the band played amazing. It did seem to get better as the show progressed, as did Maynard's vocals. He did seem like he didn't want to be there, but he was sick and noone on the planet wants to play a fucking rock show when sick. He barely said anything the entire show, and his vocals seemed uninspired, but you could tell he was trying. He was the first off the stage right after throwing some water bottles at the end of the show, while the others stuck around for a few minutes. On the brightside he did manage to bob his head in a funny way, and his occassional kicking was pretty hilarious. Danny is a beast, and watching him was the highlight for me. He alone made it worth the $300. As a few others mentioned, I thought the bass dominated the others a little too much.

The biggest dissapointment was definitely Maynard, but he was sick and I'm just thankful he showed up. I have no voice left over today after trying to show those guys how much I appreciate what they do.

mattsmom
05-18-2006, 04:42 PM
Gotta give the man credit for playing while ill. Could have done like a lot of other bands and cancelled the show. He didn't. You KNOW he was feeling like crap when he didn't engage in the "group hug ritual". Probably went offstage to puke.
Thanks Maynard for hanging in there for as long as you did!

Florida_Mike
05-18-2006, 05:22 PM
The show had a very different feel from the other times I saw tool. Much less ornate and the band seemed very human in the end. I was disappointed that they didn't play "The Pot," and generally a little disappointed with MJK's lack of enthusiasm. After hearing he was sick it eased all that away. I appreciate the fact that he got up there and trucked it out, even when he wasn't feeling all that great. Danny was absolutely insane the entire night. I have a whole new appreciation for "Right in Two" after seeing the drum solo performed live. It was kind of nice to see the band hang out after they finished their set and just interact with the crowd. It really seemed like they enjoyed the smaller venue and the ability to see some fans close up. Instead of us being "fans" and them being "tool" it really took on a much more personal atomosphere. Maynard said "See you late summer" a few times, which has me excited for their full blown American tour.

pushit_rva
05-18-2006, 05:50 PM
First things first, what a great show/experience it was to see Tool play in such a small venue. Well worth the 4 1/2 hour drive.
Second, the band blew me away with the exception of Maynard being ill, but it isn't his fault so I won't whine about it like some of the ohter users on this forum. Danny was outstanding as I expected. I was impressed by Adam, expecially during Jambi, when he had the solo with the voice box. I was suprised by Justin, I didn't know a bass could do the things he was making it do. Much credit should go his way.
The crowd was definately laid back, but at some points, most people were into it. I was rocking out with my friend Mike in row O, left orchestra the whole time, but nobody else around me seemed to into it, except for the guy 2 seats to my left who totally had the"Maynard move" down to a science(thanks, you were more animated than anybody else around us!). I do remember during one song towards the end, a good amout of people were pumping their fists in the air, in unison(except for my section!), and that was nice to see. As for the guy in the front row, center, flailing his arms around, I would have loved to see Maynard walk over and give him a cowboy boot to the jaw, but some people react differently to Tool than other, whatever.
Lateralus was the highlight for me. Never excpected that one to be my favorite because I went into the show knowing the setlist beforehand because of the great fans on this forum. 46 & 2 blew me away, but I was more happy with Sober than I thought I would be. Here in Richmond, the 2 shitty rock stations play that song to death, along with everything else good,(and bad)even with a new single out.
Last, for all the people who dissect the shows way to much and pick out all the tiny little flaws: I understand its been 4 years, and ticket prices were astronomical, but give the band a break! Maynard was clearly feeling like ass, and he COULD have cancelled the whole show, but saw his way through and did the best he could. Be appreciative and show just a little respect. And for the band making a couple mistakes, big deal. Like I said, its been 4 years and its not like that are playing simple music like Nickelback, Staind, Trapt, or any of the other crap plaguing the airwaves and peoples tastes nowadays, that is why this is a WARMUP tour. If you saw them on this tour and the most you got out of it was 3% of the notes were played wrong, or at the wrong time, and have to come on here and bitch, or complain about a singer not running around like Mick Jagger or something because he is ill, then skip the next Tool show and let someone who would appreciate the opportunity to see an out-of-this-world band live.
Basically, they did a great job, me and the the 5 other people who made the trip had an awesome time, wish I could do it all over again.

facelessDrone
05-18-2006, 06:01 PM
First Tool show for me. GREAT show, but I'll get the bad parts out of the way first.

Good seats, I was about ~10 rows back on the left side (wish I had been right side so I could have seen Danny better =( ), but I have to admit that the acoustics in the theater weren't so great. I would have preferred fewer singles in the setlist. Honestly, as cool as it was to see them close-up in a small venue, I'm really looking forward to the arena tour later this year. Acoustics will be better, visuals will be better, everything will be better because it will be more planned out. Maynard himself said "these are just some warm-up dates," and I think it shows. I was actually feeling kind of let down after the first couple songs because the sound didn't seem very well-tuned, and Maynard seemed like he'd rather be anywhere else than on that stage. After looking forward to live Tool for so long, I felt like "Is this all there is?"

Now for the good parts...

It got WAY better. Somehow it seemed like they got the sound more finely tuned as the show went on. It seemed lackluster at first, but I feel like they really got into their groove after the first couple songs, and that's when the show really started to come alive (for me, at least). Barring any complaints about the acoustics and setlist, it's amazing to see how in tune these guys are with each other and how masterfully they play together. Danny is ri-fucking-diculous, I wish I had stuck around the extra ~2 hours just to get the chance to shake that man's ginormous hand.

It sucks that Maynard was sick, but he still sounded great and it's WAY better than having them cancel (godDAMN would that suck). At a couple points he'd just stop singing in the middle of a line, then pick it up in the middle of the next line. At first I thought "wow, he REALLY doesn't give a shit," but knowing he was sick kinda turns that into "wow, thumbs up for sticking it out for your fans and doing a kickass job, despite being sick." Like someone else said, singing in a rock show is probably the last thing you want to do when you're under the weather.

Even though the setlist could have used a little more mixing up, the songs were nothing short of amazing. So intense. Highlights for me were Jambi, Right in Two, Lateralus, and Sober. That bit in the middle of Schism was awesome, too. Considering that Maynard was sick, the whole band was just on point and did a masterful job of presenting the music. Did I mention that Danny is insane?

All in all, it was an incredible show. I drove 5 1/2 hours from VA Beach to get there, stayed the night with family in Maryland, drove home this morning, just got back this afternoon, and it was completely worth it. I can't wait for the arena tour later this year.

ProfoundHaytred
05-18-2006, 06:29 PM
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/DaveEmmons/Tool_-_5-17-2006_135.jpg
this is one of about 80 pics I took last night. Ive got some nice vid clips too. Pm me f inerested.

CyberSlave
05-18-2006, 08:25 PM
Oh and did anyone else see the fucking RETARD who was front row, center? He had some stupid emo/hardcore hat on and was dancing and being a fucking douchebag the whole show. He was doing stupid fucking hand motions and just being a moron. It didn't ruin my show but I wanted to punch him in the head. He even did like a hand gesture as if he were pushing buttons on a calculator when Maynard sand "I've done the math enough to know..." during Schism..

I saw that dude the entire show from the Loge, he was so terrible. Even worse than the dumb dude at the Meshuggah show.

I cried during Stinkfist and 46 and 2, can't remember the last time I cried. But overall it was really a tease, it was so short. Very good show though. Fans were pretty good overall, but I saw a few dudes tripping and they were dumb.

I'll try to do a big review over the weekend.

Melanos
05-18-2006, 10:15 PM
I saw that dude the entire show from the Loge, he was so terrible. Even worse than the dumb dude at the Meshuggah show.

I cried during Stinkfist and 46 and 2, can't remember the last time I cried. But overall it was really a tease, it was so short. Very good show though. Fans were pretty good overall, but I saw a few dudes tripping and they were dumb.

I'll try to do a big review over the weekend.

What the hell do you guys care if people are tripping or dancing like idiots? Who are you to judge or strap them down.
I personally dont look at all the fancy images on the stage..... who cares it has NOTHING! to do with the music..... close your eyes, let go, maybe youll see something in there.

Shpongleyes
05-18-2006, 11:09 PM
i dunno if maybe someone was doing something suspicious behind me or what, but at one point i was rockin out in the aisle on the far right balcony along the wall and some older usher (who obviously was not digging the music AT ALL) came up to me and shined a flashlight at me, as if that's wrong....

honestly, i was just trying to inject a little life into the crowd. that said, though, people around were definitely into it, the older (than me, i'm 25) guy next to me was there with his wife (i guess) and he was way cool and definitely just as into it as i was. nobody gave me any shit for flailing my arms around except for that one usher.

i mean, i know i was trippin' on shrooms, but still, i wasn't THAT out of control, damn.

A-Bomb
05-19-2006, 02:49 AM
I'm still trying to find all the right words to describe just how amazing this show was. I've never seen so much respect and admiration for a band in my life. I realize it was a lot of fan club people, but still. And of course the band itself just sounded fucking incredible. This is officially the best show I've ever been to, and I've been to about 98 shows from various bands. Tool wins.

A-Bomb
05-19-2006, 03:43 AM
Two more things, did anyone notice a lyric changed in one of the songs to have something to do with "philadelphia"? I can't remember what song it was, but it was towards the end. But I was also pretty high.
Which is the second thing - some dude in row JJ with me smoked me up right before Sober. If by chance you post on here, thanks man. He also pointed at the stage and said "I love this shit better than life itself" Since I like to believe that when I die I would come back as some crazy ass ghost, and still be able to go to shows, I'd have to say I totally agree with him.

dragongrrl
05-19-2006, 05:43 AM
I could tell mjk was feeling a little out of it because he wasn't doing his usual "spider dance". but maybe that stance goes better with his "cowboy cop" look now. his singing was fine, tho. just by hearing his voice, you wouldn't have known he was ill.

thanks, maynard, for going thru with this gig.

adam does seem to be the point man for the playing. his attention to detail shows in the sounds he's able to pull out of his guitar on stage. being close enough (abt 10 rows from front) really allowed me to watch how well he plays along with all the loops and effects. as a budding guitarist myself, i have nothing but respect for that ability. that and playing crisply while doing the vocoder was impressive.

justin looked and sounded great, too. he was moving around a lot and really getting his body into his playing. he was a v good bassist before but now he's really dialed it up another notch.

dan is... DAN. friggin monster. insane. getting to see him play the break in 46&2 from close-up was one of the highlights of the evening. (and the hug later was deeply appreciated and humbling for this lil fan)

Rosetta Stoned was even better live than i'd imagined. the sound was blowing me away, almost forcibly pushing my body around.

hint to people: the sound is much better when you wear earplugs. earplugs let you hear the whole gamut and layering of sound. your eardrums don't get raped by the bass, but you can still feel it all over. this is why the musicians i know generally wear earplugs to shows.

lateralus live was the transcendent experience i remember. i think i had my eyes closed for most of that song, just getting lost in the moment. usually, this is a big mosh song and i was grateful that there was no moshing at this show to bring in aggro actions to detract from the vibe of that song.

the new, more driving extension to schism? HOT! i think i heard the crowd audibly gasp.

thank you, TOOL. i look forward to spending time again with you in the late summer/early fall when you swing thru here again.

JAYMZ207
05-19-2006, 06:17 AM
My first TOOL show and hopefully not my last. AMAZING show. My wife and I saw Maynard get off the tour bus and walk in the venue. He was all incognito with his Postal Service hat on carrying a box.

GhostofMAkkinen
05-19-2006, 06:58 AM
Tyson, I think you were close to where I was because I told my buddy I felt bad for whoever was behind the 450 lb land monster that couldn't even fit in the chair.

Pregame on the roof of the parking garage was fun, especially the crackhead selling fake shirts that freaked when security told him to stop and punched out a van window. Thanks to Alex for bringing the plastic beer cups. Nice to meet some ppl.

The show was great, second time seeing them and I enjoyed it more than lollapalooza. The ride home sucked. 6 hrs down, 7 hrs home.

Wanted to hear 4 more songs- the pot, pushit or eulogy, undertow and thepatient or thegrudge. Other than that the set was awesome. Accoustics seemed great from where I was.

Over all had a great time, damn good show.

A-Bomb
05-19-2006, 07:29 AM
TOOL

May 17, 2006. Tower Theatre - Upper Darby PA.

For about a week or two, I had a really bad feeling about this show. I'm not sure why. I think it was just because of how hard it was to actually get tickets, and what a special venue they were playing. We didn't actually have the tickets in our hands, my fan club member friend was just instructed to bring his id, money, and pick them up at the window. Top that off with Maynard being sick, and I just had a funny feeling that either they weren't going to play, or we somehow wouldn't get in. I even had a dream the night before, where I somehow lost track of time and didn't leave the house until 9 o clock, with the show starting at 8. It didn't make me feel much better driving down there either. Upper Darby appears just as shitty as Camden. Which is like the shittiest, most dangerous city in the country. On the way down, there was seriously a drug deal right in front of me. This guy stopped his car right in the middle of traffic, and this guy walked up and reached his hand in the car real quick. They definitely weren't just giving each other pounds. And I couldn't go around them because at the same time some ignorant little girl was just taking her good old time walking through the other lanes. And to my right, there was an eldery man with a walker that I swore I was going to run over. Once the car finally moved though, it was smooth sailing from there. Parking was easy. There was a bar right across the street from the venue with a bunch of online nuts and fan club members hanging out. This one chick that actually offered my friend 2 New York tickets just for his one extra philly ticket was there. She got a ticket, but kept busting his balls about taking me. She said "You must have one big cock, because it beat these!" I looked down and stared at her breasts for a good couple minutes. They weren't even that big, but then again neither is my cock. But she doesn't know that, so it's all good. A couple girls ran outside of the bar going "Adam's outside!" I went out real quick, with my beer in hand, which was probably a dumb idea but I didn't care. I didn't see him. I think he just jumped on the bus real quick. When I was out there we seen one of our friends, who was just walking around looking for a ticket. He looked really sad. It made me feel really bad, but reminded me again how lucky I was just to be there. I doubt he got a ticket.
So now it's 7:30 which is the time the window opens. My buddy goes up to the window to get his reserved tickets, gives his name, and the lady just hands them to him. He goes "Umm okay.." and walks away. He turns to me and says "you fucking owe me one." The tickets turned out to be free. FREE FUCKING TOOL. Are you kidding me? It makes sense though since he payed like a hundred bucks to be in the fan club. The only thing that sucked was the security outside rushed us right in as soon as the tickets were in our hands. They said we had to go in. I guess it was to try and cut back on scalpers and everything. That would have really sucked though if we had a ticket for a friend who wasn't down there yet. Not sure how that would have worked, but regardless, we were in.
This was only the third time I was ever at this venue. I've seen Motley Crue there, and also the Deftones with Incubus. I noticed since then, they have seats bolted down now. No general admission whatsoever. I think doing away with any kind of moshing made this an even specialer show. Yes, that's a word. So we start walking towards our row which was JJ. I figured the double letters would have been farther back, but we just kept walking and walking. I think with every step, my penis released a little bit of jizzum from it's head. The double letters actually started in the front. I was now 10th row on the floor for fucking Tool. For free. I was so close I could have had a perfect football catch with Adam, and he probably throws like a girl. But it would have worked. Since it was free, I decided to buy my friend beers. I also decided to buy myself Rum & Cokes instead of beer. At this point I'm getting pretty drunk. The time on the ticket said 8:30. Tool didn't start until 9. I thank you very much Tool for allowing me to have another drink, and to also piss 2 more times. It was much appreciated. I get back to my seat right as the lights go down, and some intro noise starts playing.
Justin was the first man to take the stage. The crowd erupting uncontrolably. He fiddles around on his bass. A minute or so later, Adam enters stage left. Lost Keys begins to take its form. The slow, simple guitar riff was a great build up for things to come. Just looking at them, I knew something very out of this world was about to go down. Danny then comes out and sits down at his throne. The crowd even louder then before. Danny was the only one in that place sitting. After more teasing guitar build up, Maynard and his cowboy hat, and belt buckle that made him look like the Chameleon from the Spider-Man cartoons, arrive just in time to "tell us everything..."

A-Bomb
05-19-2006, 07:30 AM
Rosetta Stoned, the angry little brother of Third Eye, kicked in with authority. It almost knocked me down into my seat, but somehow my legs found the strength, and I communicated with the rest of my body that everything was going to be okay. Despite not knowing the majority of the lyrics in the beginning of this song, I enjoyed the way it was delivered. The band sounded excellent jamming on this. Real tight and very heavy. They had about 4 screens behind them, all showing the same visuals. A lot of Tool animation that you would normally expect. The whole song was pretty spot on, but Maynard, I guess cause of his sickness, didn't do the little scream towards the end. That didn't bother too much though. He did what he could, and he still sounded pretty good through most of the show. He knew how to work with whatever condition his vocal chords were in. Pretty respectable. And man, when that Undertowish guitar riff at the end of the song kicked in, it really stepped everything up a notch. GOD DAMN, SHIT THE BED. Just in time to get Stinkfisted. Maynard commented on how he was sick, but said "We just had to come to philly." Once this song kicked in, I felt for a minute that everything was right in the world. I knew it was a lie, but that was the way it was making me feel, so I went with it. They had the video going for the whole song. Probably my favorite Tool video. They did the live jam in the middle that they always do, right before the "I'll keep digging" part. Once again, they fooled a ton of people, but not me. And they call themselves hardcore fans. Please. After Stinkfist, they jammed out a nice little intro that led into 46 & 2. This is one I tend to get tired of sometimes. It sounded fucking great though. Especially Justin. He came in loud and clear. And that headbanging ending never ceases to leave me in pain. Shirtless, Cowboy Maynard then said "We have a new album....and with new albums come new songs....this is one of them." Jambi sounded phenominal. The breakdown heavy part in the middle was awesome. For a moment I felt like I was at a Pantera show. Many heads banging away in perfect unity. Adam sounded great on the talk box too. I had a lot of fun singing along to the solo. After this song, I decided it was the best song of the night so far. It would later be defeated, but not by any of the other new ones. They really fucking nailed this song. Next up was Schism. I believe the video was rolling for this song too. I wasn't that excited at first, but again it sounded great. They also added this jam to the middle of it which was fucking sick. Danny was just being a fucking monster. I kept taking turns watching everyone in the band, but this guy caught my attention the most. He's so good it doesn't even make sense. It made me feel slightly retarded actually. Next up was Right In Two. It had this little intro that sounded like parts of Intension. Tool's intros are the best. You're never really quite sure what they're going to play next. Right In Two sounded pretty damn good. I think they flubbed it a little towards the end, but that's allright. They're only human after all. I think. The thing was, anytime they did seem to loose their place a little bit, they'd just kind of look at each other and maybe Danny would smack the hell out of drum, and they'd be right back on track in no time. If these are warm up shows, I can't imagine what the fuck they're going to sound like during the tour, when Maynards not sick and they work out the kinks (which really wasn't that many). I'm still trying to wrap my head around how good they at this show. Also, the tabla solo in Right In Two was really cool. All the other members were just watching in awe, just like everyone else in the building. Maynard was standing there by his keyboard just lightly tapping his fingers to the beat on the side of his leg. I really got the impression at that point that they're just as big a fans of their music as we are. So, all night I was catching these lovely smelling waves of some quality mary jane. I kept hoping that someone would offer me some and finally I turned around and this guy reached out to me with this tiny little bowl. Meanwhile the band is fucking around with some other jam I couln't recognize. I was finally hearing Maynards keyboard a little bit better. I ducked down to avoid security and took a real big hit. Right after I let it out, the old familiar bass line of Sober kicked in. I shook the guys hand, and he just pointed at the stage and said "I love this shit more than life itself" Even though I guess you technically have to be alive to see Tool, I agreed with him. It's the thought that counts. That one hit got me pretty damn high too. Sober sounded incredible. I was worried about how this would be on Maynard's vocals, but he pulled it off. He didn't yell the "I want what I want" part at the end, but I know he's been known to not do that sometimes anyway. The ending of Sober really kicked ass. Danny added a lot more fills and rolls and whatnot at the end instead of just bashing it away with the double hits. It brought that shit to a whole new level of awesomeness. Then a bunch of glowing eyes appeared on the screen, and it was time for the mother of all epic songs LATERALUS. The build up for this song was unreal. I think I actually left my body at one point, floated to the stage, and became one with the band and the song. When this beast finally kicked in it was probably the heaviest thing I've ever heard in my life. It actually makes the studio version somewhat suck now. I tried to listen to it the day after the show, and it just wasn't the same. Nomatter how much I turned it up, it just didn't have that proper OOMPH. I want to say this was the song of the night....it's really close. They could have ended the show right there and I would have been damn happy. I think they left the stage for a second after the song, but then they came right back out. They all sat down together in a row at the very edge of the stage, with their legs hanging over. They didn't say a word, just sat there looking out at the crowd, smiling away. For as mysterious as this band usually is, it was really something to be witnessing. I've never seen them look so human. So down to earth. And I've never, EVER heard a louder crowd, for a longer period of time in my life. Never have I seen, and felt, so much RESPECT and ADMIRATION for a band in my entire concert going career. They just sat there for a good ten minutes just soaking it all in. Occasionaly Adam would throw his fist up in the air, or Danny would clap along for a second. Which got us even louder. Anytime our volume would start to decrease just a little, we'd rile ourselves right back up again and get louder and louder. That moment right there might have been better than some of the songs they played. I've just never experienced anything quite on that emotional level at other shows I've been to. Not even a Pearl Jam show. Just typing it right now, it's digging up those emotions again and it's just..wow. It's just insane. I thought we were going to be screaming and applauding for a half hour, but finally they got up and grabbed their weapons once again. I now have a new appreciaton for Vicarious. After another interesting intro, they launched into a pretty tight version of the single. Lot of cool spiraly shit going on on the screens. I could hear Maynard's keyboard a WHOLE lot better on this song. He was basically playing along to the main riff, but it was cool nonetheless. Then the solo...fuck. I thought it was Adam on the record (and maybe it is) but Justin did the solo on the bass, and it was fucking badass. It was all distorted and shit. Fucking shades of Cliff Burton. I loved it. I think I got a little wet downstairs. They nailed the ending to this song brilliantly. Maynard said "I hope I didn't sound TOO bad...........see you in the summer"

A-Bomb
05-19-2006, 07:31 AM
Then came the all too familiar, soft chilling chants of "Hey....hey.....hey.....hey...hey..." Everyone was singing along to this and it gave me goosebumps. A lot of people were pumping their fist in the air too, which added a good visual. The Aenema video was on the screen. Thoughts of Bill Hicks running through my head. Thoughts of how much I hate the world. Thoughts of how much I love the world. Adam slicing my brain open like a pineapple. Danny going apeshit. Justin being British. Maynard still has the cowboy hat on. And then "I'm praying for raaain...." My eyes started to swell up. I thought I was going to lose it. Have to be a man. Have to keep my cool. Ok, I'm good. I wanna see it go down. Suck it down. FLUSH IT DOWWWWWNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This song ended with a fury I didn't think was possible. It somehow, maybe even by a nose, beat Lateralus. Hands down the perfect show closer. My jaw was on the floor. Maynard threw out some water, and seemed to leave the stage right away. Maybe he went to go throw up. The other guys joined arms in the middle of the stage to thunderous applause. Danny was throwing sticks and cymbals. He tried throwing one up to the balcony, but it didn't quite make it, hit the wall and fall down into the hands of some lucky fan on the floor. It was funny as hell though. I think Adam actually threw one and got it up there. Guess he doesn't throw like a girl after all. I turned to my friend and the only immediate thing I could say was "That was fucking ownership." In my book, Tool are the new World Heavyweight Champions. For quite some time now, Metallica in the parking lot was the reigning champion. Recently NIN has come close. As well as Billy Joel, Pearl Jam, and them crazy Ukranian bastards - Gogol Bordello. But this was just something beyond any of that. It was only an hour and a half, but it felt like so much more. Even just the last 4 songs easily knocked out most shows I've been to. We went back to the bar after the show, and we just kind of sat there. There wasn't much we could say. So I had a couple more beers, and smoked a ***. We were getting ready to leave, I was coming out of the pisser, and my friend is calling me on my cell phone. I pick up and he goes "get out here right now." I thought something was wrong. Like there was a fight or something, the way he sounded. I start rushing out, and I seen this big line of people all standing by the buses getting autographs. Fucking sweet man. Didn't expect Tool to do that. I got out there and unfortunately missed Adam and Justin, but I got to see Danny. Everyone was getting their tickets signed, and since I really don't care too much about autographs, I just jumped up in there and threw out my hand and said "I just wanna shake the hand of the fucking man" Which by the way, Danny has some big ass hands. It's kind of funny, because I actually shook his hand before at a Pigmy show. I would have liked to say hi to the other guys, but oh well. Like I said he's the fucking man. We decided that either Maynard wouldn't come out, or it would be way later, so we just left. And that's about it. I couldn't really sleep when I got home. I had another beer and listened to 10,000 Days on my headphones. For what it's worth, I guess it wasn't just Tool ( though they did play the biggest part), it did have a lot to do with the seating. It was a perfect view. And the fans were awesome too. I seen no trouble, no assholes whatsoever. But I can honestly say out of the 96 shows I've been too (and that's just through ticketmaster events) this was the greatest show I have ever witnessed. Thank you Tool.

blair's man sausage
05-19-2006, 09:48 AM
this show rocked...well worth the drive and $$$...i enjoyed the set list, segues, intros etc. and look forward to seeing them sat. night...hope mjk's feeling better

Insecure Mattress
05-19-2006, 11:09 AM
Well pretty much all of the positive comments said all that I have to say, really great show. My only real beef was that it seemed way to short, but hell they did play for at least an hour and a half, that's gotta be exhausting to anyone especially a sick singer. I honestly wouldn't have even known Maynard was sick until he mentioned it.

I was third row from the back on the lower level right in the middle. Sounded damn good to me from where I was sitting.

To all you naysayers out there .....keep in mind, this was just a warm up show!!! All of these early shows are all just warm up shows for their summer in Europe and their full Summer/Fall North America tour. Tyson mentioned something about the visuals on the screens being shitty...well honestly I didn't even expect anything like that. I figured that (this being one of the "warm up" shows) they wouldn't even have anything besides lighting. I was plesantly surprised by any visuals!

oh I lied....I have one more beef...I was a little upset that they dind't play Eulogy (probably my favorite) or anything off of Opiate. oh yeah and the price of the tickets was a little much for a small venue show, but understandable.

All in all I was extremely glad that I got to go as this was only my 1st and a half show. I saw them at Ozzfest in Camden a few years back, but I don't count that one really. I can't wait till they come back in the fall, maybe they'll play more of the songs that I wanted to hear.

research
05-19-2006, 12:16 PM
Wow, cool to see some people for VA/DC. Pretty good show, just because of the small venue. They sure do evolve each tour, this time they seemed very open and happy to be where they are, enjoying there fame. Some guy traded me his floor ticket, row A, for my upper balcony so he could sit with friends. Not bad. It defintley was worth it for the drive and subsequent $80 dollar speeding ticket.
As a side note, to those that were upset that Maynard blew it, wasn't in our faces or was lack luster, I have this suggestion. Although he was sick, Tool has always used him more as an instrument than a lyricist, by him standing in the back, wearing disguise, bodypaint etc., it forces us to listen to the music as a whole. Although that strategy usually fails and we worship him/them even more and some of us lose our individuality and freedom of thought. But, what do I know this is my first post, I am a newbie. But like a few others, tool popped my cherry at Lollapalooza on the 2nd stage during opiate/undertow years.

Mind
05-19-2006, 04:21 PM
Here we go, $66.66 ($77.26 or something w/ tax and B.S. fees) L/C Orc Row AA Seat 102,the isle. It certainly had it's up's and down's. What I want to know, is why they created 3 additional rows in front of Row AAA making me the 4th row as opposed to the 2nd row back which the seating chart indicated. I didnt get my hopes up any way so the seat was even better than I expected. But what made the people in those 3 "portable" rows so goddamn special? Furthermore,they probably paid nothing for their seats. I am not one to complain of such trivial things normaly,however,I know many people paid top dollar out of love for this band, while others seemed to have no TRUE appreciation for what these four men, and what they create, does for some of us. So I guess my only complaint would be towards maybe 50% of the individuals in attendace. The band, the venue, the visuals, the chest-pounding bass and drums, amazing vocals (Considering the show went on as planned,Maynard's illness only proves his vocal excellence) and the inspirational guitar work by Mr. Jones, made this show everything a Tool show should be...TOOL! You were there, and the band was there,thats what you paid for! So please,those of you who fill up space with complaints about "fuck-ups" and "screw-ups" and "second rate visuals",on the next go'round, save your money, and save some seats for those who will appreciate it. I'm aware this post may seem hipocritical so dont bother pointing that out.
Kay?...Kay

subliminalis1
05-20-2006, 10:26 AM
I paid 350 for a single ticket and it was worth every penny. I have a new understanding of Tool's music and a deep understand of the lyrics. Tool's fanbase is a large family. Everyone there was shaking hands, giving hugs, dancing, smoking. Everyone had a good time, including myself.

LEA
05-20-2006, 10:59 PM
I have been on a high since this show. Anyone that gives me a miinute of their time gets a discourse about how amazing this show was...

I cannot wait for the arena tour.

roy22341
05-21-2006, 02:21 PM
Generally a great show. Sadly, I got a bit lost on the way there (trying to take a short-cut to avoid some construction) and didn't get there until around 715, and by that time there was no way I was gonna make it to the parking garage so I just parked in the SEPTA lot, cracked open a few cold ones and smoked a stogie. Great show though. Better than great actually.

lacenleather
05-22-2006, 05:55 AM
My evening started at 3:30 when I hit Philly. I had made arrangements to meet several of the Tool Army members there. The first person I found was reg. We got in touch with Diane (xavier) & got up with her. After a while, there ended up being about 15 of us there from TA. Here's the list of the people I remember. xavier & her husband Charlie (can't remember his TA name), reg, bill462, tjr, nothing1, dragongrl, muffy. There were a lot more. I just can't remember them all. We went over to a bar across from the Tower named the Waterford & just sat around talking about the show & other Tool topics. A little later we went outside & checked out the buses. While we were out there Adam came out to one of the buses. reg went over & talked to him for a few minutes. The rest of us kept our distance. We didn't want to bum rush the man.

We make our way into the Tower & headed for our seats. Unfortunately none of us were sitting together. I was in the loge so I had a bird's eye view of the whole stage. The curtain rises on the stage & an eerie, but beautiful blue light appears behind the 4 screens on the stage. Justin is the first one to appear, followed by Adam. Is it just me or is Justin actually Jesus reincarnated? I swear he looks just like every picture I've ever seen of Jesus & his initials are JC. Coincidence? Adam & Justin start the music for Lost Keys (no speaking parts just the music). Danny comes out, gets himself situated upon his throne. The crowd goes wild. Maynard takes the stage & everyone loses it. He's wearing his trademark cowboy hat,no shirt, the best looking jeans I've seen on a man in a long time ... lol ... & a very large belt buckle that was almost as big as he is.

Lost Keys then goes into Rosetta Stoned. Maynard sounded awesome even though he was still feeling a little under the weather. He even apologized. After Rosetta Stoned they went into Stinkfist. This was an extended version of it & Adam & Justin rocked it out hard & heavy. They did an extended version of Schism too. They aslo played Jambi, Schism, Forty Six & 2, Sober, & Lateralus, but I can't remember the order. Unfortunately they didn't play The Pot, but they did do Right in Two so that made up for it. About half way through the show the guys went & sat on Maynard's platform. Guess they were taking a coffee break ... lol They tossed out a few picks, drum sticks & towels & then went back to playing. The show ended with Vicarious & Aenima.

The show was absolutely amazing. I don't think I've ever heard the guys sound as great as they did last night.getting to meet the other TA members made it that much more memorable. This was a show that will live in my memory forever.

GreenTara
05-22-2006, 08:03 AM
First things first, what a great show/experience it was to see Tool play in such a small venue. Well worth the 4 1/2 hour drive.
Danny was outstanding as I expected.
Last, for all the people who dissect the shows way to much and pick out all the tiny little flaws: I understand its been 4 years, and ticket prices were astronomical, but give the band a break! Maynard was clearly feeling like ass, and he COULD have cancelled the whole show, but saw his way through and did the best he could. Be appreciative and show just a little respect. And for the band making a couple mistakes, big deal. Like I said, its been 4 years and its not like that are playing simple music like Nickelback, Staind, Trapt, or any of the other crap plaguing the airwaves and peoples tastes nowadays, that is why this is a WARMUP tour. If you saw them on this tour and the most you got out of it was 3% of the notes were played wrong, or at the wrong time, and have to come on here and bitch, or complain about a singer not running around like Mick Jagger or something because he is ill, then skip the next Tool show and let someone who would appreciate the opportunity to see an out-of-this-world band live.

I'm glad to see someone else from Richmond. I was on the upper deck–Row K (Little skinny blonde girl wearing a hat) The stairs were in front of my seat, saw the entire stage. Don't worry pushit–RVA I was rocking out hardcore! drive was long, hate Beltway traffic(originally from NO. VA). Would do it again. This was a great bday/ graduation gift. I can't wait until they play again in North america, hopefully closer to Richmond like last tour.

seanylites
05-23-2006, 03:56 AM
Thanks to TOOL for coming to PA!! This was my 10th TOOL show.

Read below, you won't believe this shit!

My buddies and I were at the Tower at 8a.m hoping to get re-released tickets like some other fortunate people got from other venues on the tour. We had no tickets and none of us were sure really how to get them or where so obviously we started to ask around. The event staff people do not know shit! Don't ever believe a word they say, you'll see why in a minute.
After numerous Tower staff members assured us that "ALL" tickets were gone our hopes were fading away. We decided to walk up the side street right next to venue where the entire band's crew was unloading all the stage equipment. It was only me and my buddy T.J who went up to the crew. Pat stayed behind to watch our sandwiches and hold our place in line (even know it was early as hell and there was no one else even close to waiting for any tickets let alone TOOL tickets).
T.J, with his "were getting fucking tickets" mentality, struck-up a conversation with some truck driver guy and this other guy who had a TOOL laminate and was directing all the equipment into the venue. Our observation led us to believe this guy to be either the crew or stage manager, real cool guy with white long hair. For the purpose of this post, we will just go ahead and call him "stage manager" for easy reference. Anyways, we were asking them if they knew if they were going to re-release tickets. Truck driver dude said "I'm just a truck driver dude" and proceeded to help crew members take the bands coolers off his truck (apparently Maynard likes to have 2 bottled waters, 2 Gatorades, and 2 Red Bulls amongst other random drinks. Each band member had their own cooler with their name labeled on the top.) Stage manager keeps shooting the shit with us which was fucking wild because we are standing right in the midst of all the bands equipment and the side entrance door and still we were not being thrown out of the street. T.J and I were giving him the story of how badly we wanted to see this show. After a few minutes of chit-chatter about nothing else really, (stage manager obviously was pre-occupied with setting up the band's equipment rather than listen to our sob story of how bad we want tickets and we have been there since 8a.m), we must have struck a nerve with this guy because he turns to T.J and very quietly says "hold on a second, wait right here".
Hopes started to rise again. My cell phone rings and its Pat who is still sitting out front of the venue watching our spots. "What's up man" I say and Pat says "dude what the fuck are you guys doing? I got people on the street out here eyeballin’ our fucking hoagies". I thought that was funny as hell considering that we already have been hit-up for change and cigarettes numerous times so I guess it would be only a matter of time before someone would want a bite of our Wawa made sandwiches. I told Pat to come back down the side street to stand with us. I thought for a minute that stage manager was going to bring us out tickets so I wanted to make sure Pat got one too for all the hard work he was doing talking on his cell phone and staring at our food. Stage manger comes out finally and quietly says to us “it is a good possibility that they are going to re-release tickets. Go to the font window and make sure you are first in line.”

Now we were pumped. We were thinking now that we were definitely good to go with getting tickets all we have to do is wait-it-out. And that is what we did. At this point it is around 10:30 or so. These guys showed up from Tennessee without tickets and were trying to do what we were doing. There were cool guys but I couldn’t believe they would drive that far on a whim. So these guys were now chilling with us and we all had one of the box office windows blocked so we would be the first people to get the tickets. After about an hour and a half, our buddie the stage manager come walking to the front of the venue where we are waiting. He come straight up to T.J. and I and says “they are definitely releasing some tickets, stay here”. This is the moments were Pat, T.J and I knew we were somehow going to pull off this miracle. We were very surprised that stage manager would go out of his way to come find us and tell only us. He was an awesome dude and we thanked him for all that he did for us. I guess, if anything else, he and the rest of the entire road-crew and event staff pretty much knew us three since we’ve been there since 8.
Ticket window finally opened up at about 1:30 and we were right fucking on it. Pat, being right in front of the window, became our representative and pretty much had no idea what to say to this woman. So after a stutter Pat says “can I get tickets”, and she says “sure what show”, Pat says “tonight’s show”. She tells us that it is sold out. Like we didn’t know that shit already. I ask her “well are you going to re-release tickets” she says “well if we do it won’t be until 4 or 5 if you guys wanna wait”. We told here we have been there since 8 so we were not going anywhere. About 20 minutes pass and she says to us “guys my boss (A.K.A “stage manager”) said I can sell you tickets”. We fuckin flipped. Bought 3 tickets at face value in Row F right on the right-hand-side of the soundboard. The guys from Tennessee also got tickets. Mission accomplished!

Lesson # 1 – Shows are never “sold out”! Fuck scalpers!!!

Now that we have tickets to the promise land, the three of us decide to go find a bar and maybe try and get a glimpse of the band as they come out of their buses for sound-check. I had my ticket now and started to bug-out about my car because I wanted to move it. We walked around to that shitty parking deck behind the venue to pull my car to the ground level where we would be parked for free and get no ticket. There was a wall right across the street from where we wound up parking that was about 6 feet high or so. We knew that, over this wall, you could see the alleyway behind the venue where the band members were going inside. Pat helped hoist me up onto the wall and immediately, to my surprise, I am staring at Adam Jones who is also looking straight at me. I yelled down to him “YOOO Adam!!” and threw up the horns. He acknowledged me and threw up the horns right back. At this point we encountered this guy and his girlfriend (sorry I don’t remember your names but you know who you are) who just happened to walk by and I told them what I have just seen. So they jumped up, Pat and T.J jumped up. We all got to see him.
This is when we thought it couldn’t get any better. We decided to go to the bar on which was on the same side of the street as Maynard’s tour bus. Pat was on his phone again and T.J was talking to our two new friends when suddenly, as I am minding my own business smoking a cigarette, this short guy about 5’6’’ had a postal hat on and was carrying a box. It took only an instant for me to positively identify this guy as Maynard who was about 10 feet away from us. I tapped T.J who was in the midst of telling some story and said “dude that’s Maynard right there”. This brought the attention off the rest of our group. I shouted “Yeahhh Maynard!”, or something to that affect, and he gave me a smile and head-nod and proceeded to go inside the venue. Holy shit this was fucking nuts. I couldn’t believe I just saw this guy in a setting other than on stage. I can’t really describe how I felt but anyone reading this who has ever met any of the band members can surely relate.

Lesson # 2 – Band members are people too and there is a good chance you can see them behind the venues.

seanylites
05-23-2006, 04:03 AM
We waited in line for about an hour or so. All day long we saw this girl who, to protect her identity, we will call “Jen”, walking into the venue and onto the tour busses. I saw her all day and saw her again when I was in line. She gave me a sticker from Maynard’s project “Pusifer”. She was very cool and was talking to a lot of people in line. Finally about 20 minutes later we were let into the venue. Pat, T.J and I decided to smoke a cigarette once we got inside. They actually would not let us out again because they said we had to wait about 30 minutes so they could let everyone in.
We thought it was fun to fuck around with the event staff at the smoking door for a few minutes when all of the sudden “Jen” came up and was talking to us. We introduced ourselves and asked her what she did since I saw her on the busses and shit all day long. She said she was Maynard’s personal assistant and was from L.A. Pat, who is planning on moving to San Diego, began to talk about his move with her. She said “wow, that’s awesome, you should call me up when you’re out there and we can chill”. Pat was like “hell yeah that would be great”. Right after this I decided, as tacky as it may be, to ask her if there was any way she could get me an autograph. (I know what your thinking but you would have too fucker) Of course she said “no sorry I can’t do that”. I understood and wasn’t bummed about it, but you gotta try you know what I’m sayin. Pat got a kick out of it and saw a perfect opportunity to break my balls in front of her about asking and get a cheep laugh. But oh well. I talked to her for another couple of minutes when she had to go. We said our “thanks” and “goodbyes” and kept trying to get a quick cig in before the show started. T.J went and got a poster then we decided to go gets some beers and head in.

Ready for this????????

I am standing in line and I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn around and to my surprise it is “Jen”. She extends her hand in a gesture to hand me something. She puts something in my hand which I didn’t look at right away and says “you didn’t get this from me”. I said thanks before I even knew what it was. Honestly I thought she had gotten me an autograph. Pat and T.J are like “what is it, what is it”? I look in my hand and sadly it was an autograph…….it was a MOTHERFUCKIN BACK-STAGE PASS!!!!
I was fuckin going crazy and at the same time trying not to bring attention to myself. I didn’t have to because Pat and T.J immediately blew-up my spot. But in reference to Pat breaking my balls earlier “Who’s laughing now??”.
The show was phenomenal. Set was great. Band was great. Visuals were tight. I was loving every minute of it. “Jen” stopped by during Sober to say hello to me again knowing that she will see me later.
After the show was over I walked over to the V.I.P area. They would not let Pat and T.J stay inside so they had to leave. I was all alone and was about to encounter something that I don’t think anyone could fathom. There were about 20 of us. We were let backstage about 30 minutes after the show had ended. “Jen” was there too. I expressed my utmost gratitude for getting me where I was. We were offered food and drinks while we were sitting in this waiting room with the Phillies game on the big screen. In walks Danny, who sat down right next to me. I talked to him for about 25 minutes about his drum-kit, the tour, and when would they be back around PA. He said to me that they will be back around September and will probably be at the Wachovia Spectrum. I shook his hand, he signed my poster (with a purple pen of course) as well as T.J’s (since I brought it back there with me to get it signed for him). Danny was the nicest guy I think I’ve ever met. He was fuckin cool as hell. This night couldn’t get better. Or could it?
I walked out the bands exit in the back of the venue and saw all these people from the show trying to get autographs. I was thinking to myself that I just had a fuckin sit-down with the greatest drummer on the fucking planet and had a grin from ear to ear. Up and running comes T.J “tell me you got it, tell me you got it fucker” he screams. I hand him his poster and told him to take a look and he went bonkers. Pat was no where to be found. Apparently he got back into the venue somehow and was walking around. He also met Danny. Here comes Adam Jones walking up to his bus. Everyone went nuts. He came right over to us and signed my poster as well as my ticket stub. He was cool as hell. Then came Danny who signed some shit. I talked to him again and shook his hand and then they both went into their busses. Apparently Maynard and Justin bounced out quick so no one saw them. They were not back-stage at all after the show. Everything worked out perfect because Pat and T.J and our buddy Jeff got autographs too. We all had an unbelievable day and could not even imagine it was going to turn out they way it did. I would think I would have had a better chance of hitting the lottery jackpot. I guess though, in a way that is much better, I DID! WHAT A FUCKING NIGHT! BEST OF MY LIFE!!

Lesson # 3 – It pays to be patient. Jen is my hero!!!!

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

My boy T.J – To think we were actually contemplating giving up on the show is fuckin crazy. You convinced us to stay and you know I would not have had this experience if it wasn’t for your persistency. For that I thank you very much and that was definitely the greatest show ever. No more disputes now. I’ll take all 99 of your wrongs for this 1 right! It was all worth it!

“Stage Manager” – couldn’t have been there without your help. It is greatly appreciated.

“Jen” – I don’t know if you read these posts but I am sure you remember who I am. You rock! I want to thank you for granting a wish I have had since first listening to the amazing music of TOOL. You are my hero and I want you to know that you made someone very happy to which words do not justify. Shit like this never in a million years happens to me. You put the faith back in me that there are nice people out there that will try and help someone out. You came through and I didn’t even ask. That is amazing! There is no way I can repay you for what you did for me. I will promise you that I will never forget you and what you did for me. I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

THIS WAS THE GREATEST EXPERIENCE IN MY LIFE!

THANK YOU TOOL!!!

SPIRAL OUT!!!!

whjeffs
05-23-2006, 04:06 AM
Here we go, $66.66 ($77.26 or something w/ tax and B.S. fees) L/C Orc Row AA Seat 102,the isle. It certainly had it's up's and down's. What I want to know, is why they created 3 additional rows in front of Row AAA making me the 4th row as opposed to the 2nd row back which the seating chart indicated. I didnt get my hopes up any way so the seat was even better than I expected. But what made the people in those 3 "portable" rows so goddamn special? Furthermore,they probably paid nothing for their seats. I am not one to complain of such trivial things normaly,however,I know many people paid top dollar out of love for this band, while others seemed to have no TRUE appreciation for what these four men, and what they create, does for some of us. Kay?...Kay

I was in row CCC which was the last row of bolted down seats in the front. There were only 2 rows in front of me and they were folding chairs zip-tied together. I won my tickets from a radio station in Baltimore. They gave away 5 pairs of tickets in that contest. The radio station said the tickets were provided by the record company execs. A group of guys in front of us said they got their tickets for free through a friend of someone who works for the venue. So yeah it looks like most people up that close paid nothing for their tickets unless they were scalped. It seemed like they were trying hard to prevent scalping though as I was not able to pick up my tickets until the Friday before the show. I actually thought they were going to be at the Will-Call box office but I got the call from the radio station Friday that they were in and I picked them up Monday. I would not have scalped mine for any amount of money though even though I already had purchased tickets to the New York show. Both shows were great. It was a great week that's just going to make the wait for the full US tour seem so far away.

Rageagainstgburg
05-23-2006, 06:08 AM
Lesson # 1 – Shows are never “sold out”! Fuck scalpers!!!

Now that we have tickets to the promise land, the three of us decide to go find a bar and maybe try and get a glimpse of the band as they come out of their buses for sound-check. I had my ticket now and started to bug-out about my car because I wanted to move it. We walked around to that shitty parking deck behind the venue to pull my car to the ground level where we would be parked for free and get no ticket. There was a wall right across the street from where we wound up parking that was about 6 feet high or so. We knew that, over this wall, you could see the alleyway behind the venue where the band members were going inside. Pat helped hoist me up onto the wall and immediately, to my surprise, I am staring at Adam Jones who is also looking straight at me. I yelled down to him “YOOO Adam!!” and threw up the horns. He acknowledged me and threw up the horns right back. At this point we encountered this guy and his girlfriend (sorry I don’t remember your names but you know who you are) who just happened to walk by and I told them what I have just seen. So they jumped up, Pat and T.J jumped up. We all got to see him.
This is when we thought it couldn’t get any better. We decided to go to the bar on which was on the same side of the street as Maynard’s tour bus. Pat was on his phone again and T.J was talking to our two new friends when suddenly, as I am minding my own business smoking a cigarette, this short guy about 5’6’’ had a postal hat on and was carrying a box. It took only an instant for me to positively identify this guy as Maynard who was about 10 feet away from us. I tapped T.J who was in the midst of telling some story and said “dude that’s Maynard right there”. This brought the attention off the rest of our group. I shouted “Yeahhh Maynard!”, or something to that affect, and he gave me a smile and head-nod and proceeded to go inside the venue. Holy shit this was fucking nuts. I couldn’t believe I just saw this guy in a setting other than on stage. I can’t really describe how I felt but anyone reading this who has ever met any of the band members can surely relate.

Lesson # 2 – Band members are people too and there is a good chance you can see them behind the venues.


dude- me and jaymz207 were with u!! we saw Maynard get off the bus!!! we should have ran when i saw u jumping up that wall, i knew u wouldnt have stayed up there for no reason- wow - u did have a backstage pass!!!!!! Totally amazing- that rocks sooo much!! Great show! Fun times-- Maybe well see u when they come back on the tour!!!!!!!!

waking believing running
05-23-2006, 06:28 AM
man, this story made me cry :(

I had a great time as well, at Philly and NYC shows, also met Danny and saw Adam in NYC after the Sat. nite show. This is like, the best miracle Tool story from this tour I've heard so far.

ProfoundHaytred
05-24-2006, 09:18 AM
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/352253/

i filmed/took pics. here yall go.