2006/06/13 - Hammersmith, UK - Apollo [Archive]

Omenatic

06-13-2006, 03:04 PM

Lost Keys / Rosetta Stoned
Stinkfist (ext)
Forty Six & 2
Jambi
Schism (ext)
Intension / Right in Two
Sober (w/merkaba intro)
Lateralus
Vicarious
Ænema

Exceptionally long delay to get started. Sound was iffy to begin with and MJK's vocals seemed to be muddy and mixed badly for the first three songs and the clarity was on and off all nite.

Thats not to say they didn't rock though! They were Awesome as usual! I had expected more from them visually given the fucking brilliant experience i had seeing them in Brisbane, Aus in 2002, but expect the tour rig was slightly less given the large amounts of festivals on their tour schedule.

Was very good to see Maynard being more animated than usual, and more exposed to the crowd. Shirt off and Shades, and really getting into the sings with his funky dance moves. Singing at times facing the projection screen and giving the audience a good look at his often fabled scorpion tattoo.

Danny's drumming was fucking unbelievable not a beat out of place, even during the complex pattern break in Right in Two. and Justin was indeed giving it all for the home crowd.

I also love the way Adam can make playing a complex pick riff like 'Jambi' look so easy, (even having a side word to his guitar tech whilst casually playing the song)

The visuals were awesome and mostly on cue (a few notable off time changes), though as i said earlier there seemed to be alot less than the last time i saw them. Notably lacking the live choreography during Schism. Though i have to admit the extended vesion was cool.

all out id give the concert 7/10.

I thought the crowd reaction was rather lame at times, with most people around me seeming like they were stuck to their spot and not able to move. And i do wish they had played The Pot!

embracingyou

06-13-2006, 03:08 PM

I held onto that fucking barrier at the front! Amazing show.

toocooltool

06-13-2006, 03:19 PM

Does the band usually go that upfront at the end?

Justin looked so fucking happy.

Arctangent

06-13-2006, 03:19 PM

amazing concert from first to last. the hammy o (i refuse point blank to call it the labbat's hammersmith apollo or whatever it calls itself these days) was like a fucking sauna downstairs. came out drenched in sweat and if i haven't lost a few lbs i'll be very upset.

playing was amazing and i thought the sound quality was excellent throughout. hammersmith's acoustics are far better than brixton's. opening with lost keys/rosetta stoned must be a nightmare for the sound guy as maynard is singing through a loudhailer for most of the song. i thought the sound levels settled very quickly after that. there were some noises that made my head shake though - nasty!

the whole band looked like they were enjoying being on stage, the visuals were beautiful and the music was fantastic. all i hope is they come back soon on the second stint of touring.

and if anyone thought the security were twats then you have obviously never been to the wembley arena!

Metlamaniac

06-13-2006, 03:25 PM

This show was just stunning. Whoever is reading this.. and hasn;t seen them yet....Dont worry. When your there....its just amazing. Everything sounded great. Vocals...brilliant, drumming amazing. All fucking good. I still wish they would play for a little longer. Im seeing them in Roskilde, should be good shit.

Better than when I saw them last time at Brixton

Stunning

Omenatic

06-13-2006, 03:25 PM

Does the band usually go that upfront at the end?

Justin looked so fucking happy.
No not normally, that was kind of special!

Metlamaniac

06-13-2006, 03:32 PM

I liked it when they all sat down together. Then played some more. Great shit

hunterSthompson

06-13-2006, 03:34 PM

'anyone coming tomorrow?' 'we'll be saying all the same jokes' 'did you all enjoy the sun' 'then god pissed all over you' (the weather kinda changed during the day). ...

.... "just like he pissed all over my football team yesterday.... three - nil... i suck..."

After rosetta stoned he made a monty python quote: "hello silly english types"

My friend thought he was slyly giving the crowd the finger at the end as he walked off... anyone else see that??? i thought he was scratching his ear.. but i could be wrong. lol

bottom line... GOOD SHOW!!!!

toolsong

06-13-2006, 03:37 PM

Does the band usually go that upfront at the end?

Justin looked so fucking happy.

They all looked like they were having a ball and that showed in their performance tonight :)

puddle

06-13-2006, 03:37 PM

My friend thought he was slyly giving the crowd the finger at the end as he walked off... anyone else see that??? i thought he was scratching his ear.. but i could be wrong. lol

Nah ... he was putting his finger in his ear as if the crowd was too loud for him ;-)

dekard49

06-13-2006, 03:41 PM

Was a decent set - wasnt as good as I thought it could be, too few songs. I think the Lateralus tour was superior. I'll be there tommorow, wearing a Loot t again...

toocooltool

06-13-2006, 03:50 PM

I'll be there 2moro TOO!

WHO WAS IN WETHERSPOONS NEAR THE STAIRS SMOKING AND WITH UNDERTOW TEES?

Rav

06-13-2006, 03:57 PM

Really great performance. Far better atmosphere than at Donnington, apart from some of the people moshing and crowdsurfing today. One guy got royally beaten by the crowd as he flew over us.

Most of the other fans were great people though, the guys we spoke in the queue and in the venue, hope you all enjoyed it. I met up Foamy who is a lovely guy, so props to him too.

Highlight of the night was seeing an Aussie woman elbow some guy on drugs in the face because he grabbed her tits. That and the fantastic set played by the band.

rufas

06-13-2006, 04:04 PM

Got on the barrier, to the left, sound was muddy where I was. The queue for the cloak room afterwards was the most significant part of my evening - Had to wait 45 + minutes for a freind to collect their stuff. So if your going tonight, ( which I am ) Don't bother fucking around with the cloakroom.

The security were ace - were feeding me water all night. Wembley Arena is a scar on the face of this planet.

Lateralus was the highlight .

Shower, Spliff, Sleep, Work . . .and then more Tool.

Foamy

06-13-2006, 04:09 PM

Just got back from the gig, it was fantastic. It was amazing hearing Right in Two live, I was really hoping they would play it. I payed really close attention to Danny the whole night, I never noticed how amazing the drumming near the end of Right in Two really is. Dannys drum solo left me speachless. Fucking incredible.
Hello to the guys we met in the queue, especially the guy who knew who I am. That was pretty weird eh?

Brilliant night, I wish I was going tomorrow :(

Catch33

06-13-2006, 04:15 PM

Right in two. Frikin Badass. Bit of a dodgy sound at the venue tho.. both right at the front (as expected) but also up in the seating in the back too.. hammersmith is a strange shape, even so i've heard better reproductions there than tonight's..

oh yeah. see y'all again tomo ;o)

and OH YEAH, if you going tomo - **DON'T BOTHER WITH THE CLOAK ROOM** the gig-pigs were making a mess of even the collection of bags and stuff - i'v never seen anything like it - people were sent off around the venue insted of being alowd to exit thro the main doors and were then forced into a que which became *at least* half the length of the original que before the show. I was extremely near the front of this and it still took me 45 mins to get thro. sickening stuff.

Transmutate

06-13-2006, 04:19 PM

Long time fan, first time poster.

Good call on the setlist Andrew, wish you were here to enjoy it!

My 6th Tool concert and hopefully not my last!! Great set, of course there's other songs I wanted to hear but beggars can't be choosers. Love hearing the guitars so loud and danny always amazing but maybe the vocals could've be less in the background. Call me fussy!!

Props to CHCH NZ Massive

turok2step

06-13-2006, 04:35 PM

Jesus. My first Tool concert after a 4 year wait. 4 years of building up a very tall order musically, and Tool most certainly delivered.

The first 5 songs were the very ones that I hoped they would play, so I began to worry the closing half would be sort of weak. I wasn't too fond of Right In Two before last night, but Danny's spectacular drumming and the unfathomable energy during the middle climax have now made it a favorite.

I was nearly crying at "Weep like a widow" in Lateralus.

I cant understand why everyone in front of me could spend the whole concert sitting down. Crazy.

Ænima was perhaps musically the best song they played. What a way to end the show.

It was ridiculously hot in the place. Anyone going tonight I suggest bringing a water bottle.

-Spiral Out

BrokeN_Naols

06-13-2006, 04:37 PM

Just got back from the show. and what a show it was!! it totally blew me away. it was really great to see the band enjoying themselves. Makes all the difference.

I was at the barriers, just to the left. the sound was a little muddy from thaat close though. :( maybe it sounded better from a bit further back.

Thanks to the security guard for the jaffa cakes in the afternoon. ;) that was great! lol

And the person who was dishing out the Maynard's. HAha!

erm.... looked for wetherspoons EVERYWHERE, no luck. :(

Big hello to anyone in the que/crowd I said hey to.

I was in the green army shirt and NY baseball cap. ;)

Naols

profundo giallo

06-13-2006, 04:37 PM

Incredible! Those guys are not human, noones that good! I didnt think they could top Brixton 02 but they did.I had so much expectation for this gig i thought i might be expecting too much, but Tool never let me down.That double time in Schism was fucking amazing.

See you tomorrow!

Later Alias

06-13-2006, 04:44 PM

Just got back after tonight's show and my ears are still ringing! Not what I would call a classic Tool set by any means. Far too many new songs for my liking, although given the previous lists, we all knew what to expect. The Pot would've gone down well, as too Prison Sex or ever 4 Degrees? Far too short boys! And why start so early? I lost count of all the late-comers during Rosetta Stoned. A case of "Oh shite, they're on now?"

Anyway, I was way up in the seats and from there you really couldn't hear Maynard at all. (Missed nearly all the gags) It felt like his vocal was drowned too often with only the Aenima numbers being at all audible. What a shame as he seemed more than up for tonight.

However, Dannny's performance was immense and probably the best percussion I've ever seen/heard. Lateralus was the best number IMO.

BrokeN_Naols

06-13-2006, 04:52 PM

Yeah, when they up'ed the pace in schism, i was very impressed!

Oh, and a big hello also to Gemma, who was talking to me on the train back to nottingham!! made my day evn more complete. :p

Spidery

06-13-2006, 04:55 PM

Well I was up in the nosebleeds section and possibly had one of the worst positions in the venue (circle standing). I couldn't actually see the band for a bit because of all the people standing up in front of me. I had to stand on this metal railing to get a view but after a few songs my legs began to ache and it was kinda hard to balance. Also where I was I couldn't hear Maynard too clearly especially at the start. Most of the vocals in Rosetta Stoned were inaudible (very muddy) and I couldn't make out what he said in most of the interludes. Other than that it was a very good show. The band were more animated and visible than the last time I saw them (Brixton Academy 2002). But I think the visuals and projections/light effects were better last time.

Also I don't think anyone has mentioned that there were some cool jams in between some songs. Some of this material was quite "electronic" (a la Radiohead's - Kid A) produced by Maynard on keyboards. Perhaps we heard the beginnings of some new Tool material and a new Tool direction?

Hopefully, tomorrow should be better as I have stalls standing tickets. For anyone coming tomorrow be warned that the venue gets very HOT - I don't think I have ever sweat so much before.

Edit: At the end he said something like "thanks for letting me into your country, see you tomorrow" - but I couldn't make it out all that well.

haich

06-13-2006, 05:10 PM

i got in quite early... stayed in the middle ish, behind the metal barrier things... proper amazing view, and sound from where i was!

brilliant gig.

DaveW

06-13-2006, 05:11 PM

[QUOTE=Arctangent]... hammersmith apollo ... was like a fucking sauna downstairs. came out drenched in sweat and if i haven't lost a few lbs i'll be very upset.

I weighed 13.5 stone before, and 13 stone now... thats a lot of moshing! First time seeing tool and, as expected, was blown away by danny, justin and adam, and even tho maynard was a bit off at points, this was stiill the best concert I have ever (and probably will ever) seen. Bit of an effort doing a 280 mile round trip, but well worth it. Massive thanks to the guy i met afterwards, who forwarded his photo of the billboard outside for tool.

Jimmeny

06-13-2006, 07:43 PM

Well, I'll start with the only bad thing - the bag situation. 'Tool and their management requested all bags to be left in the cloakroom, it's not our fault but our management apologises'. That was what we were told. I'm sitting in an internet cafe right now, 4:32 am, after missing my last bus home due to having to stand in a queue for 50 minutes after the gig to get my bag back.

Missed lost keys and the first minute of rosetta stoned for the same reason, but I don't mind, the rest of the gig really kicked ass. The 7 minute section of Rosetta Stoned is now up there as the hardest yet most natural piece of drumming I have ever heard. The feet might be easy, but the stuff he was doing with his hands, I seriously cannot comprehend.

Justin was absolutely incredible. Definately giving it some for the home crowd. Danny gave him a hug at the end, it obviously meant a lot to him. Justin gave us all a clap. The was a beautiful moment. I'm really pleased to have seen them.

Aenima left me absolutely breathless. I hate cliches and over egging people, but right at the end, when Justin was stamping the floor to his groove, I was just so totally inspired by the guy.

The jams were very cool. I was so taken aback by the absolutely fluidity of them that I forget to remember to listen/watch for a few key moments - firstly, I missed the 'damn my eyes / dim my eyes of jambi'. I also forgot to watch for the gong hit in Lateralus... the minute he hit the gong I was like 'aww shit, I missed it!', goddamn!'.

Maynard was very animated... people have mentioned the puns he made, also the surfing/dancing he did during the middle of one song, I think it was Right In Two (although I'm just guess... it got a crowd reaction so someone is bound to remember it..).

Adam and Danny were clearly aiming for the circle when they threw the drum heads - and both managed to hit the middle, haha.

Deckard... I think I saw you in your Loot T-shirt tonight, haha.

Dunno if they're on here, but a big shout out to Chris... the guy who was forced to queue for his bag because he and his lady friend both put their house keys in their bag... and then left it in the cloakroom! Also a shoutout to anyone far left in the Circle, upper section. I was just infront of the guy with the major afro going on, he was sure loving Vicarious (which is alot better live!).

Also, I'd like to add, I paid £32 for my ticket, and ok, i was late and would have missed the support band, but for that price of ticket, I kinda expect abit more for my money :( Either 2 hours of Tool or a support band and and 1.5 hours of tool.

aeon blue

06-13-2006, 08:48 PM

I was the guy in the pink tie and black 'I am an Icon' t shirt.

There was a guy in front of me who was so into the concert he forgot he had a girlfriend behind him who couldnt see him and was desperate for his attention. My heart went out. I mean, priorities.

And yes, £35 for this set was too much, considering last week I saw The Silver Mt Zion band, Carla Bozulich and Black Heart Procession at KOKO for £15.

But the band in their performance were faultless. Energetic and stunning performances in a wonderful venue with a great sound engineer and equipment. JUST loud enough, wouldn't you all agree?

I wish I'd brought money for beer, and a little pot maybe. Certainly should have stocked up on tobacco. Wish I was going tomorrow, but we're having a house party instead. There are pills. Yay. Its been a long time.

Ive had two great weeks in London.

Jimmeny

06-13-2006, 09:11 PM

Hehe, also, if anyone heard me having a go at the stupid security guard who was shouting 'There is no difference between camera queue and the others', i shouted 'Well why does it say 'Cameras only at the front then?!''

Arctangent

06-13-2006, 11:59 PM

my ears are ringing so badly this morning. i was so hyped up afterwards that when i got home i couldn't sleep. think i eventually got abot 3 hours before i had to get up for work. not good at my age!

Far too many new songs for my liking, although given the previous lists, we all knew what to expect. The Pot would've gone down well, as too Prison Sex or ever 4 Degrees? Far too short boys! And why start so early? I lost count of all the late-comers during Rosetta Stoned. A case of "Oh shite, they're on now?"

too many new songs? they do have a rather good new album to tour, don't you know? as for anyone arriving late at their seat, the notices in the lobby that said 'Tool: 8:00 - 10pm' might have been a bit of a give-away. as they didn't come on for a good half hour after 8:00 (and there were no queues to get in at 7:30) there are no excuses for anyone not getting to their seats in time. i was downstairs and it was packed long before tool appeared.

bass_dude

06-14-2006, 12:01 AM

That was....insane. We missed the first train, so got there a little late, were about 3 people from the front barrier. There was such a long wait at the beginning, everyone was starting to sweat already, and when the first curtain went up,we realized it was worth it.

LK/Rosetta was good, but the crowd were'nt really doing much, but when Stinkfist started, my god, all hell began to break loose where i was. there was a small pit about 5 or so people wide that me and my mate went to join, by the end of the show it was as wide as the venue, just a massive block of people running all over the place, even with the heat.

Justin, wow. Ok, so he didn't shave, but he was just perfect from beginning to end, playing really like he meant it, there was visible sweat dripping from him by 46&2, and he was going for every note as if it were his last. Adam was great as usual, but didn't move around much- great jambi performance though. Right from the beginning, the one bit that was clear was the bass- i could literally feel my chest resonating in time to his picking.

Danny was good- making even the most complex beats look easy as hell (to the anger of my drummer), with some great performances such as lateralus and 46.

When the lateralus eyes appeared on the screens, and they began the slow intro, it was madness. i knew they were going to do something special, so i got my phone to record the video- i've got the moment it explodes, and the screens all go crazy.

I'd love to have gone tonight- Although i now need new jeans (mine are ripped to the knees) and my t-shirt stinks of about 4 distinct different people.

Alex

Peasy

06-14-2006, 12:22 AM

resident_gimp

06-14-2006, 12:23 AM

This was my first large UK gig (I ain't from these parts) and I was actually a little dissappointed in the crowd. They weren't pushy, agro, annoying or anything nasty - they just stood around like limp fish. The very very front had people moshing away, but everyone 10 lines back just stood dead still.

Yeah Tool ain't an easy band to mosh to, and sure not everyone there would have had the new album but christ I could swear 2/3rd's of the people I were around didn't even know who Tool were. When they played stinkfist I thought, "yeah this will get the crowd going" ... but no! Some started but most of the people I saw looked as if they should have given their tickets to people more deserving or gone and sat up the back. Hell a couple of guys stood around with their hands over their ears...

Stageshow wasn't as good at the Lat tour (but then again they are doing the festivals so probably travelling light).
Sound was ok, vocals were a bit muddy or it could just be the accoustics of that place.
Bag checks were a pain in the ass esp at the end
Tool seemed to be enjoying themselves... tho kind of a shame their setlist wasn't a bit longer.. ah well still good nevertheless

theescapedslave

06-14-2006, 12:25 AM

Third show tonight, I've previously seen them in Christchurch, NZ in 2001, and Wellington, NZ in 2002. This show was right up with those two in terms of quality and can't really separated although at a push the 2002 show would just push it out as it had those fucked up 'schism' dancers that hung upside down like meat.

I really enjoyed the chilled out vibe of the band as it was something a little different from my past experiences.

Highlights tonight were Stinkfist, Jambi, Right in Two (song of the night IMO), Lateralus....also the jam leading into Sober was immense....Aenema was a great finish too.

I must admit the sound was far from perfect, but as I moved back toward the latter part of the show, this improved along with my view.

Now the rant:

The only downer part of the show was the retard moshers right of centre about 4-5 metres back from the rail, running around bashing into everyone. Fortunately I didn't really have too much physical contact with them, and I did enjoy watching the massive dude next to me send them flying away repeatedly with a solid forearm. It just pisses me off as it is easily possible to dance and headbang along to the songs without invading the space or maiming those around you - I know I did...I wish these bogans would stick to Slipknot or Korn et al. Dissapointing as I thought the predominant amount of the audience were great.

Anyways, enough of the gripes, awesome as always and looking forward to tonight and another day of partial deafness.

Sandbox Magician

06-14-2006, 12:42 AM

Up until yesterday afternoon I was hoping for the Pot instead of Right In Two. But after last night Right In Tow is my new favourite Tool song. It was incredible live.

Was it me or did they cock up the ending to Rosetta Stoned?

Danny Carey is a Mountain of a man.

Great show.

Yep, Maynard missed the last few words.

We didn't bother queueing up early, we didn't get there until 7:40, stood in line for about 10 minutes before being ushered in.

It was a fantastic gig, the lads were bang on the money I thought. I did enjoy Maynard's "magic pony" dance.

I think for many Tool fans, myself included, I like to focus on the band rather than jump or bop around, which would explain the lack of movement IMO.

Oh, Danny Carey isn't human either.

That is all.

rufas

06-14-2006, 12:45 AM

Being at the front I had the luck of not having any fuckers annoying me all night, i mean, the crush is fine. I met a couple of sound guys from Northern Ireland. My only complaint would be when the drum stick was thrown out (the one that only made it down the front) some huge ginger F*ck nearly broke my ribs trying to squirm to get it. Like, it's a fucking drum stick. He was rude-pushing in between me and a freind. If your reading this - Ginger's not a hair colour, it's a disease.

holotrope

06-14-2006, 01:20 AM

The show was amazing. The band were brutal, heavy, and loud, but elegant at the same time. The band definitely seems waaaaaay less solemn and serious than on the last tour. I noticed only a couple of tiny errors* which didn't affect the quality of the experience at all. Maynard's voice sounded fantastic, in fact I was surprised how good. Danny was on top of his game, I can't understand how he is just so awesome. Adam really looks like he's just chillin' the whole time, watching all the crazies jumping around and doing what he has to do. Justin was really rockin out last night, I think he's glad to be home. I was really impressed with the way he and Adam stareted Vicarious in perfect synch, even though they both had delay on. Also was interested to discover that Justin plays the 'solo' in Vicarious.

All the new material they played (Jambi, LK/RS, Right in Two, Vicarious) sounded amazing live. They started Right in Two with the eon blue apocalypse sound that's at the beginning and end of Intension, I was kinda hoping they'd play both.

Maynard made some jokes about the weather, and the defeat of the US football team in the world cup. The screens are cool, I like that they are directly behind the band on this tour instead of hanging around the stage, because now it's easier to just stand back and be awed by the whole experience. The band being so magnificently tight with their songs, jams, and transitions is, of course, the highlight.

Overall, a fantastic show, I'm just glad I get a double take tonight cos now I can really let it sink in.

*If you must know:

During the bass/drum quieter bit (around 1:40 on the CD) in Rossetta Stoned, Danny slightly flammed one of the beats he wasn't supposed to, but it still sounded cool.

And at the beginning of Vicarious, Maynard was playing the little chimes in the back, but had the wrong setting on his keyboard the first time. Then he twiddled a few knobs and everything was perfect after that.

channelzero

06-14-2006, 02:11 AM

hey there - first time posting, now this is a bit of a gripe - i enjoyed last night - BUT: back to this 'ear ringing' thing - the sound sucked. sorry. lateralus at brixton was near perfect sound. hammersmith is notoriously bad anyway - but i expected a lot better. (NIN at astoria was perfect and astoria acoustics suck ass!) my ears haven't been this bad in years. anyway - the pit thing was funny near the end, and the dude with the beard - i couldnt figure if he was darkside of the force or not... but he seemed o.k to me. the set started late - fine. but it was going to be 8 - 10pm, and ended up being 90 mins instead? vocal levels were way off right through, you could hear danny and justin most of the time but that was it. i can only hope the next tour is an improvement. overall too loud and it hindered the clarity of most of the songs.
STILL - more or less a good night those things aside.

ParabolicCallus

06-14-2006, 02:50 AM

I dont know where to start really. What i saw of my first ever Tool gig was mindblowing, no doubt. However, my friends Satnav that we used at the very beginning of our journey decided to take us somewhere that wasnt where we wanted to go and then we got stuck in traffic etc. In essence we missed the first four songs and a bit of Schism :(:(:( i am still very fucked off about that, but thats a personal anecdote. Anyway, we got in and had to make do with standing near the back, and from there the sound was perfect. Being a tall guy i also didnt have much problem seeing them from where i was and they looked like they were giving it everything they had. Danny is out of this world! Justin looked amaing on his home soil, getting really into it. Adam was playing superbly, didnt mis anything that i heard. And i was very impressed with MJK and think he nailed brilliantly everything, even some of the things i thought he may have difficulty doing live. They were overall amazingly tight and im so glad i saw what i saw compared to nothing. By the way, is it a bad sign that theyre doing this waving goodbye at the end of each show? I hope it doesnt mean anything bad or conclusive about the band touring again..........please come back Tool!! For me! I need to a full set! Im almost tempted to try pot luck if i can get a ticket for tonight, what do you reckon my chances are?

Mupps

06-14-2006, 02:54 AM

Excellent gig. I was a little disappointed to see the same setlist, but by the time it was over, I couldn't care less - it was just too good.

I don't know when the doors opened, but I got there at about 7:15 and walked straight in with no queue, which was unexpected and cool, although there was a long wait for the band. With no support, they started at 8:40-45.

I didn't find it too loud, really, except in the hard parts of Merkaba (which I'd never heard before - very impressive!) and I think the end of Right In Two. I never noticed how amazing Danny's drumming is in that song. I was just watching him in awe for the majority of it.

I agree that the vocals could have been better. I could barely hear any of Maynard at the beginning, but it got better as the show went on.

I was near the front, just behind and to the right of the pit, in line with Justin. Everyone around me was relatively chilled, and it was a good spot.

Looks like they'll play The Pot and The Patient tonight. Also looks like they're saving the full two hour set until the American tour, which is okay, I guess, as long as they come back next year like they did for Lateralus.

the k e r n s

06-14-2006, 03:04 AM

my ears are fuct today although it's worth it for tool. At the very begining when the curtian lifted and you could see the 4 screens of visuals i remember saying to my mate this is going to put me in a trance. Then Justin and Adam started jamming Lost Keys. I liked the feedback Chancellor was getting. Danny walked out and everyone cheered. I could see his huge grin. Then Maynard walked out (loving the mohawk, some old school shit right there) and walked up to the front of the stage and around. Then lauched into Rosetta Stonned. Fucking brilliant! "and it looked right through me" Then bang Stinkfist and an extended version! They started it with the usual feedback thing that that allways do when they play this song live but i remember after the breakdown when the music kind paused they put in a sample of the sounds at the begining of the track on the cd then kicked into the main riff again. Wow. I was really impressed by this. Forty six & 2 always a crowd pleaser. Jambi was fucking awesome live. So heavy. Favourite moment "shine on forever shine on benevolent sun" the visuals were really cool in this song. Schism, Justin is truley a genius on the bass. Loved his Wal. Has such a nice sound to it. I remember they extended this track aswell but i can't remember where?? Then they started jamming the intro for intension and i was so excited i yelled out "woooo intension'' Then they kicked into Right in Two and i felt like a bit of a dick, like i got the names mixed up. But i am positive the intro to this one was definitely intension. By this time i had lit up my second joint and was totally absorbed. Amazing song live. Very emotional. Then i heard a very familliar feedback sound that went on for a while but couldn't distinguish it and bam, Sober. Everyone cheered. This song rocked as if they had just written it. I remember maynard talking after Sober and what ever he was saying made me scream "spiral out!'' and knew exactly what to expect. Lateralus was even better then last time i saw it. I also loved the visuals in this song too. Vicarious sounded way tight live. Maynard using keyboards for the intro. I laughed when the visuals of tv noise came up at the begining. After Vicarious they all just sat down and chilled for a couple of minutes and waved goodbye before lauching into "hey hey hey hey" It was cool how the stayed onstage before the encore. The whole crowd excepted this as the last song. Overall the set blew me away and i didnt take notice of any faults they they may have had. Sounded perfect to me. I was just looking foward to eon blue/the patient as they did not play this on their Lateralus show that i went to and the pot. Also i would have loved to have heard the full thing of intension before right in two. Maynard cracked me up a few times, Danny's drum solo was out of this world, Justin had slyle rockin out on stage and i was equally impressed by Adam's guitar playing and the visualls added another dimension to the music. Always the best live show around.

the k e r n s

Pablo

06-14-2006, 03:54 AM

One of the best Tool shows I've seen (my 12th since 1993).

Sound maybe wasn't as crystal clear as the Lateralus shows, but I thought their actual overall performance was better and they seemed much more into it.

I think Justin's Mum, Dad and brother Jim were all in the balcony about 4 rows from the front and loving it : )

See you tonight.

destijl

06-14-2006, 04:22 AM

An amazing night, Right in Two was incredible, whole experience only slightly dampened my the bag situation. Met so many friendly people and yeah hey foamy was weired chatting before the gig, hope you got some good pics?

owst

06-14-2006, 04:35 AM

To be honest.. i hate most of the rock scene.. so many retards there.. with their crazy gothic boots, or emo hair.... fuck you look stupid.

I really don't think it matters what people are wearing. Everyone's different, different taste, different style, but everyone there was there because they loved Tool.

The thing that stood out for me tho was even when the popular songs came on a lot of people didn't even sway, nod or remotely look interested.

Again, people experienced the gig in different ways. Personally I was completely in awe, and could do nothing more than stand and stare. If you want to mosh or move around or whatever then go for it - enjoy them the way you want to, just do your best not to ruin it for others, as it sound like some people in the pit were.

With regards to the delay at the start - I think it was advertised that they would start at 8, and actually did so at around half past, perhaps a little later. Starting later than you advertise seems like a really good idea to me. If they had started at 8 there would have been a lot of people really upset at missing songs.

I had waited 4 years for last night, I was quite happy to wait another half hour.

I agree with Toolish about the ear plugs. They're not going to stop you hearing the band, or take any of the quality away from the sound but they will filter out the damaging frequencies. I wish I'd thought ahead and worn some last night. I'll make sure I remember for Pearl Jam in Paris...

I guess I'm going to have to get back to the real world - I have to write a presentation for tomorrow - the last thing of my degree and I'm absolutely shattered from the gig and the drive back this morning.

I'll never forget that night.

Budvegas

06-14-2006, 04:43 AM

Well All i can say is that was awsome. Tool are the best. Completely justified me paying £60 for me ticket.

Something funny that happed was my mate was styanding there watching and really enjoying the show and then some girl asked him to move, when he asked why she said "Your invaiding my space!". HA HA Did she not see how many people where there?!?!?!?!

Apart from that Fucking Wicked nite.

Keep it metal people

Bud
\m/ :D \m/

osama...

06-14-2006, 04:45 AM

Just got home to france after the gig, definately worth the trip + flights etc. Good gig. Sound a lot better than in grenoble, although they could still lift the vocals a tad more really. Highlights were aenima, lateralus, and the extra long scream on stinkfist. Manyanrd sang with more guts and power than a couple of weeks ago.
A big thanks to the fat girl in front of me who was fanning herself throughout the gig, that kept me cool, and a big thanks to the (probably) fat guy who dropped his brand new XL tool t-shirt for me to pick up. Nice. A big fuck you to the tool management for creating the mayhem of the "no bag" rule.
I was the guy with green dreads. Bottom line : great gig, but still not as good as the 2002 lateralus gigs. Perhaps next tour the full magic will be back.

channelzero

06-14-2006, 05:11 AM

i love this band, this band changed my life in many ways, now-
yeah the venue isn't HUGE, but theres no way anyone could say that the sound was as good as it could've been. the band were perfect as ever - and mjk was 99% bang on, but those songs are so delicate/precise in places you need it to be a lot clearer than it was. hopefully if they do the 'bigger toyr' later in the year, they'll do brixton again... also - my hearing's slowly coming back!
it was a good night - liked the newer visuals too. crossed fingers for parabol/parabola next time too!

thereformant

06-14-2006, 05:38 AM

Everyone's covered most things but this was way better than the glasgow gig and the glasgow previous tour. Sound quality seems a lot better than venues up north so maybe you lucky london people are just accustomed to better sound quality in general.

menikmati

06-14-2006, 06:16 AM

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/636/140620063fy.jpg

heres a pic of the setlist. I was stood in fornt of the mxing desk and my girlfirend got to watch the show from up on the mixing desk. She's only small so couldnt see anything so the sound guy let her up.

Jimmeny

06-14-2006, 06:18 AM

Anyone see that guy dancing like a mad man in the middle of the Circle seating bit. Hehe

Is that the bald guy that stood up during aenima to point at everyone behind during the like 'it's a bullshit three ring circu side show of freaks'? I saw him too, I was just to left and slightly behind him (as you look at the stage). I had longish very curly hair and a light blue shirt on.

Justin was absolutely fantastic. Maynard was very enjoyable, with his frolics during instrumental sections. Adam was disappointedly un-animated, which was a bit of a shame I guess. Danny was on fire. Seeing the section of Rosetta Stoned, and seeing the moves his hands pull off, I think now, it is the hardest thing he's ever done.

A note about noise levels and hearing damage. Cath33 is right, 140decibels is enough to cause instant hearing damage. Most gigs, and most clubs, dish out about 110decibels on average, which can leads to hearing damage after just 5 minutes of exposure. Anything over 100 decibels is bad for your hearing. Hell, anything over 80 decibels isn't great, but your ears can recover from those levels.

I wear earplugs always. I was in the circle last night and I still had my ear plugs. I wear my earplugs at clubs too - they DO damage your hearing, it's not an urban myth, it's not scaremongery, nightclubs damage your hearing. I wear my earplugs at festivals too.

I have permenant tinnitus in both ears. I have a low 'wooh' sound in my right ear, and a very high pitch 'zing' in my left ear. This is because of gigs. They damage your hearing. Ringing ears is not 'normal' - it's a sign of damage to your cochlea. The ringing goes away, if you're lucky.

Porn, is this the first gig you've been too? Before I started wearing earplugs, my ringing usually cleared up by the next morning. however, in Dec 2004 I saw Kings of Leon, and my right ear was left ringing for 4 days. It eventually stopped overnight on the 4th night. It shit me up, badly. Wer earplugs, definately. You can pick them up at any music shop.

Snakedragon

06-14-2006, 06:47 AM

That was my first Tool concert and first time in the moshpit. That was awesome, i got a little edgy at the start as they started 30 minutes later than stated, and i was already sweating before they started (i was 3rd row from teh front). When Justin's feedback came on, i screamed "Rosetta", and was right. That song was awesome. But i had some ass moshers behind me who were jumping into people, so i had to jump back into them as well. Just before lateralus me and my friends decided it was enough in the moshpit- we were dehydrated and quite tired- we'd been queing there for about 4 hours!

Then we stood on top of the bar (the drinks bar after it closed) at the back left of the venue, and Me and my friend Dan had the best view- we could see Tool perfectly and the whole crowd going crazy to the songs. I brought out a lighter for the softish interlude for aenima, but noone else followed so stopped =/ At times i thoguht i'd fall off the bar but i managed to keep my balance.

Oh yeah, if you take your phone/camera and are in the middle, noone will take you out of there. I stood on teh bar right at the back and took about 20-30 pictures quite obviously and noone noticed/said anything

As the lights went out and Justin's feedback kicked in, the whole crowd squished forward, and winded me for a second, and some people managed to get in front of me *shakes fist*. Me and my friends were eagerly wating for the verse in Rosetta, to go insane, with teh other moshers around us. Not too many people actually moshed to rosetta as expected, but when stinkfist came on, they went insane. I missed the beginning of lateralus as i had to get a drink- even though the security guards at teh front were handing out half glasses of water, it just wasnt enough, by teh end of Rosetta, my mouth was dry, and it was so hot in there.

They extended a couple of songs, like stinkfist and played a different interlude for schism as i remember.

A downside was that in the moshpit i had a really tall guy in front of me so i could only see justin and danny. Justin was really into the music and played amazingly. Danny was also awesome- he made it look so easy- even the 4/5/6 thing in Rosetta. Inbetween songs there was a little jam. They played the start of intension, then went into Right in Two, which was awesome. I was dissapointed that noone moshed to it, and looked like limp fish most of the time until near the end. Also Maynards vocals were quite distorted, but when i went to teh back for the better view, i could hear the music much more clearly.

Overall this gig was amazing, and I really want to see Tool again. The atmosphere was great where i was as everyone was so into the music, as well as moving (most of the time). I only went crazy in the heavy parts, and used the verses to recuperate. Tool were very tight and i dont think they had any major mistakes, and I'd easily pay to see them again live. 10/10

Bex

06-14-2006, 06:50 AM

Just got back to Harrogate now, and what an amazing fucking night! I enjoyed it much more than the Download show, mainly because this time I wasn't ill and managed to get much closer! I was about 2/3 people from the barrier on the left hand side (girl with bright pink hair, if anyone saw!), so I had a perfect view throughout. Got a bit violent in places though, during Stinkfist (I think) it felt like the entire left hand side of the pit might have collapsed...

The entire band were on top form - I noticed a little mistake during one of the songs, something with the timing being out, but it wasn't really significant enough to spoil anything.. cool visuals as always, and it was great to hear Right In Two this time! I think my highlights would be Lateralus, since it's my favourite song of theirs, Jambi, Stinkfist and the cool new version of Schism... liking that new fast bridge section..

Got talking to a couple of really cool Irish guys before the show about Download, so "hi" to them if they read this thingy! You kept me highly amused before the show! And I have to apologise for threatening the guy behind me... I don't do too well in crowds and it felt like he was elbowing me in the back purposefully (which he probably wasn't)... it was hot and I was cranky... so.. sorry *blush* and how the girl next to me wearing FLIP FLOPS survived I'll never know!!!

On that note, I think that the venue was FAR too full... I heard that people who went out for air couldn't even get back into the stalls.... it was much smaller than I expected it to be.. I didn't really appreciate the searches either... being frisked is not the most pleasant experience in the world... managed to keep my bag on me though, but I suppose it is very small...

and finally...
[pathetic girly groupie moment]
I don't care if he's 41 years old... I don't care that he stands pretty much motionless during the set... I don't care that in certain lights it looks like he might be going grey.. I don't care that he's not conventionally attractive.... but Adam Jones is easily the most incredibly stunningly attractive man I have ever seen... I could not take my eyes off of him for most of the set... he is GORGEOUS... especially when he smiles (which he should do more dammit)
[/pathetic girly groupie moment]

how sad I am...

nice to see all the Tool people in Lloyds/Spoons before and after the gig too...

gorilly

06-14-2006, 07:32 AM

i went last night... hammersmith apollo... my bedroom has better acoustics.. the sound was total crud although the engineer did a good job and kept it at a decent level. shame that venue is total crap.

i was tool in 2002 i think at brixton, the show then was 20 times better, they played a lot more old stuff, sond was better, jst an over all more enjoyable show.

as usual tool totally delivered.. danny sure knows how to beat those drums!

unfortunatly i don't think the 10,000 days stuff sounds so good live... i was craving to hear hooker with a penis, parabola, prison sex, part of me or hush but it just didnt happen... i know the point of a tour is to push the new album but it was just a shame.

at brixton tool played for an hour, then had an interval then they played for another hour! hammersmith was about an hour and ten minutes i think :S

overall i enjoyed it, tool were fantastic i just think it didnt really compare to brixton regarding the set list...

those of you with ringing ears, you cilias are simply having a nap after getting a beating, were ear plugs at your next gig, you dont want tinitus later in life!

wow i sound like a right moody old man! dont get me wrong it was wicked! just not as good as last time!

and to give hammersmith a small break, the sound was good when i was dead in the centre of the crowd but after going to the gents i was at the side, when maynard was singing the refelctions of the left wall were just silly!

Fithos

06-14-2006, 08:37 AM

who was the guy with the huge ginger afro, what a legend.

anyway that gig was amazing i was a bit further at the back but still perfect view, there were a few lively people but the rest sorta stood there to just watch, i felt a bit guilty for being a bit jumpy, jumped on this tiny girls foot (sorry!)

the cloakroom queue was insane, being 5ft5 it was rather scary, and my poster got a bit crumpled :/ wonder how many people missed the last train home to get their bags instead of just goin up to hammersmith next day and collecting it then?

I saw a girl in a green top with the third eye from lateralus tattood on her shoulderblade...im so getting that, if anyone has it how much did it cost them?

Alysium

06-14-2006, 09:13 AM

Hi,

Third Tool show - great night.

I arrived about 1pm so was at the front of the queue. There was a nice guy called Dean there, and more I didn't get names of. There was a guy by me that looked and sounded like Pete, the tourettes guy in the current Big Brother. Chatting to a nice girl about graphic design and MA courses; but don't think her brother was happy with it - she was very pretty! Incidentally, he was next to me on the barrier at the front and had no problem getting footage on his phone. Every so often a guy would be walking along the the front trench shining a torch into the crowd: I recognised him, and I'm certain he's the Tool tour manager or someone - he took my camera off me two years ago at APC in Nottingham Rock City.

I thought the gig seemed really informal - and all the better for it!

Maynardisms:

1) Coming to the front of the stage, to the right, having a look into the audience, then going back. Pause. Then he did it again, this time it looked like he was counting the distance from his box to the stage-edge.

2) Making a gesture like he was revving a motorbike.

3) Making ''Squeal like a pig'' gesture with his hat.

4) Pretending to surf.

5) Some kind of funny dance movement with his elbows out. I like to think it ws his take on the Peter Crouch robo-dance celebration!

Danny - on fire! Justin - really played up to the home crowd. Adam - looks like a human/racoon hybrid!

I was dissapointed by the gig visuals. Aside from the video excerpts, it thought they were pretty crappy and came across like a first-year college production. Looks like an overuse of garrish Fractal Noise interspersed with poor 3D modelling. I put this down to the apparent Tool clique in LA - it's the same few people using the same tired ideas and executing them poorly each time. Just my opinion, but it's what I do for a living and I think the tour animations are naff!

Justin's got really wirey forearms...and if you look at his bass rack, each time he hits a root note his tuner kicks in sending a Knightrider-esque red flash across the display. Y'know, the light on the front of Kitt. Sorry :)

Maynard was pretty animated and comical, despite his deadpan appearance. Looking good for a guy in his forties, but I think he should hit the gym with me - I'll put 10lbs on him in no time and get him deadlifting his own bodyweight soon enough! :D

Would love to go tongiht, but I'm not paying upward of £65 for the privilege on general principle. That's the one dissapointment, actually, and it happened weeks brfore the gig. I can understand touts - they're just c*nts. But shame on the 'fans' who bought up extra tickets and then sold them on ebay for mega-profit. It's a disgraceful act of greed, and spoils it for the rest of the fans.

Cheers, more when I remember it....

Chris

(Welsh guy - brown, tight fitting top)

[email protected]

arcturos

06-14-2006, 09:40 AM

Finally managed to get an account here to talk about this gig...

Anyway, this was my first time seeing Tool live and it was absolutely incredible. The setlist was good, not completely perfect in my opinion but still a brilliant show.
I was the guy at the front that had to get pulled out because I almost passed out due to dehydration. I missed the first half of Right In Two :(
But props to the guys at Hammersmith for filling me up with water before letting me rush back in.

I agree with what some of you guys said about the sound though, the first few songs were a little hard to hear, especially Rosetta Stoned, I couldn't hear Maynard's vocals at all.

Danny Carey was amazing, loved his solo. Justin looked like he was having the time of his life, playing to a home crowd. Adam looked like he was in a completely other place, spiritual or otherwise during the show, almost bordering on disinterest. Still, an awesome show, and definitely my favourite gig I've been to so far.

Anyone got any photos?

Jimmeny

06-14-2006, 09:45 AM

Yeah I felt Adam was playing with quite alot of disinterest too :(

Bonescan

06-14-2006, 09:47 AM

Awesome gig, first time i have seen Tool live and i'm so glad i got the chance. Me and my brother have listened to them since Undertow, and it was such a weird feeling to finally see them there in front of us. I thought the sound was a touch muddy, mostly for the first 2 songs then it seemed to improve after maynards vocals were turned up. Can't fault their performance though, they are so tight it's really amazing to watch. Only a few songs i would have liked to see them play, like Intolerance/Prison Sex/Parabola, but the set was incredible anyway.

My ears are still ringing today, very fucking loud show.

arcturos

06-14-2006, 09:54 AM

Yeah my ears are still ringing like anything.
BTW, what time did everyone get there?

Me and my friend arrived at like quarter past three, which may have been a bit rash, looking back on it.

newbornstorm

06-14-2006, 10:10 AM

what a superb gig...couldn't be bothered going down the front...i realised at download that other tool fans all seem to be taller than me. dannys drumming just blew me away...i just laughed in disbelief at the intro to sober...so damn good.

oh and thanks to the people that guided me to the gig when i got off the tube...sorry i just vanished but you met your friend and i thought i'd let yous be.

i'm glad they changed the setlist from download...but at the same time i wanted to see the pot again...rarr...maybe next time.

channelzero

06-14-2006, 10:13 AM

we got there at 8.15 thinking support would be on round then, didnt it say 'plus guests' on the ticket? and a t-shirt seller lady said 'you'd better get in there - they're coming on'. so we made it with about 5 minutes to spare.
and to be honest - i got my ticket at face value the day they went on sale - £30 - but i couldn't afford 2 nights in a row either. also - yeah, guys in flip-flops... what WAS that about?

ThoughtCriminal31

06-14-2006, 10:47 AM

I think for many Tool fans, myself included, I like to focus on the band rather than jump or bop around, which would explain the lack of movement IMO.

I'd agree with that. Dude if you want to mosh and bang your brains out go somewhere else, these 90 minutes are priceless.

Being a shortass I got very squashed and was two people from the front, which meant I got the worst combination of getting kicked by people, crushed and being so close yet so far [as in not really being able to see well due to people in front of me...]

It was my first Tool gig and it's something I'll never forget.

I was a 5'3" girl with a sewn-in Aenima eye Tool shirt.

Thanks to the very tall guy with dark curly hair and a few dreads who let us get a little in front of him, and the guy who put me on hhis shoulder for literally about 10 seconds before security made him put me down.

junkie

06-14-2006, 10:48 AM

Just about woken up now after a long night/morning out! I drove over from Bristol with a full car and having only just passed my test i was a bit intimidated by the prospect of driving into London, but in the end we parked in Ickenham tube station and went from there. It was a pleasure to be honest, i really have no idea why anyone would feel the need to take a car anywhere near the centre!
The show had its positive and negative points, but i think overall it was worth the effort.

pros.
-Maynard's stage antics - he definately didn't disappoint me, from the moment he emerged with his megaphone to the moments he walked off the stage, i got the exact same tingles down my spine i get looking at pictures of him in old slightly more extrovert gear.
-Danny's drumming - oh so aggressive and and the same time precise and complex. just amazing - unforgettable. Particularly in the intro to Sober.
-The extended versions of Stinkfist and Schism were intense and refreshing. The closest to aural sex i ever intend to go.
-The moment all four guys took a break and casually sat side by side on the edge of Maynard's platform. I don't think i've ever seen so many phones/cameras in the air at a show - it was a very special moment.
-The visuals were incredible. I thought the geometric 'spiralling' pattern that was projected across all four screens at the very climax of Lateralus was the high point.
- The underground <3

cons
- No 'special guests'. I would have LOVED to have seen Isis or Jesu as some people were rumouring a while back - but at the end of the day i wouldn't have cared about the absence of a warm up if Tool has played a longer set, OR AT LEAST played the time indicated on the signs posted around the venue (2hrs).
- The band came out a good 40 minutes after they were supposed to. I know Tool aren't a particularly fan orientated band and i think that's interesting in itself but with no one to clear up after i see no reason why they couldn't have made the effort to come out.
- Maynard's vocals were very muddy and completly failed to fill the hall like they fill my headphones on the studio albums. I know you can't replicate that sound live, and its the same with any heavy band, but it really was poor at times.
- The set list was more than a tad disappointing. I'd been told they'd mix it up a bit for the London show by someone ("they always do"), only to find the same painfully short setlist that they'd consistently played since the release of the album. Before i die, i NEED to see The Grudge, Pushit, and Third Eye live. i NEEd to!

Overall, despite the bitching, i really enjoyed the whole experience and would have loved to have seen them again this evening. If they play a bunch of different tracks i'm gonna cry my eyes out :p, but i hope they do for the sake of those that make the trip.

I can't understand people posting criticising the crowd for NOT moshing? I don't know for sure but i would think Tool would prefer a fairly stable crowd. They're proud of their music and clearly want people to appreciate it - something that is easier when you're not swinging your arms about and tasting other people's sweat.

Isac Khrondor

06-14-2006, 10:55 AM

Last night was amazing, didn't sound as good as at Download, but visually it was far more interesting, I was totally blown away by Aenema, I just looked back and saw everyone out of their seats dancing to the second half of the song, and when the 'praying for rain..' bit happened I could feel the energy so much, the amount of shivers going down my spine was incredible.

Shame about the predictible set list and bad sound quality though.

leterel

06-14-2006, 11:01 AM

my second tool show, first seeing them indoors.

absolutely amazing gig, met some top people in 'wetherspoons' (which turned out not to be a wetherspoons after all), got right up front and caught one of maynard's bottles at the end.

Atrophix

06-14-2006, 12:07 PM

Fucking eh, where to begin.

Arrived at 10.30 with only 5 other people in the queue, who'd been there since 06.15 and 08:00; really just want to thank you guys for being properly good guys and girls. Ben, Jon and the rest of you guys.

Chilling out in the sun, then lighting a BBQ (with Axl Rose) before we'd even reached midday, "fuck tha security", . The helpful security guy: "excuse me, do you know where the queue OFFICIALLY starts?" "yes, round there" "I know that, but where round there?" "...round there"
Then the official queue being formed around us just prior to it absolutely pissing down with rain. Met some more awesome people, saw a police helicopter hover over us ("we've had reports of illegal street BBQs" or "Ah, I see Maynard's arrived"). Then they decided to let people in early, my ticket said doors 7.00 but they opened at about quarter past 6. Which meant that my friend was still trying to get to the loo, but the security were kind enough to wait for him. Well...we had been waiting most of the day.
My friend was the first in the auditorium, and we were front row centre. I think that very fact was what managed to keep us standing for what was a further two hour wait. I swear everyone to my left was canadian, but you were awesome. Loving the two girls who couldn't decide whether they had Maynard's Wine Gums in Canada.
The set, simply superb. Of course I would have loved for it to be longer, for them to play every song they had, but I knew that wouldn't happen, and I know this is a warm-up tour. Rosetta Stoned probably didn't get most of the crowd going, but at the front it was all action. Excellent, Maynard suprised everyone by starting at the front, it's always nice when he pretends he likes us. Stinkfist truly kicked everyone into the gig, and no song was less than superb. Right In Two, Sober, Lateralus, Ænema being the real stand outs for me right now.

Random things:

WE WERE THE PEOPLE HANDING OUT MAYNARD'S
Glad you enjoyed them, we bought enough that at one point 6 people on the front row were holding them up. Also managed to throw a pack onstage...stayed there for a whole song.

Maynard indicated during Rosetta Stoned for first Adam, and then himself to be turned up. I never had any trouble hearing Adam during the gig, Maynard noticeably improved in volume throughout the night, but was never clear at the front. He was still audible, in a way, it added to the songs.

Danny, as everyone knows, was superb, but Justin truly stole it for me. He did some incredible things with that bass, the solo in the Vicarious being just one. A really energetic performance from him too.

Maynard's dances were some good comic relief, but he has some other classic moments. We started doing a hands to one side, hands to the other movement, during Jambi? I think it was, but anyway, Maynard himself did the exact same thing very shortly afterwards. He also started clicking at one point, and seemed to find it very funny when people started joining in . In my opinion, he has undeniable contempt for the audience, but it does nothing to detract from the performance, it simply adds intrigue.

Crowdsurfing was pretty limited, but some fool rolled rather than surfed and smacked my friend in the back of the neck really hard. Security was also pretty tight at the front, they kept on standing on the barrier and shinging torches in, but it's not their fault, 'tis what the bands management (re: maynard) ordered.

Finally, at the end when they were throwing things out, the same friend who got nutted in the back of the head also got a drumstick. She damn well deserved it too, pretty much the perfect end to such a good gig. Most certainly not the last Tool gig I'll be at (if I never see Pushit live...I'll not be happy). I've missed out a lot but it'll come back to me.

oh yea, and the bag situation was indeed stupid.

BrokeN_Naols

06-14-2006, 12:25 PM

HAha! thanks for the Maynards! lol.

I was JUST to the left of the canadian girl with the fair hair. on the front row. I think her name was Gabrielle.

And I'm REAL glad I didn't have a bag, I would have missed the train for sure.

TOOL will be onstage now. ;)

m00

06-14-2006, 12:52 PM

Damm that was so hot, i sweated all the b33r out and then they ran out. What the hell was up with the crowd we had shitty circle standing tickets, i swear i had peeps falling alseep in the seated section in front of me.
Sound levels wise it was on par with concorde at takeoff without ear defenders so good job it was a short set, ( no ringing though ) :p. I think the tool mangment was poor, i wanted to get some official merchandise on the way out so left 2-3 mins b4 the end but was usshed ed down and side exit and was FORCED to buy counterfit t-shirt outside. Till next time.... C0ws need Love T00

turok2step

06-14-2006, 02:34 PM

oh ya, if anyone is interested, I heard some Kraftwerk, Massive Attack, Meshuggah and Autechre in the pre-show-wait-mix they played. Each song was separated by some series of saturated speeches.

Tool sure listen to great music!!!

(<3 Autechre)

Saltank

06-14-2006, 02:56 PM

I gotta say, next time you see TOOL live, BRING EAR PLUGS - it's the way it's meant to be heard (Unless you're deaf already).

goatboy_is_displeased

06-14-2006, 03:25 PM

Well, I sure had an awesome time. But I have to admit that my ears feel pretty bashed after Tuesday night. I was a bit freaked out that when I had breakfast this morning I would hear a ringing sound with each chew.

But I had an awesome time just the same.

To the guy I stood up in front of at the very start of the gig who told me "'would you mind sitting down...sorry about that. I haven't been to many gigs and even though I was in seating, people usually stand anyway. So thats what I did because I thought everyone was going to. '

Anyway, it was so amazing when the screens came up and everything was bathed in purple light. Lost Keys sounded beautiful. My favorite songs were the last three, which was surprising because I was most looking forward to Jambi. Not that Jambi wasn't awesome. I think the highlight for me was lateralus, everyone was really into it. I stood up during Aenima because the guys behind me were standing up by then anyway. I couldn't help myself. I had to move around. It was catharic.

Danny's drum solo was awesome (someone pls post that video!). Maynard said something like ''are you enjoying the sunshine? well its pissing down now."' '
I like rain...that was definetely NOT a benevolent sun...whew!

I know a lot of people are saying that people just wanted to sit down and watch the show, so fair enough if thats what you were doing, but I have to say I was pissed off sitting behind a guy and his teenage daughter. She was texting on her mobile throughout the ENTIRE show. You could tell the poor guy was wondering why he had shelled out tickets so his brat daughter could ignore the entire performence. They didn't even stay for the last two songs...good riddance!

That was the only bad thing about the gig. Well, that and I'm a bit freaked out about my ears. I'm definetely wearing earplugs at my next gig.,

-girl with glasses and bug necklace

Jimmeny

06-14-2006, 04:54 PM

Justin's got really wirey forearms...and if you look at his bass rack, each time he hits a root note his tuner kicks in sending a Knightrider-esque red flash across the display. Y'know, the light on the front of Kitt. Sorry :)

Cheers, more when I remember it....

Chris

Didn't you say you're a sound engineer? Surely that red line is a million times more likely to be his compressor rather than a tuner? His tuner was on the floor in front of him I'm pretty sure.

BrokeN_Naols

06-14-2006, 10:41 PM

Didn't you say you're a sound engineer? Surely that red line is a million times more likely to be his compressor rather than a tuner? His tuner was on the floor in front of him I'm pretty sure.

I know what he's on about, and it iIS a tuner. If i recall correctly, they cost at least £500 each. 100 times more accurate than any floor pedal. ;)

arcturos

06-14-2006, 11:51 PM

Yeah I think it was a tuner :/

The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get that I let myself succumb to heat exhaustion and missed most of Right In Two.
Ah well. Next time.

Red&Yellow

06-15-2006, 02:28 AM

Awesome gig! It was the first time I've ever seen them in a Theatre rather than a festival. Here's my review:

http://www.filthyrocket.com/article/tool-hammersmith-apollo-13-06-06.html

Chris Baker

06-15-2006, 02:54 AM

It was my first time seeing Tool, and they definately lived up to my expectations. They were pretty tight I though, and Justin is just pure genius, there were times when I was just staring at him amazed. I never realised quite how much stuff he plays!

I really enjoyed the new stuff live, esp Vicarious, which suprised me.

The red light on Justin's bass rig will be http://www.korg.co.uk/products/tuners/dtr1000/tu_dtr1000.asp or the model before that.

Dunno if they're on here, but a big shout out to Chris... the guy who was forced to queue for his bag because he and his lady friend both put their house keys in their bag... and then left it in the cloakroom!

I think that'd be me (I have a big beard?), if so, cheers man! Was cool talking to you, definately made the time go faster. Where did you end up? Take it you got home alright in the end? We got back at about 1:30am, after running around Kings Cross for 15 minutes because no-one there knew what trains were going where!

Jimmeny

06-15-2006, 02:59 AM

Haha, yeah you had a big beard. Well, it wasn't big, it was trimmed to perfection. Well we took your heads up to go to Mean Fiddler, so we got the tube to Tottenham Court Road, then we were handed a flier to get into an indie/electro club on the cheap. So we went there instead, that sorted us till 3am, then we decided to walk to Soho and find the 24hour internet cafe we mention. We found it after about 2 minutes, purely at random, we just decided to walk down a small little side road 'because it looked cool', and it happened to have the net cafe on it. So we stayed there till 7, then headed home. Was a mental night!

the-repent

06-15-2006, 03:16 AM

An awesome experience, I really want to try and hold on to it for as long as possible. All the hassle with the cloakroom and waiting was just insignificant, the night belonged to Tool. Just before they came on, they were really fucking with the audience, turning the music on and then off and on again. The suspence pissed a few people off I think. At the end they looked so united on stage, almost as if they were posing for band photographs or something, I would never of imagined them so happy, it was really pleasing to see. Does anyone know what it was that danny tried to throw up to the circle? He came close.

Jimmeny

06-15-2006, 03:20 AM

Danny and Adam both tried to hit the circle with drum skins.

floydy

06-15-2006, 07:37 AM

Danny and Adam both tried to hit the circle with drum skins.

haha..that was funny,just waiting for danny to let rip and then..a lateral pass to adam who unleashed it and nearly hit a girl leaning down from the railing..unintentional of course..but it was funny..

as for the gig..my 2nd time seeing tool saw them at PUNCHTOWN racecourse..or so it was named on toolband..punchestown is in kildare outside outside dublin..
hammersmith apollo is not the greatest venue yet there was something special about seeing tool there..i have never seen so many tool fans in the same place before..that the best thing about it..the sense of community..and appreciation of such a damn good band.

1)DID ANYONE THINK THAT the it was too loud for rosetta stoned..i mean..it was difficult to hear the best parts of the song..such as adams part at 8:14 on the disc..you know the one..still the song was amazing...maynard walking across the stage..then picture this..haha...brilliant..
2)THE EXTENDED ending to stinkfist was brilliant. 3)46@2-GREAT
..AND SO ON....schism was my favourite of the night...the double timing near the end sounded like a piss take of some dodgy 80's prog band..which was techically pulled off..and amazing.some timing.lateralus was good to hear the eyes at the beginning....

justin comes out on his own..then adam walks in..faces him..plays lost keys slowly..the look on his face..so great the mood was unique..in fact the look on AJs face while a few people were crowd surfing..i( saw about 5 people doing it..which was nice...nice in the sense that it was only 5)while this was happening aj was just staring forward into the crowd at no one in particular..with a kind of ..yes..we are this good..and fuck yes..it's not that we know it..but..let's face it ..who else is this original..we are you could see it in his face..the look of why are some of you getting so excited we do this everynight and we are damn good!..did you think we were gonna be bad?!haha..most humble band ever...my only regret is that i didnt get a tshirt..but i figured i'd order them over the net!....danny carey-that drum solo thing he did i forgot in between which song WAS INCREDIBLE!..i couldnt believe what i was hearing..chancelor seems like a really nice bloke..dont they all!.and a great bass player..maynards singing was awesome..and the joke he made about czech rep beating usa 3 nil was funny as was the belgium one..but it was hard to hear what he was saying at times..it was definitely worth going to london to see from ireland..i wonder how many people did go from here..but i was talking to one guy who got a stick of danny's..and i heard a few ni PEOPLE around too.

DID ANYONE GO TO SEE ROBERT FRIPP N ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL THE SAME DAY I WAS EXPECTING to a few tool fans!...but it was more king crimson..middle aged fans..with a few younger fans..there was a service on before hs performance at 1:15..plenty of tourists then who were probably wondering why is this guy here with guitars beside an altar and a funny looking electronic set-up..which he used to good effect..as 1:15 came around there was fripp and the soundscape commenced..what a setting..st..pauls and fripp..the service was good support for fripp!it set the scene..such an impressive casement!..tool and robert fripp on the same day..wow.

goatboy_is_displeased

06-15-2006, 08:44 AM

Foamy

06-15-2006, 08:59 AM

skankfish

06-15-2006, 09:15 AM

someone must have pictures of this gig, i saw the security shining their little lights threatenly at loads of people

assailing eyes

06-15-2006, 09:50 AM

i've written a blog about it on my myspace
http://www.myspace.com/37558489
its even got a few short video clips in there.

phunt

06-15-2006, 10:29 AM

Overall it was an amazing show. I had no bag troubles, didn’t even queue at half 7, was sitting left centre in the circle, one row in from the barriers, great view and sound was perfect.

Few things I would criticise – opening with Rosetta. My friend really liked this with the Lost Keys intro, but personally I thought the song wasn’t the best choice. It’s rather meandering for the first few minutes on the album, and live it didn’t have much of an impact. But that’s just personal taste. Stinkfist came in straight after and got the adrenaline pumping and I think the same can be said for most of the crowd.

I think if the band played one more of the longer, more progressive – dare I say ‘epic’ – tracks, maybe some Pushit, Reflection or something, the set would have been taken that extra step up. Hopefully this will happen when they arrive in town again J

Those are rather minor criticisms, the show was amazing, and the band had this wonderful sense of unity and enjoyment, the hugging, sitting down together, groovy surf dancing etc. Splendid moments indeed.

Danny stole it in my opinion – the numerous breaks, such as in Right In Two, 46 &2 and Rosetta were nailed with inhuman perfection. That man is worth the money alone.

Atrophix

06-15-2006, 12:01 PM

Forgot to mention. Did anyone else see Maynard pointing upwards then pointing at Adam during Rosetta Stoned? hmmm hehe

Also adam leaned toward maynard during RS too. Wonder if they were toying with us or if the song is really about Adam.

As I said, he pointed at Adam, then himself, and it seemed very clear to me from where I was at the front that he was indicating for both their volumes to be increased.

the badical

06-15-2006, 02:12 PM

DID ANYONE GO TO SEE ROBERT FRIPP N ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL THE SAME DAY I WAS EXPECTING to a few tool fans!...but it was more king crimson..middle aged fans..with a few younger fans..there was a service on before hs performance at 1:15..plenty of tourists then who were probably wondering why is this guy here with guitars beside an altar and a funny looking electronic set-up..which he used to good effect..as 1:15 came around there was fripp and the soundscape commenced..what a setting..st..pauls and fripp..the service was good support for fripp!it set the scene..such an impressive casement!..tool and robert fripp on the same day..wow.

yes! it was wonderful! st paul's cathedral as a venue was awesome!
and the gig was fantastic! shame they didn't play the pot, but they played that the 14th so it's not so bad...
right in two was immense live and while i found vicarious a bit underwhelming on cd it was a lot better live.
justin at the end of the gig looked like he was loving it!

gorilly

06-15-2006, 03:02 PM

As I said, he pointed at Adam, then himself, and it seemed very clear to me from where I was at the front that he was indicating for both their volumes to be increased.

yeah he would have done that for the mix on his his own monitors, nothing to do with what we were hearing, the volume of that mix is completely different and is down to the sound engineer and live producer (if there was one)

merkabalus

06-16-2006, 03:28 AM

I was one of the (apparently) many Northern Irish people at the show on the 13th (and the 14th).

The sound wasn't perfect on the 13th but I'd say the performance was a lot more atmospheric. In about the 15 minutes before the band came on there was a real electricity in the air and a sense of anticipation.

When the curtain dropped it really reminded me of the 'Disap...pear' moment when I saw APC :)

I thought 'Rosetta Stoned' was a slightly weird option to start with as it takes a while to get going but the 'Overwhelmed as one might be' bit was great and gave me goosebumps. 'Stinkfist' was awesome as well. 'Jambi' and 'Schism' were both really good but I kind of felt a bit distanced from the whole thing, not like I was really seeing Tool. I'd been waiting five years for my first Tool show so it was probably overhyped in my mind a fair bit and they didn't seem as into it or as tight as I was expecting. The atmosphere was kind of more informal than APC or NIN as well.

'Right in Two' really disappointed me live, as it's one of my favourite songs on the album, but I kind of felt myself getting bored with it live. 'Sober' with the visuals was awesome but then to me the show really hit high gear. 'Lateralus' was the kind of awe inspiring almost spiritual experience I've heard people describe in the past. It's one of my favourite Tool songs, and I really wasn't expecting them to play it. The lyrics also took on more significance seeing Maynard perform them and there was one point mid way through the song where the music and visuals really blended together and it was a beautiful moment.

'Vicarious' was probably the most intense song of the night for me. They blasted through it like the world was ending around them and again the lyrics were sung with such conviction and anger that the song was taken to a new level.

'AENima' was a great ending moment with the 'Praying for rain' bit giving me shivers again. Justin's run down the fretboard in Jambi before the Meshuggah-esque break and Danny's drum solo in 46&2 also had me grinning ear to ear.

Overall it was a great night and one I won't forget, but I guess I was expecting it to top NIN in Brixton which it unfortunately didn't. I'm more of a Tool fan so probably went in with too high expectations, but I kind of wasn't expecting the drum fluffs etc.

I really hope some boots of the shows surface, but with the no bags rule that might be unlikely :(

Catarina

06-16-2006, 12:08 PM

I'm from Portugal and I went to London just to see Tool play. What an amazing show!!! I saw them in 2002 at the Ozzfest and I also saw them in May at SBSR Festival.
The London show has a special meaning for me because it was the first time I saw a Tool only concert. It was also special because I went with my best girlfriend and my boyfriend (we were celebrating our 10th year together so I'm sure we will be be together for at least 10.000 days more ;) )
The show lasted a bit longer than in Lisbon and I managed to see them quite well from where I was standing. The crowd was also amazing and sang along most of the songs.
Stinkfist and aenima were defenetly two of my favorites.
I wish they'd played The Pot, they played it in Lisbon and it was great.
Hope to see them in Fall in Lisbon (as Maynard said we will) or in London in November... Who knowns...

"It's not enough.
I need more.
Nothing seems to satisfy.
I don't want it.
I just need it.
To feel, to breathe, to know I'm alive"

toology514

06-17-2006, 01:29 AM

first tool concert, and i was thoroughly impressed. the sound was excellent, and the visuals were ok. Overall, the performance was mind-blowing

Machar

06-18-2006, 10:47 AM

Jimmeny

06-18-2006, 11:23 AM

wow, that's odd, not finding tool pretentious on record but finding them overly pretentious live? I wouldn't say they were mind blowing, and tbh I've seen better live acts already this year, but it was just a warm up tour and they WERE very good (just not "OMFG MINDBLOWING" worthy). I will definately see them in November, when they've warmed up and have prepared for a large tour, then I'll pass judgement on whether they've lost their touch or not.

I thought the video screens wer understated compared to what i've seen of the lateralus tour.

merkabalus

06-18-2006, 01:16 PM

Well, I seem to be the only person here who was unimpressed by the band I had waited so long to see. Technically the band were excellent but I thought the selection of songs was poor, intros too long, screens behind the band were uneccessary (call me old aged but I go to watch the band, not some TV screens). Would also like to hear the songs played as they are on the CD without all the little add ons. A little too much pretention.

I hate bands who play things exactly the same and exactly like the record all the time - if I wanted to hear that I could simply put the CD. I far prefer bands to push songs forward and evolve ideas over time. It also makes for a unique live performance every time rather than a stagnant run through of the same old songs.

Arctangent

06-19-2006, 04:36 AM

(call me old aged but I go to watch the band, not some TV screens). Would also like to hear the songs played as they are on the CD without all the little add ons. A little too much pretention.

maybe you should have stayed at home and listened to the cd's then. quite why anyone wants to go to a concert to hear a note for note rendition of the songs is beyond me. you should have known what to expect - tool have said many times that their music on cd is just a starting place for where they take the songs in a live setting and that the songs don't feel complete until after lengthy touring. tool are not the most active band on stage either. it is great to have the beautiful images to look at. and maynard does have the coolest silhouette ever.

and you are old aged! (but i bet not as old as me!)

Rhah

06-19-2006, 08:35 AM

Well, I seem to be the only person here who was unimpressed by the band I had waited so long to see. Technically the band were excellent but I thought the selection of songs was poor, intros too long, screens behind the band were uneccessary (call me old aged but I go to watch the band, not some TV screens). Would also like to hear the songs played as they are on the CD without all the little add ons. A little too much pretention.

Im actually quite disapointed that they didnt do more experimenting. They added a bit to Stinkfist, added a bit to Schism, and had a nice little synth thing near the end. Other than that it was pretty much as "on the record". (except for the odd lyrical mix up)

Here's hoping that they mess around a bit more on the "proper" tour