2006/08/06 - Fresno, CA - Selland Arena

[swaps]

SETLIST --

Stinkfist
The Pot
Forty Six & 2
Jambi
Schism
Lost Keys
Rosetta Stoned
Sober
Lateralus
Vicarious
Ænema




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

[fuckno, ca]

Show started at 9:00 and ended at 10:30. Solid setlist. An evening with Tool is long overdue. Short but sweet...

Setlist for 2006-08-06:

• Stinkfist
• The Pot
• Forty-Six & 2
• Jambi
• Schism
• Lost Keys w/o (Blame Hofmann)
• Rosetta Stoned
• Sober
• Lateralus
• Vicarious
• Ænema

[dpad13]

Awesome show,

Lovin' every minute of it!

Set list:
Stinkfist
The Pot
46&2
Jambi
Schism
Lost Keys Rosetta Stoned
Sober
Lateralus
Vicarious
Aenima

Great show,

Maynardisms: "Hello Dickheads or dipshits"(One of the two) 'Thank you, no seriously, thank you'(Before Aenima)

An hour late start means they could've/should've played for that hour. No complaints, just wishes for more Tool Time!

[spicolli]

this makes me wonder if rosetta stoned was the song SD missed out on because of the "douchebags."

[Agent Embryo]

Great fucking show. First time being able to see Tool and I can't waite to see them again. I made a playlist of the set they played and am listening to it now. Wish I would've been closer to get a better view, but oh well. I got to hear some of my favorite songs live and this experiance will be with me forever.

[c_lainhart]

it was the extended stinkfist also...i love that version. great show...1 down, 3 to go.

p.s. did anyone going north on 99 see the meteor? it burned out befre it hit the groud but pretty cool anyway.

[Madrid]

My first Tool show too. It was also my first experience ever at a show where I was dead-fucking-center at the barricade/security gate too. I could see what kind of socks Danny was wearing.

However, due to my feeble and weak body I found it increasingly difficult to breathe and enjoy the band. That 60 pounds I lost really made all the difference. I want some of that muscle back. It was rather interesting to see people (mostly you fat fucks) mindlessly crushing fellow Tool fans into the barricades. I looked at the guy to the left of me, he had a look on his face like "if I can survive for 10 seconds more, I might see the end of Stinkfist." I mean, wow, the shit was just fine when everybody put their hands in the air for the beggining of Stinkfist - immedietly I felt 4 elbows remove themselves from my spine. Everybody could see, everybody was enjoying themselves... and then, shortly following.... I woulda thought I was at Lenin's funneral. Jesus.

I realized that being unable to breath really detracted from the show for me. I spent 90% of the time in the front with the secrurity's cock zipper in my face, covering my head from getting kicked (Which happened a few times) and trying not to sustain life-threatening injury. I opted to get yanked out.

I think that the most interesting part was when I was getting pulled from the front - it took two full-sized security guards to dislodge my god damned shins from between the barricade and the crowd. Whatever, it was a fucking blast. I spent the rest of the show acting like a total idiot, freaking out to the music near the back.

Awesome, awesome show - can't wait until the Staples Center.

EDIT: by the way, i was the Doofis with the blue-Einstein shirt.

[DepressionSeeker]

Well I typed a book and apparently I wasn't logged in. That'll be the last time I ever don't copy my writing into a word document. To sum up what I said:

-rosetta stoned I could do without (when Maynard picked up the megaphone I thought eulogy was coming, then rosetta stoned started and my heart sank, followed by the song. also it seemed the mix on the song was bad, the instruments were nearly impossible to decipher, even though I know the song I still like to listen to it)
-lateralus was the best song of the show by far
-tool could have easily made this one of the best shows ever if they added/played just one of these songs: intolerance, eulogy, pushit, third eye.

and thats a wrap

Also, I drove north on 99 after the show and did not see the meteor/shooting star but I wish I would have that would have been amazingly good timing. And when I drove on 152 over the san luis reservoir the winds were INCREDIBLY strong (i have a ford explorer). One gust sent my car flying across 3 lanes of the road and i had ZERO control of it. i manged to break to a near stop and regain control before timidly going 45 till i got over the hills.

[oneredflag]

great show - and they did play Wings... Heard it during sound check, before the doors opened. (no shit) It would have been cool th hear a song (during the show) that they did not play in Oakland last May.

[DigitalDisorder]

Awesome show. I'm very happy they played Rosetta Stoned (does anyone even like this song at all?) Maynards vocals on Aenema were simply amazing. How cool was it that they didn't leave the stage for the encore? Laying there on the stage! I was sitting pretty close to the stage and I could see all the moshing happening on the floor. Shitheads, not Tool fans at all. I'm sure they were there because they had nothing better to do.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this show more than the 1st one I went to.
I'm gonna try and catch them in LA

[gts007]

Amazing show. I was on the floor less than 10 feet back. The backdrop wasn't as elaborate as the Lateralus tour in 2002 though, which was probably the most amazing stage getup I've ever seen. Still though, an unforgettable show. I wanted to see them do an encore with something off Opiate but since Tool hates this town anyway (rightfully so - they played the last show at Wilson Theater before it became renovated into some church, and then when they played at Fresno State in '98 they supposedly got in trouble and were told they couldn't return to Fresno) they just ended it with no encore.

[sonnyboy11]

Awesome show. I'm very happy they played Rosetta Stoned (does anyone even like this song at all?) Maynards vocals on Aenema were simply amazing. How cool was it that they didn't leave the stage for the encore? Laying there on the stage! I was sitting pretty close to the stage and I could see all the moshing happening on the floor. Shitheads, not Tool fans at all. I'm sure they were there because they had nothing better to do.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this show more than the 1st one I went to.
I'm gonna try and catch them in LA

Dude- my post will probably get deleted, but head over to the SD Street Scene thread. How can you guys even ask "does anyone like Rosetta Stoned"? For me and a lot of us, it's a song we are dying to hear. You guys are lucky because we lost out on it at Street Scene thanks to all the pushing. The only song I want to hear live more than Rosetta is Wings1and2.

/sorry mods

[spiralspinalcord]

Great show. Been a fan since 93, but this was my first show.

I was on the rail, right in front of Adam, so my view of Maynard was slightly blocked. Although it didn't bother me that much, it kinda sucked because like many of you, I follow the clips on youtube and I knew where maynard would be at for the show, but Adam scooted over to his left for most of the show.

One thing that sucked was the same at like the last 23145 concerts I've been to, and the vocals were hard to make out sometimes. I nknow the words so well that it didn't matter too much, but it would have been nice to actually hear Maynard carry some of those notes, like he does on the CD's.

I will NEVER again watch recorded shows from the tour I am about to go to. Ruined any sense of surprise for me. I knew what to expect. I know from the show on saturday(and for that matter, the rest of the tour) what to expect.

I do agree, they need to do a little more improv and mix it up some. Personally, I was happy to hear ALL of the songs they did, but I seriously hoped to hear Parabola, 4 degrees, and Pushit.

The crowd wasn't bad at all. People were as friendly as you can be when everyone is smashed up against the rail. I don't know if there was any moshing because I was so far up front. After the other bands I have seen live, this had to be a fairly calm crowd. I was able to enjoy the show, immensly. I also believe that if you can't hang, go get a seat.... anyways.

All-in-all I was pleased. I really enjoy tool. Everyone else sucks. I am going to the Bakersfield show also. Did I mention that I met three dudes from Redding? One guy didn't have floor tickets, but they let him in anyways. I dont think they were really checking anyway though.

No metal detectors and a weak frisk... should have brough my video camera. I'm sure others have photos to share though... but its the same setlist, same props, same setup on stage, etc...

haha, and at the end, someone threw their cell phone up there, and Adam picked it up, gave it a funny look, and smiled, putting it into his pocket. Wonder if Adam has used that phone or not... who's phone was that?... I wish that person would post here.

MAYNARD!.... variety plz? Remember, some of us like ALL of your music.

[scarabaracs]

All these first timers posting on this page. It kind of makes sense after looking around last night at the crowd. Not much movement on the floor. Hey its better than getting pushed into the barriers but we came to see a show not watch a video. From the looks of things people would rather stand around and watch the whole set standing still.

The band was realllllly disappointing. I keep reading how the band kept everything tight, blah blah. Lets face it, at $55 you'd expect more than a street scene setlist. THEY WERE HEADLINING w/o an opening band and played us their "go to" setlist. Bullshit.

Okay so Maynard can be an asshole but he didn't address the crowd until towards the end of the show. No jokes between songs, no "Hey Fresno, this place sucks" intros. I was thinking that they were counting the money made while they were still on the stage. I saw a show at Bakersfield(1st show of last tour?) and the band went off, so it can't be a central valley bias.

I think they only played for 80 minutes. Perfect if your recording the show and pausing it between songs but WTF, I'd expect a solid 90 minutes, a 5 minute break before finishing out the 2 hour show with a few top end songs to send us back out onto the street with.

We figured last night was in part due to the shitty unresponsiive crowd(actually holding lighters in the air during those sentimental moments) , the location in the central valley:Fresno, and a burned out unappreciatie band that would rather hang out backstage with some minors...

Was it worth the drive? yes anything to get out of the apt.

Would I have driven the distance knowing the setlist ahead of time? questionable.

Probably the best part of lastnight was happy hour across the street from Selland at Radisson's before the show. After the show you needed a cardkay to get in so no aftershow stories. At 11pm we headed for some mexican food since the bay area hasn't figured that one out yet.

[ultimahitzu]

Awesome show. I enjoyed lateralus especially, I think they did a great job. Schism was performed pretty well too. I was glad they played older stuff like Sober too. It may have been short but it was well worth it. It was kinda pissing some people off that they started an hour late but I thought it was cool how they started the second the clock hit 9. As for rosetta stoned, I enjoyed it but I can see why some people wouldn't like it as much. I have a confession to make, it's actually really funny.. last night I had a dream that Maynard threw his water bottle to me and I like..kept the little bit of water it had in it. Hey, a man can dream can't he?

[MisterMudd]

My first Tool show too. It was also my first experience ever at a show where I was dead-fucking-center at the barricade/security gate too. I could see what kind of socks Danny was wearing.

However, due to my feeble and weak body I found it increasingly difficult to breathe and enjoy the band. That 60 pounds I lost really made all the difference. I want some of that muscle back. It was rather interesting to see people (mostly you fat fucks) mindlessly crushing fellow Tool fans into the barricades. I looked at the guy to the left of me, he had a look on his face like "if I can survive for 10 seconds more, I might see the end of Stinkfist." I mean, wow, the shit was just fine when everybody put their hands in the air for the beggining of Stinkfist - immedietly I felt 4 elbows remove themselves from my spine. Everybody could see, everybody was enjoying themselves... and then, shortly following.... I woulda thought I was at Lenin's funneral. Jesus.

I realized that being unable to breath really detracted from the show for me. I spent 90% of the time in the front with the secrurity's cock zipper in my face, covering my head from getting kicked (Which happened a few times) and trying not to sustain life-threatening injury. I opted to get yanked out.

I think that the most interesting part was when I was getting pulled from the front - it took two full-sized security guards to dislodge my god damned shins from between the barricade and the crowd. Whatever, it was a fucking blast. I spent the rest of the show acting like a total idiot, freaking out to the music near the back.

Awesome, awesome show - can't wait until the Staples Center.

EDIT: by the way, i was the Doofis with the blue-Einstein shirt.

That was me you were standing in line with :-P

Anyways-

I too got my ass kicked up front trying to form a protective bubble of arms around my girlfriend who happened to have bad female pains as is.

I just wish that I would have head Stinkfist and The Pot, but I think my girlfriend's life was more important.

The show was a solid one, however. And once I damaged my hearing just enough, it sounded awesome. I just wish I would have found Madrid a little later to buy some earplugs from him.

[balce]

Did I mention that I met three dudes from Redding?

Wow. Very cool to hear about how many other people drove a long way for this show... (I drove from San Mateo...) Looks like some even came from the LA area!

[Madrid]

Agreed, Mud - the acoustics were cock.
I'm not a set-nazi (so long as it's a long set). I'm more of a sound Nazi. And, it could have been worse (civic auditorium in SF) but it could have been much better (greek, universal ampitheater). I assume the Staples Center is going to have shit for sound too?

Anyway, yeah, I met a ton of people in back that had their interal organs mashed because they were at the gate. I'm sure in some places it was better than others - but I was smack in the center surrouned by goliaths.

As for actual review (minus sound):
Maynard: He looked like he was having fun - but he didn't seem that into it. Not good for sex, not good for shows.
Danny: Same as Maynard - but heh, he's a drummer - and he sounded great.
Justin: I think Justin at least LOOKED like he was really into it.
Adam: I thought it was cool seeing Adam so close, but he looked like he was really just concerned with doing his job. Of course, from watching videos from long ago - he seems to always look like that.

Overall, they sounded polished - they didn't seem sloppy at all; but at the same time they didn't really "give it away" I thought. But, eh, probably not a significant show for them and afterall, they've been playing for years.

BTW: Mudd, I woulda given some to ya had you asked: but near the end I gave em to some girl and she flipped the fuck out. It made my day.

[MisterMudd]

Did you get a BJ from her??? That would be cool.

[msgrobelny]

It was an average show. They didn't have any props or art work, just 4 screens with projections of the same visuals from previous tours. Setlist was very predicatable and a lot like all of their past shows. Setlist contained all the big hits, I don't know if this was Tool's decision or the record label's call. They should try throwing in some suprises here and there and maybe start playing some of the songs we don't hear on the radio everyday. They started an hour late which was annoying, should either play for that extra hour or start on time. Overall performance resembled many of their past shows, no real originality in this show. This show did not live up to its expectations especially after seeing them a couple of times on the end of the Lateralus tour, those shows were far better.

[jkarp]

I've seen Tool many times over many different tours and I honestly think last night was the worst I've seen them. Keep in mind that it was still great, but in comparison to how they've sounded before, they were really sloppy last night. There were numerous times where Danny came in late and he seemed really tired or sick or something. I am a drummer so I am probably more nit-picky than most, but I really think they sounded sloppy.

[RideTheSpiral614]

Last night was my first real concert ever and I've been waiting to see Tool for six years now. I didn't mind the hour wait or the fact that I"m 5'1" and was being crushed by a 300 pound Mexican man. I am so goddamn blessed to have seen and heard Tool live. Last night was the best night of my life and regardless of any tiny slip up, they were fucking amazing. They played their hearts out and it was magnificent. I couldn't breathe and had to be pulled out in front of the rail...right in front of them. Being led away by that security guard was the best 4 or 5 seconds of my life.

[WinkyFrog64]

They were pretty decent last night considering I had never seen them before. But I shouldn't have read so much about their shows in the past. It ruined any sense of surprise I could have had. But it was great nevertheless. Their songs were alot slower than the record, except Lost Keys/Rosetta Stoned. I would do it again. I was hoping they would unleash Wings/10,000 Days. That woud have been sick. That's OK though. It was good.

[TheGoldenLemur]

Is it just me, or does a mosh pit remind anyone else of a square dance, except with more fat, sweaty guys than usual? I got a pretty good view of the whole thing; I thought I was at a Castro bear bar for a minute.

[FlamingEye]

DEFINITELY A FUN FUCKIN SHOW. MY BOYFRIEND AND I WERE ON THE FLOOR. I WISH THEY WOULD HAVE PLAYED SOMETHING ELSE LIKE EULOGY OR H. OR PUSHIT INSTED OF THE POT AND ROSETTA STONED. BUT ROSETTA STONED WAS BETTER LIVE.
MAYNARD LOOKED BETTER WHEN HE DRESSED UP LIKE THE LATERALUS DAYS WITH THE PAINT AND BLACK SUIT AND THAT COOL SHIT INSTED OF THE COWBOY GET-UP.
I WAS HAPPY TO HEAR AENIMA SINCE THEY NEVER PLAYED THAT THE LAST TWO TIMES I SAW THEM. LATERALUS SOUNDED FUCKING AMAZING, AND I REALLY ENJOYED HOW THEY WENT INTO SOBER. AND OFCORSE ALL THE STUFF ON THE SCRENES LOOKED AMAZING.

[DigitalDisorder]

Dude- my post will probably get deleted, but head over to the SD Street Scene thread. How can you guys even ask "does anyone like Rosetta Stoned"? For me and a lot of us, it's a song we are dying to hear. You guys are lucky because we lost out on it at Street Scene thanks to all the pushing. The only song I want to hear live more than Rosetta is Wings1and2.

/sorry mods

I asked because it seemed not many people were into it. I was singing along way outloud, some dude below my seat turned around a couple of times to look at me. heh.
I love that song and I was dying to hear it live, I'm very glad they did play it.
Sorry this show was not up to some people expectations, I still enjoyed it very much . I was at the Fresno State show in 98, this one was better. My own opinion. Its Tool!

[poopu]

It would sure help... I sit here shaking my head. I still can't believe I got singled out and pulled out of the show for "moshing". Mind you...I was dancing. Not moshing...I was not bumping into or crashing into people. Anyway...no point in going much deeper into how I was dancing...here. I vented out on the TA pretty well.

Did anyone see me? Would you be willing to write a statement? I want these kooks heads on a platter.

I've been to hundreds of concerts. Danced my ass off and never not once been bothered for how I danced.

If you are willing to write a statement about the "moshing" you did see going on through out the concert that would be great.

Did anyone see signs about moshing?

To make a long story short...I sat down and made the cops lift and carry my ass out of the arena....oh yeah...they told me I was gonna go to jail. What for? Dancing? Ha ha funny one.

I was on the left side of the stage about 20 feet from the front when secrurity picked me out during 46 and 2.... I sure enjoyed the first three songs of the show. Glad I had a good time at St. Scene the night before.

Cheers and thanks in advance.
Ramona

Shoot me a PM if you're inclined to dish....

that pic over thar <------ that's what I was wearing.




and yoikes and sorry if this the wrong place to b/m like this.

[Yossarian]

Whoa, so I guess that was a meteor I saw then. Cool!

Been a fan since the release of Undertow. Great to finally make it to a show. I was the clean cut looking guy in the CBGB shirt and Docs on the right hand side of the stage (as the audience looks at it). I was standing at the front rail near that chick in the wheelchair.

Great crowd. Tool really seems to attract a very diverse demographic... all sorts of people there. Aside from some temporary hearing loss and that big fat sweaty shirtless guy that kept bumping into me, I had a great time.

Oh, to the short girl with the tat on her wrist that was swinging her t-shirt overhead behind me: wtf was up with your touchy-feely boyfriend? Rollin'? In any case, thanks for getting him to knock that shiat off.

Poopu... about the moshing issue... there wasn't really a mosh pit (way too crowded), but I did see some folks making an attempt to change that. I'm usually part of that group, but I don't really consider Tool a mosh-type band so that wasn't my thing last night anydamnway. I do remember the frisk-chicks at the door telling everyone 'no moshing, no crowd-surfing, you will be thrown out', or something to that effect. Also, 'no moshing, no crowd-surfing' signs were EVERYWHERE. It was odd actually... would they prefer if everyone just stood in place and simply leaned side to side?

Ah whatever. Still had fun.

[oneredflag]

There was a mosh pit and it seemed more violent than ones I rember from the past. The pit was juft left of center stage about ten rows back.

[lauralynn]

Drove 5 hours for the same fucking set list and same short concert as the "pre-shows" WTF? I thought this was the start of the full tour shows?

I have to agree with some of you other posters here, they definetely lost interest in their music. These shows can't even come close to the past shows we've all seen in previous years. I guess maynard's more into his fucking vineyards than his music. Although I have to say Danny kicks ass and always looks like he's giving his all up there.

I'm over it. I'll accept that all good things must come to an end and that I can't expect the passion and enthusiasm to last forever. I just wish it could.

anyways, not going to bother driving all the way back out there for the bakersfield show. already seen this same set list 5 times now. so if anyone wants my ticket for free, email me, and fast before my hangover wears off and I come to my senses and realize, it's TOOL, I'll take what I can get.

[46inme]

it was the extended stinkfist also...i love that version. great show...1 down, 3 to go.

p.s. did anyone going north on 99 see the meteor? it burned out befre it hit the groud but pretty cool anyway.
Dude I didn't but my boy did he said it looked like it almost hit the ground it went that long. Whish i got to see it. But my eyes were star filled enough after the show! Solid set. I don't give a crap what they play will see that set again and again till they stop playing it. It's still live TOOL!!!

I was up in the seats for this one the ushers were super cool let us stand in the course between the seats. There were a small set of speakers turned abit to the sides of the stage plus the main ones towards the floor. I got a spot in between, closer to the side set stage right and the sound was amazingly good. And the view from above the crowd seemed to be OK on the floor one steady pit and one on Adams side closer to the stage would break out depending on the song. As for the pit on Justin's side it was way off the stage and from up top nobody look like they were getting pushed to tight to the rail. For sure a good crowd at the show!

As I watched the band I could not help to watch the BIG dude in the pit with the wife beater on. The little kids bounced off him like rubber bullets, all he did was circled in the pit the hole show, a push off here or there but was it very passive in his way. The guy was a tank. Good stuff!!

One down three to go up next the Gorge!!!

[livid star]

So what ever happened to Isis?

This was nearly identicle to the Oakland show in May. That disappointed me. It was great to hear Rosetta Stoned again and I can always do without Sober. When will they ever play WFM/10kd?! When I was driving back home today, I wondered if maybe they feel the songs are too personal, or at least not live material. I certainly hope not. I'll be at the Oakland show next month and hope to see some variation.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the Radisson right across the street from the arena. People were lined up since before 2pm, when I arrived at the hotel. After the show and our midnight meal run, we saw this man in a Tool shirt getting arrested infront of the hotel. Sucks to be him. The people staying at the hotel who were not associated with the show we're probably kicking themselves in the ass.

The pushing at the beginning was way too intense for me. I thought I would manage but after 2 minutes into Stinkfist I figured I'd rather enjoy the show than fight to remain standing, so my husband and I headed more toward the back. From back there I still had a nice view of Adam during the talkbox solo of Jambi, which is something I wanted to see. I gave a loud howl and applause after his solo, good job! I also applauded the security guard who removed the asshead near us that was thrashing into people in a drunken rage. I wish I would have remained closer to the stage, sans pushing, so I could better see Danny in action. I wish I were taller!

I feel they played well. Tool are very solid in that aspect. Like everyone else, I think they should alternate more with set lists.

I had a great time and thank you Tool!

[EGG-MAN]

Their songs were alot slower than the record, except Lost Keys/Rosetta Stoned.

Me and my buddy noticed that as well.... Jambi was way slower and the most noticable for myself but stinkfist seemed slowed down as well...

On a side note during the sound check they played the wings duo in full so im betting they are going to start adding it to their set list real soon... maybe those LA shows or Oakland or some shit.

[c_lainhart]

no compalints here. i take it for what it is...my favorite band, playing my favorite music, live...enough said.

[dpad13]

it was the extended stinkfist also...i love that version. great show...1 down, 3 to go.

p.s. did anyone going north on 99 see the meteor? it burned out befre it hit the groud but pretty cool anyway.


I too saw this meteor, I think it was the band landing near the gig. Then having to walk all the way to Selland. It would explain the 'short' setlist and starting an hour late.

[Madrid]

Did anyone see me? Would you be willing to write a statement? I want these kooks heads on a platter.

I've been to hundreds of concerts. Danced my ass off and never not once been bothered for how I danced.

I'm not complaining - those guys saved a few lives that night (including mine). Serious. By the next show I'm going to eat Big Macs until I become a fat-lard-tub. That way, when I go see Tool, I can smash five foot tall girls into the barricade.


But anyway, fuck yeah - it was great. Can't wait until Staples.

[spiralspinalcord]

no compalints here. i take it for what it is...my favorite band, playing my favorite music, live...enough said.


I totally agree.

[spiralspinalcord]

p.s. did anyone going north on 99 see the meteor? it burned out befre it hit the groud but pretty cool anyway.

Yeah.. I thought that was a fucking helocoptor or some shit.

[spiralspinalcord]

I was on the left side of the stage about 20 feet from the front when secrurity picked me out during 46 and 2....

Wow... I was on the rail and I saw when they got you... you came from all the way back there?

[smithers]

Is it just me, or does a mosh pit remind anyone else of a square dance, except with more fat, sweaty guys than usual? I got a pretty good view of the whole thing; I thought I was at a Castro bear bar for a minute.


I would love to see you actually say that to the "fat, sweaty guys" in the mosh pit.

I'm really surprised by all the negativity with some of these posts. I too was a bit bummed by the sameness of the set list... as well as the staging and such. I'm OGT.... I think this is my 18th show?!?. All things considered I thought the band was in rare form. They sounded amazing, were incredibly energetic (especially MJK), and the crowd was loud as hell. I skipped SD street scene because I'm tired of festival shows....and I was hoping for something "fresher" where staging and setlist were concerned. I'm not sure why I thought this, but I had the feeling this would be the kick off of the "fall tour" brining about a different stage, set list, longer show, etc.. Apparently I'm not the only one that thought that.

I didnt see that many folks moshing and I was directly behind the pit. It was maybe 20-25 guys? and the only songs they knew were from Aenima.... it didnt get too out of control until they actually played Aenima. some guy ramed me hard, so I kicked him in his stupid ass. I drove from the IE for the show. I was happy as were my pals that attended the gig with me.

[spacement]

My only complaint was that we got one less song than we did at the Oakland show in May. Later in the tour they replaced The Patient with Right in Two. I was hoping they would extend the arena shows by an extra song or two. But getting one less song than Oakland was a surprise. Right in Two would've been a great song to play after what went down at Street Scene.

I did enjoy the jams between songs. The intro to Sober was pretty sweet. It was my 25th Tool show but I doubt it will go down as a memoriable one. Unlike the 2002 Colorado Springs show when they opened with Cold & Ugly for the first time since 1998. They came out on fire that night after a lackluster show in Orem, UT the night before. They're still better than any band on the road and when you least expect it they will give you a nice surprise. So check your expectations at the door and you won't be let down.

[staypuft29]

we started off about 50 feet back from the stage, but the minute the concert started we shifted forward about 30 feet over the course of about 3 seconds... usually, i dont mind pushing/moshpits, but this was a little more extreme than normal (and i've been to some pretty crazy concerts before). of course it doesn't help that i only weigh about 160 and couldn't really fight back very well. i was hoping it was just going to last the first song or so but about halfway through the pot we gave up and ended up working our way back so we could watch the show without having such difficulty breathing.

that said, it was my first tool concert and i thought it was pretty damn sweet. i too was hoping for a longer setlist though... i have been reading reviews from their previous concerts and was hoping this one would have a few more songs because it was supposed to be the start of their full US tour. however, i still thought it was pretty sick to see most of my favorite songs from my favorite band live. the highlight for me was lateralus, but i also thought the extended part in schism was pretty sweet.

i didn't see that meteor but my friend did... and yeah, we ran into the same wind problems going on 152. probably the craziest drive i've ever been on... between the crazy wind gusts and the pitch black freeway i was definitely gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than usual.

[SQRL226]

Was Maynard checking the time on his watch during the show??? Show still kicked ass. I liked the setlist from Oakland better...but I'll pipe down abd take it like a man. Thanks "Dumb Fucks" who thought spending a lot of money to mosh was a cool thing to do. They should've played "Hooker W/ A Penis" for ya.

[_J_A_Y_]

This was my 24th Tool show, and as usual, they kicked ass! Overall I enjoyed the aural experience, though the acoustics of an arena always leave something to be desired.

The evening began as we rolled into the parking lot, cracked open a beer, lit some cigars and then saw King Buzzo (of the Melvins) walking around the parking lot. Very cool to see him around, and it brings me back to the days when they opened for Tool in ’98. We entered the doors and found our seats just in time for the scheduled start – 8pm. Apparently confused with some future shows, I was expecting Isis any minute. Then I looked at the stage and realized it was Tool’s setup (can’t mistake Danny’s kit!) which made sense since they were playing the same funky “I’m an evil mutherfucker” bit that I heard at Coachella right before Tool took the stage. We were near the front of the seats, about half way back in the arena. We saw a few folks on the floor break through the security and run into the crowd.

The 4 screen setup and relatively plain stage is not as visually stimulating as the late-Lateralus tour visuals. But this matters little to me since Tool shows for me are 90% about the sound, the songs and the groove I find myself in – the other 10% is watching the band master their instruments.

Stinkfist is a great opener, and the arena surged with excitement as Tool eschewed the evening of technical excellence.

At Coachella The Pot was my favorite song of the day, and this time it was almost as fun, though the reverb in the arena was distracting me a bit.

46&2 just fucking kicks ass, and it’s a powerful song to behold in person. I will never tire of hearing this song!

Jambi – what a great in-your-face start to this song – I think Adam altered his talk box part somewhat from the album version.

Schism is a technically impressive song that I don’t enjoy as much as many folks, but it’s true Tool through and through.

Lost Keys – now some interesting things start to happen for me at this show – a song I hadn’t yet heard live! The first thing I noticed was that the long note/feedback at the start of the song is in fact Justin messing with his bass at his amp and not Adam as I had assumed. Rosetta Stoned kicked ass and is a different sort of groove than any other Tool song, to me.

Instrumental bit (before Sober) – nobody seems to be commenting on this piece, which I thought was incredible. It featured some great Carey solo work, and at one point I was sure it was turning into Third Eye, for a minute or two, before it morphed and then ended with the start of Sober. Does this piece have a name? What else do others think about it?

Sober is a great tune, and the one that got me hooked on Tool (back when KNAC ruled the heavy air-waves in LA!). I’ve heard it at almost every Tool show and still enjoy it.

Lateralus live grabs me and takes me to my own world. It’s emotional and powerful and I love to experience this song. It was my favorite one this night.

Vicarious – I realized that Justin and Danny were exactly in line with each other with Danny's kit directly above Justin's head in my line of sight. It was awesome to watch one, then the other and then both at the same time. I also noticed that the bell-like "ting-ting-ting-ting etc." bit you hear in Vicarious (near the begining and again later in the song) is Danny pounding on something that is usually behind his back that has pedals/keys using his fists.

Aenima – what can I say, it’s been a great closer at so many shows.

It was cool to see the guys take their respite right on the stage to keep the community tight. I would love to hear some other songs, especially 10,000 Days and Right in Two, Pushit and Opiate would be great too! Hopefully the upcoming shows I’ve got tickets to will hold some new tunes and set changes!

One thing I have to say is that in 24 Tool shows, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected in terms of mood, ambience and feel of the show. Lots of folks say “they don’t play like the did…” or “this was better/worse…” and speculate about why. All I can say is that you don’t know what you get until you try, which is why I keep trying more Tool shows!

[gts007]

If any of you guys saw S.O.A.D. at SaveMart Center, this show was alot better even if it was a subpar Tool show.

The '02 show at Selland was better for sure. Meshuggah opened, better visuals for Tool's set, they played longer, they opened with COLD & UGLY (that moment kicked so much ass), and Thomas Hakke from Meshuggah came out during Triad and jammed on the roto-toms and did a solo with Danny, which was orgasmic. But despite all this I have no complaints from last night. It's still TOOL and they still know how to put on a show.

But there was ONE thing I thought was better about this show than the 02 show: No divided sections for the crowd with Nazi event staff guys everywhere. There were CHAIRS on the entire floor for the '02 show which killed it, and they even had the floor divided into a front and rear half. They treated it like it was a fucking country concert. If you were in the rear half you couldn't get to the front because there was a line of event staff bouncers. I personally like open floors. If you want to sit then get arena level seats. The Fresno State amphitheater show in '98 was AWESOME. At least this time and in '98 I could move freely and not have an event staff guy up my ass for standing in an aisle for 10 seconds.

Aenema was the high point of the show. The whole floor was jumping up and down and the sound was awesome.

[robotfiend]

My friend and I got there at around 3pm. We walked around while some very nice people held our spot. Doors opened after 7 although we were told they would open at 6:30. So we stood there for fucking 2 hours, although the show was supposed to start at 8. I was soooo anxious. Not to mention my friend was fucked up on e and drunk as well, and he was being a fucking pain in the ass!!!

So once 9 o'clock came around, the band finally showed up. The lights went out, i could see the visuals, i could see the guys coming out...all of a sudden, people were pushing from all different directions to get to the front, stepping on me, elbowing me, kicking me, pushing me down. All i could smell is fucking b.o. and shit. It became really fucking hot i could bearly breathe. My friend kept saying relax just relax. I tried, i tried just letting the crowd lead me, but fuck, im only 5'1 and weigh 100 pounds and i kept being crushed and elbowed and i tripped and fell a couple times, but hey, that’s a concert right? i even bit some guy cuz he was chocking me with his arm and hes like, hey man! or something…i was not enjoying it. So when Stinkfist ended and the crowd calmed down a bit right before The Pot i tried pushing my way back and it was sooo hard, i had to yell, lemme through! lemme through! People were kind enough to make way for me.

Around the middle of the crowd, some fuck hit my nose and i bled some. I had to hold my nose and tilt my head back on my way to the bathroom. It fuckn sucked.

When i came outta the bathroom i saw this chick who is also not of great stature and she asked, are you okay? i said yeah im fine. she said, i couldnt handle it either, and she gave me a drink of her water and left.

I didnt want to miss anymore of it so i went to where adam was and pried my way towards the barricade, but only made it to second row in time for 46&2. Everything was good in my opinion, except Lost Keys and Rosetta Stoned kinda sucked. The last song Aenema was sooooooo amazing! Great song to end that show. When ever Maynard said, Peace, right before Aenema started, I thought wtf?? It cant be over already?! Fuuuuuuuck!! It was way too short. Also, I cant believe how Maynard stood back there near Danny the whole time…that was really lame. I thought, this aint A Perfect Circle, why the fuck is he back there? It was truly annoying. I was sooo disappointed about that. Adam was just playing, not really into it. Justin was humping his base the whole time, and Danny was the best I thought, he was rockin out the whole time.

It was still awesome though, despite the fact that i lost my goddamn glasses and couldnt see too good.

It was all good though. My friend got the SETLIST!!! Lucky son of a bitch.

[DigitalDisorder]

no compalints here. i take it for what it is...my favorite band, playing my favorite music, live...enough said.


Couldn't agree more with you. I'm seeing lots of negative posts about the show. Wouldn't that be cool/great if Tool or any other band played our "dream setlist"? Of course, everyone has their idea what a "Dream Setlist" should be and there is no way Tool or any other band would ever make everyone happy. NO way.
Tool is my favorite band, I love all their music and I'm just happy I got to see them live playing any of that music.

[Holydirt]

I was the closest person in the entire arena to Justin Chancellor. It was an amazing experience and a great show. This was my first Tool concert and it was a mezmerizing experience.

Right before the encore (Vicarious and Aenima), I laughed my ass off. Maynard and Adam just layed on the ground... Maynard would put a foot up, then Adam would copy him. They looked so rediculous, it was hilarious. The entire band just looked at the audience like "Okay, we just gave you music, now YOU entertain US" Hahaha.

The entire experience was breathtaking... but the parts that struck me as the best were the double time extention of Schism, the first huge riff of Lateralus, and the entire encore. It was EASILY the best concert I've ever seen. I'm definately catching them in Marysville in September.

[spiralspinalcord]

I was one of the guys with a Parabola shirt on. I played "pin the tool on maynard," and ALMOST got it. Sitting in line just ahead of the KRZR set-up, I was drinking 24oz Miller High Life's. One of the people that worked at the convention center told me that I couldn't have beer cans on the property, so I went back to my truck and replaced the can with a water bottle to hold the beer. I got there pretty close to 4pm, so there were only a few people... maybe 75 or so? With three or four lines forming, I was only about 25 places back in line. Those dudes from Redding and I all helped each other out. I held their spots when they went to check on a better entrance to approach, they held mine when I made my multiple runs to the portapotty because of the beer I was drinking. Man, I had a good time. Can't wait to see them in Bakersfield. Too bad I can't be there with the same people I met at this show.

[EGG-MAN]

Instrumental bit (before Sober) – nobody seems to be commenting on this piece, which I thought was incredible. It featured some great Carey solo work, and at one point I was sure it was turning into Third Eye, for a minute or two, before it morphed and then ended with the start of Sober. Does this piece have a name? What else do others think about it?

I totally thought the same thing... i was like damn they are going to bust out third eye but alas schism... it sort of sounded like a fast merkaba or something... i enjoyed it a lot as well as rosetta stoned and lost keys... i hadnt seen those songs live either.

[Seabass]

I have seen TOOL 5 times since '94, and I think the show in Fresno is one of the best I have ever seen! It was like sitting there listening/watching a greatest hits show, with alot of kick ass stuff from 10,000 days! I will be making the trip to Vancouver BC to see the show on the 22nd and I hope it's as kick ass as Fresno was!

[poopu]

I am not wanting the guys heads on a platter who pulled people out who needed to be pulled out......

I was dancing minding my own...ON THE EXTREME LEFT of the stage not in the center. I wasn't ever in the center...I wasn't ever in the pit. Not my gig. Oh and BTW...I have a really nice bruise from some punk who moshed into me...somehow after hundreds of concerts of I don't recall moshing into anyone who didn't know they were getting bumped, who didn't know it was a total joke, whom I was looking right in the eye, and I have aplogized hundreds of times for merely bumping or touching with my arms someone behind me or in front of me when I have accidently touched them when dancing. And I get booted for moshing....

***shakes head

Pulling people out who need to get pulled out is great. Hell I don't even know who I am responding to...No me importa....I got home yesterday...couldn't sleep...didn't sleep the night before...went to work for 14 hours, took an hour off and now I mananged to get some wireless at my next 8 hours of work before my next 14 hours of work...

I am doing Bako...I think I need someone... to keep the secrurity away from me so I can dance...any takers? ;-) LOL!


***toodles off with blood still boiling...

[sprucemoose3311]

i will bet if there werent so many cameras (i saw lots a flashes) and camcorders, they would have played longer. i saw three or four people on the floor get kicked out for having camcorders. if you bring one, be smart, conceal it in the seats...
Maynard had his back to the audience alot towards the end of the show.
i felt the bands perfermance was spot on. however, i feel that the show should have been longer. no right in two, intension, or wings pt.1/pt.2
what kind of a band doesnt play songs off their new record.
it was worth the 170 mile drive from san francisco to see tool.
i feel let down, i really wanted to hear wings for marie
i cant see them in oakland or for the next year because i have a job in china starting sept 1.
Unless tool wants to fly me out to one of their concerts...

edit: the lateralus (35 dollar, boxoffice tickets) show i went to, they were on stage for roughly 160-170 minutes, this one (65 dollar, ticketmaster tickets), they were on stage for 95-100 minutes

anyone try to eat at the denny's on exit 159 in madera? my girlfriend and i waited 25 minutes for service then left. i saw like 15 others leave cause they were not attended too.

[motherthirdeye]

Well this was the first Tool show I have been to and I realy enjoyed it!
I would have liked to see more of them, it was short, I wanted to hear him speak more I wanted to feel closer to them. It seemed like they didnt want to be there.
The whole crowd was feeling them! We were all hanging on to every word!
Dont get me wrong, I love them I love their music! I needed more time.

[begmetostay]

"Not to mention my friend was fucked up on e and drunk as well, and he was being a fucking pain in the ass!!!"

You don't get fucked up on E. He was fucked up from the alcohol. I have used both, never together... what a waste.

[loventorture]

This was my third tool show this tour and musically it was the best. As expected, the setlist was the same as the other shows and somewhat short. But nobody should be complaining about it. The boys played phenomenally well. The past two shows I saw only had a couple songs with a new part (Extended Stinkfist, etc). Last night almost every song last night had a new section where they just tore it up. Stinkfist was extended. 46 and 2 got sooo heavy in the middle, Danny went off. Sober had an unreal opening with wailing feedback for almost 5 minutes. At one point Justin had his bass upside down with its head on the stage floor picking up extra vibrations. Maynard let it all hang out vocally in Vicarious. I've never heard him sing so loud and with that much passion. Lateralus was my highlight... just an amazingly powerful and emotional song.

Whoever says this show sucked should have given their ticket to someone more deserving. Tool came to Fresno of all fucking places. You guys should be thrilled. And if you had read any of the reviews you would have known the approximate setlist and length of the show. Compared to the last two shows I saw this crowd was a little lackluster. There should have been a deafening roar during the intermission. Instead it sounded more like a high school pep rally.

And for the people slamming Maynard for singing in the dark and not facing the crowd give this a try. Maybe he doesn't want to be famous, maybe he thinks the spotlight should be on his amazing band members so that all the focus of the crowd isn't on him, or maybe he is just a prick, I don't know what he thinks and neither do you. What I do know is that peoples perception of him and tool's music are a reflection of themselves.

[Holydirt]

I was one of the guys with a Parabola shirt on. I played "pin the tool on maynard," and ALMOST got it. Sitting in line just ahead of the KRZR set-up, I was drinking 24oz Miller High Life's. One of the people that worked at the convention center told me that I couldn't have beer cans on the property, so I went back to my truck and replaced the can with a water bottle to hold the beer. I got there pretty close to 4pm, so there were only a few people... maybe 75 or so? With three or four lines forming, I was only about 25 places back in line. Those dudes from Redding and I all helped each other out. I held their spots when they went to check on a better entrance to approach, they held mine when I made my multiple runs to the portapotty because of the beer I was drinking. Man, I had a good time. Can't wait to see them in Bakersfield. Too bad I can't be there with the same people I met at this show.
I'm from Redding! Perhaps it was me and my pals your talking about? What do you look like?

[lauralynn]

[QUOTE=SQRL226]Was Maynard checking the time on his watch during the show???

YES!!! I saw that too. I swear! This is what I was talking about in my previous post. Please don't get me wrong everyone, I love this band and I'm so grateful for the music they have given me (all of us) to enjoy throughout these years, but it's clear the passion is lacking compared to the past concerts we have seen.

[kohath]

do any of you guys remember the song that danny and justin did together. Maynard liked walked off the stage. Did it sound like third eye's intro?

[_J_A_Y_]

do any of you guys remember the song that danny and justin did together. Maynard liked walked off the stage. Did it sound like third eye's intro?
I remember that they played something that sounded like Third Eye for a bit, then they started Sober after that. see my review (above) for my comments on this.

[SVTtool]

The intro to sober sounded a lot like merkaba to me.

[spiralspinalcord]

I'm from Redding! Perhaps it was me and my pals your talking about? What do you look like?

Hey man, I have a dark tan and shaved head. Which dude are ya? I drove my grey 2500 quad cab diesel dodge 4x4. I met you guys at the gas station.

[Holydirt]

Hey man, I have a dark tan and shaved head. Which dude are ya? I drove my grey 2500 quad cab diesel dodge 4x4. I met you guys at the gas station.
Haha! I was the guy that came late. I only talked to you for a minute. I met my buddies in line at the show, they were the ones who met you at the gas station.

[sprucemoose3311]

i thought the band had great energy, they all looked like they were really into the performance. i didnt mind that maynard had his back to us alot at the end, in fact im glad he didnt just turn around completely like he has in the past when there are so many cameras going off. Maynard's voice was amazing, and my girlfreind said she has never heard a singing voice as strong as his (nor have I). I thought the performance was great but short.
also, whats up with everyone throwing their shirts on stage at Adam, was it just me (and my view) or did he hide behind his synthesizer for a while?

[spiralspinalcord]

Haha! I was the guy that came late. I only talked to you for a minute. I met my buddies in line at the show, they were the ones who met you at the gas station.

HAH! Whats up man? Why did you guys leave so early? I never got to see you off. Suckers... :)

Pretty neat to be able to connect like this.

[Holydirt]

HAH! Whats up man? Why did you guys leave so early? I never got to see you off. Suckers... :)

Pretty neat to be able to connect like this.
All the guys that I met up with (the ones that you met at the gas station) kinda wussed out once the concert actually started... They told me that they ended up way towards the back of the mixing pit. So, after it was all over, they got out pretty quick. I was all the way at the front, so it took forever for me to get outta that place...

[scarabaracs]

Was Maynard checking the time on his watch during the show???

YES!!! I saw that too. I swear! This is what I was talking about in my previous post. Please don't get me wrong everyone, . . . it's clear the passion is lacking compared to the past concerts we have seen.

Once they get on a real tour schedule(and have more rehearsal time) the setlist will hopeully expand to include longer shows and more from their discography, my 2 cents. If the next few shows have better setlists then Utah may become a possibility.

Bottomline was that I was in the mood for a show and I didn't get one.

[cloudnebula]

I attended the show and got what I came for; to scream at Maynard and tell him that he is a fucking farmer who is more interested in grapes than music. hehehe.. Anyone hear me? Hmmm, well it was a total trip because as I was yelling these damning words (floor,right side) Mr. Keenen (as pablo calls him) slowly turned his head toward my direction as he broke into the POT. Heavy coincidence or conection. The funny thing is I am working with plants myself at a local nursery in Ca. As for the show, well it was short and consited of frontside songs as opposed to flipside ones. Basically the same set as Oakland but better, which was ok for me seeing as I was so loaded off canibis brownies for Oakland that I really wonder if that wasn't some sort of lucid dream??? And for all you who followed the band fom San Diego to Fresno expecting something different....you must have been high ; ) ps- see you in Bakersfield

[spiralspinalcord]

ps- see you in Bakersfield


Yeah man, I'll be there too. Not holding my breath though for any changes in the setlist. I'll also be trying for Marysville and the hopeless fucking hole we call LA.

[StepIntoMyShadow]

But there was ONE thing I thought was better about this show than the 02 show: No divided sections for the crowd with Nazi event staff guys everywhere. There were CHAIRS on the entire floor for the '02 show which killed it, and they even had the floor divided into a front and rear half. They treated it like it was a fucking country concert. If you were in the rear half you couldn't get to the front because there was a line of event staff bouncers.

Yeah this year they had an open floor, but of course there always has to be those idiots who fuck it up for everyone else by moshing and hurting people. GROW UP! I didn't mind the seats on the floor because at least I felt assured I was going to enjoy the show and not get my a$$ kicked by some idiot trying to start a mosh pit.

I was disappointed they didn't play more from the new album. Really wanted to hear 10,000 Days.

[yahjim???]

no compalints here. i take it for what it is...my favorite band, playing my favorite music, live...enough said.
that's what i'm talking about! I drove all the way from Mt. Shasta, CA only because it was TOOL! If I was Maynard, I would want to get the hell out of Fresno ASAP too! I'm also going to try for Marysville.

[fuckno, ca]

that's what i'm talking about! I drove all the way from Mt. Shasta, CA only because it was TOOL! If I was Maynard, I would want to get the hell out of Fresno ASAP too! I'm also going to try for Marysville.

With regards to all of the complaining going on about the venue and the town. Tool is evidently not playing their upcoming arena tour. Most of the spring and summer tour were merely a warm-up for the real gig with ISIS.

Fresno was remarkably chosen out a million cities throughout the states before leaving to Japan. The boys have our hats off for even considering Fresno. I could have been leaning over the toilet puking for the whole show, and it would have still topped the Shasta show...