2006/09/11 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion

[swaps]

SETLIST --

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


TO HELP CONTROL THE INSANITY OF THIS THREAD, REVIEWS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR A FEW MORE DAYS ONLY BY PM'ING paraflux.

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

[HalfwayHouse12a]

9:26 - Stinkfist
Jambi
46 & 2
Maynard's apologies. "If you got naked it would help.... Apparently you don't want to help"
Schism
Lost Keys/Rosetta Stoned
Lateralus
"Thanks for understanding." 9/11 Silence, Happy Birthday to the Patriot Act.
Vicarious
"Alrighty then"
Aenema
Encore--Sea of lighters
Danny drum solo
Right in Two
End 11:00

[landshark]

Setlist above is correct. Maynard was pretty sick and stopped singing a little over halfway through 46 & 2, and at a few other points in the show, but thanked us for being patient and really tried to do as best he could.

The sound out on the lawn wasn't that great, but it was a good show. The lighting was amazing. Had a moment of silence for 9/11, then everyone sang Happy Birthday to the Patriot Act which was pretty damn funny. Lateralus was the highlight of the night for me. Worn out and need to be up early for work, may post more later.

[gcarlet]

Setlist looks to be correct.

This was my 3rd show to see them. It was different. I felt bad and appreciated the fact that Maynard apologized to us. He is a human and I can't imagine how hard that would be to try to sing like he sings while being sick. I was hoping to hear The Pot and Wings/10,000 days, but it's ok. All in all, it was good show, just very different. Like I have read in other reviews of other shows, even when Tool is not at their best, they're still better than most bands out there who are at their best.

See ya next time guys.

P.S. Danny, you rocked it! You still remain one of my biggest influences on the kit. Thanks for a great performance. Hopefully you'll do a clinic sometime.

[Mandragora]

Quick note before bed: Did anyone see the bat flying around on stage? BTW, Blair, please spread the word that there are rabid bats found in that area. I didn't see where it finally went, but it looked to me like backstage. If anyone had any sort of contact with it, they might want to keep that in mind. (A teenager died this year from rabies)
I was pleased with the show, although I could barely hear Maynard and there were some flubs. From right in front, in the pit; the lasers, lights and projection were truly amazing. I can just imagine what it will look like from afar... I am sure you will hear some negatives reviews on this show, but I for one am happy.

[MartyV]

Let Me Start by writing this. I understand that the human body is frail and can succumb to illness and I love Tool very much, this is my third show which I know is less than some, However I am very depressed about tonights performance, It was a huge let down. Maynard being under the weather was putting it mildly. Bottom line is he could not perform and as a result the fans got an instrumental show with virtually no vocals. Stinkfist and Jambi were the highlights of the show in that Maynard actually sang those songs 46&2 on was really a toss up and as a fan of Tool since the early 90's I feel that this performance warrants one of two things. A full refund or a rescheduled date of which those who attended tonights show could go for free. Adam, Justin, and Danny were fantastic they truly did not miss a beat but sadly this is a quartet and tonight there was certainly a man down. I know I may sound harsh but it is all true, I wish it were not so but it is. I thank you Maynard for apoligizing after forty6&2, but that is really not enough to make up for the dismal performance that I paid good money to see.

[dean]

I really love how the fans in Houston have been so positive about the reviews thus far. I have mixed feelings to be honest. I have seen Tool several times, and I would be making things up if I said this wasn't the worst performance I have seen. The set list mentioned above looks correct - and it illustrates the awkwardness of tonight's show. Several songs were missing from previous shows, most importantly wings and 10,000 days. In addition, I sang more tonight than Maynard did. He literally left half of the songs empty. So, to get everyone up to speed on my review I would need to say that I HAVE BEEN READING THE FORUMS AND KNEW MAYNARD WAS SICK BEFORE THE SHOW STARTED......BUT IT WAS STILL A VERY STRANGE SHOW. I am a musician and completely understand that it is hard for a vocalist to sing while sick - so I certainly appreciate that Maynard gave it his all. Ultimately, I felt like there was just something missing tonight apart from Maynard's sickness. Maybe tonight was a bad night for all the boys........I don't know. I do know that I left tonight's show thinking that, after all, these guys are only human. I hope you get better Maynard, and I wish you guys the best of luck on the rest of the tour.

[AgentDMT]

Well I am pretty sure we got to see the asshole of the tour. Was pretty disappointing, except for the fucking kick ass laser beams. Lateralus was fucking sweet.

I just kept getting this, Im too old to be a rock n roll star vibe from maynard tonight. Perhaps they should have postponed so they could put together a good show, because that was crap (but Tool crap is still better than most shows Ive seen ever so its not all bad). Hope maynard gets better. Seriously, it may cost some money in the long run but if your sick, your sick. Sit it out and wait for better days. Perhaps Tool will make it right to Houston on their next time around.

Does anyone know who in the Tool world of people is a very large, native american guy who is borederline ogreish? He had all the backstage access and wasnt sure if I recognized him or not.

And another thing about some of the people at the concert. Swastika tatoos are really really really stupid. If you have one cover it up. Better yet, eliminate yourself from the gene pool. And if you or a friend of yours was one of the douche bags yelling during the moment of silence, you are heartless, souless people that disgrace humanity by your existance. (I love getting on high horses). But fear not, I think Maynard actually talked to you specifically in the concert when he kept repeating "Fuck all you junkies, and fuck your short memories!" One last thing, if meth is causing your mouth to turn into a wes craven movie.... quit smoking meth.

laser beams.... all i wanted was a concert with friggen laser beams and I got it. sweet. Make it right next time Tool.

[Sp00k]

Well it was an ok show, but hell it was Tool and i rocked my ass off. Patriot act bday song was funny as shit. I had some folks next to me that sang happy b day to danny thinking it was his b-day b/c he stood up during the song. All I could think was at least they knew his name... C ya in Dallas.

[budhatouch]

Let me start off by saying that i was in front of the pit and pretty much right against the railing in the middle, but more towards adams side. THe sound for the instruments was great, the vocals sounded muffled and you couldnt hear them very well at all. So that being put aside. This was my 11th show and it was not the greatest, but hey its TOOL, how bad can it really be?? First time i was ever so close to a band in a big venue. I saw them in 97 in Asbury Park, NJ but i wasnt at the railing. The pit was very small and easy to get up front. The lasers were cool, i couldnt see the screen on the stage. But others will tell you about the show, let me tell some details...Maynard was wearing an ATF jacket with a cirlce slash going across the T. Still on his anti smoking campaign i guess, but who knows. Justin was using his bottle of Stella beer to play his bass at one moment in time, i think before Vicarious started. Adam and Justin were stellar. Same setlist that i saw in NY during the warmup tour minus Sober, MINUS a song!! #3rd show since the new album, still no THE POT, just my luck!! No Wings or Days. Danny was amazing, watching him is always a treat. Maynard let the crowd sing alot of verses, hopefully he'll get better by tomorrow. Well Right in 2 was a pretty good close i thought, it ends with ferocious style. Man, being so close to them is great. But cant wait to sit further away and see the while lights and laser and screen on the floor thing. Well anyways drove from austin to houston, back to austin. Gotta be at work in 6 hours. See ya'll in San Antonio tonight.

[optimistic-pessimist]

Well, this was my 28th TOOL show, and I just don't know exactly what to say about it. I have a scramble of thoughts and emotions running through my head, and I'm just WAY too tired to try to organize them. So I'll just list a few comments/ hightlights/ lowlights, and then come back tomorrow and edit.

1) I thought Maynard started off ok in Stinkfist... maybe a bit reserved, but ok. Then he really held back at the end of Jambi, and I started to get worried. When he then only sang about 40% of the lines in 46&2, I realized that we were in for a repeat of the LAST Houston show... July 27, 2002. For those that don't remember or weren't there, Maynard left the stage halfway through The Patient and they finished it instrumentally. Then they dropped AEnema and Reflection from the setlist. The reason for this? Maynard was sick... It seems like Houston just has a bad luck streak going with TOOL shows.

Attempting to find a silver lining... As soon as an audience recording of this show starts to circulate, we can all throw TOOL karaoke parties. Just pop in the Houston show and grab a mic. Wooo...

2) Someone else already mentioned the bat, but I have to bring it up again. Honestly it might have been the highlight of my night. If memory serves, while Adam and Justin were starting the buildup at the beginning of Vicarious, a bat fluttered down and began to fly in circles and figure-8s around the stage, at most keeping a foot or so above the stage floor. At times he even circled around Adam's feet, then would fly over behind Justin (who probably didn't even notice, thanks to his Jesus hair) and then made its way over past Maynard's platform. It continued to do this for a good minute or more, and finally found its way offstage and over the pit once Vicarious broke out and the "tv snow" video images began to play. I'm just glad I was able to see this all happen from so close. Both Maynard and Adam were completely entertained as well... It generated a smile from both of them.

3) I really don't know why Danny stood up when Maynard said it was someone's birthday. Inside joke I guess. But I'm sure that 95% of the crowd thought they were singing to Danny. In case you didn't catch it, Maynard was "celebrating" the birth of the Patriot Act... NOT Danny's birthday, which is in May.

4) From where I was standing, the crowd did seem pretty receptive and sympathetic to Maynard being sick, so I was glad the he acknowledged that by thanking us for our patience and understanding. When he admitted that he was "trying his best", it seemed to me like a very genuine moment... truly admitting that something was wrong and that he was unable to do much about it. I dunno... I just found it unexpected.

5) The ABSOLUTE lowlight of the night was not getting Wings pt.1 and 2. Justin had his stool waiting for him on the side of the stage. Adam practiced a little bit of it during soundcheck. I'm positive they were going to play it. Maynard was obviously the one to make the change to the set. He spoke to Adam fairly late in the show, and Adam passed it along to Danny and Justin. I'm sure this was about dropping Wings from the setlist. All I wanted from today was to hear that song. They could have dropped 3 more songs from the set and only played for an hour as far as I was concerned... just as long as they played Wings.... but no luck. *sigh*

6) I liked the visuals more this time than I did at the Gorge show. I think the Gorge was just TOO outdoorsy for it to really work. Where I was standing at the front of the pit tonight, it's almost like actually being inside a venue, and those visuals definitely work better inside. For example, the light bulbs on strings look less cheesy when you can't see the strings on them, like I could at the Gorge.

7) Justin burned his finger a bit while holding up his lighter during their "encore break." I found this funny... but so did he, it seemed.

8) Oh yeah... the other main lowlight of my night was the people who screamed and whistled when Maynard called for a moment of silence in rememberence of those who lost their lives on 9/11. Honestly... HONESTLY... do you people really like to hear yourselves make noise THAT much? I just don't get it. He asks for a MOMENT of silence. 5-10 seconds tops... and you can't keep your damn mouth shut for that long? I guess I'll just never stop being surprised at how stupid some people can be.

9) Normally I hate it when people sing along out loud to songs at a show, but I actually kind of liked it when Maynard decided to hold out his mike towards the crowd those few times during certain songs... calling for the crowd to fill in where he was incapable of singing. It's lousy that he had to do it, but for some reason I liked it... even if just a little.

10) Oh yeah... Isis was great, again. I hope most people are giving them a fair shot.

Ok... it's now 5 am and I've to get some rest and prepare for the San Antonio show. I've got all my fingers and toes crossed that Maynard has some sort of miraculous overnight recovery and can perform a full show this time. I know he's trying his best, but these were some expensive tickets and tonight's show really didn't feel like a complete performance.

[soberman]

I will say that even with the great respect I have for Tool, when the lead singer is too sick to sing even 50% of the show with the quality that fans expect... they should cancel and reschedule. I have seen eight Tool shows, including the last Tool Woodlands show, and this was by far the most incomplete and sickness controlled show. I agree that Tool should do the fans a special thanks for putting up with the situation by returning and honoring the tickets at a second free show.

The bat was cool and I thought the best song of the night was Lateralus.

[Diastiss]

yea i thought Tool being what they are would have have more respect for thier fans than to do a show (for a lack of a better word) half-assed tonight. I've been to 3 tool shows and this by far was the most disappointing. i had my girl friend with me last night and i really wanted her to get a chance to see and feel (you all know what i'm talking about) a tool show and this wasn't it. i paid a lot of money for those seats, tool should have just rescheduled this show.

[paraflux]

Houston always gets the shit end of the stick. Last time they were in town it was at the Verizon Wireless Theater and the venue proudly proclaimed that the show would be over promptly at 10 pm, as a result, Reflection got cut from the set. This time it was illness.

I have mixed feelings about it. No, I didnt enjoy myself nearly as much as I could have, but I've been sick while performing before, and perhaps empathy has its place here. We can talk all day about whether or not they should have rescheduled, or just outright cancelled, or altered the setlist to reflect Maynard's inability to sing any high notes, but they didnt, so talking about it is pointless. He did give us the Rosetta Stoned scream though, I dont know how he did that.

I loved the stinkfist and schism interludes, I had heard the schism one before, but it's still nice to hear again. They did play a couple of things I hadnt heard before, trippy little interludes that could end up on future releases. The lights were cool as shit, the sound wasnt great, not nearly loud enough up on the lawn. I probably will never get lawn tickets again to a show there.

All things considered, it was ok. Singing happy birthday to the patriot act was pretty cool.

"I know this might be cheesy, but... I would like to have a moment of silence for the lives lost 5 years ago today..."

*puts mic down*

"Thank you. That was the serious part of the show. Now back to the unbridled, insensitive humor... Someone has a birthday today! That's right, the Patriot Act! Let's all sing happy birthday..."

*crowd sings happy birthday*

"See? Insensitive."

edit: During AEnima, Maynard repeated the same lines 3 times, instead of changing it up each time like on the album. The "Fuck retro anything, fuck your tattoos, fuck all you junkies and fuck your short memory." When someone said he did something similar at the last show, I thought it might have been an accident, but nah, they are really trying to drive home the memory/drugs thing.

Also, there are many, many subtle changes they make to their songs. Especially notable was the ending of Jambi, further convicting me of the point that Jambi at times sounds like something is "starting up." Danny is primarily responsible, sounded like a motorcycle revving up.

[SunKing]

This was my 6th time to see TOOL, and I’m sorry to say it was the worst performance of them all. I’m not here to bash the band – I’m a HUGE TOOL FAN - but I left very disappointed last night. To start things off, it just wasn't as loud as I expected (or as loud as other recent concerts). Most importantly, Maynard was obviously not feeling well – he just seemed really tired. As most here have said already, he didn’t sing many of the lyrics, and those he did…well…it just wasn’t a powerful performance in any way.

Adding to the night’s frustration – they stopped selling beer at about 9:30 – just 15 minutes after TOOL hit the stage. OH - I think the setlist posted above is mostly correct - EXCEPT I remember Schism came before 46&2. Why do I remember this? Because Schism isn’t my favorite song and I took that opportunity to run down and get another beer. ….NO BEER FOR YOU!! …and then, about 10 minutes after that they shut down EVERYTHING. You couldn’t even buy a bottle of water if you wanted to. …WTF?!? I’ve been to several concerts at Cynthia Woods recently (Buzzfest, Family Values, Godsmack) and for those shows concessions stayed open until about 15 or 20 minutes before the end of the show. OK, I know you don’t go see TOOL just to drink beer….but I just irked me that they shut down the entire concessions – yet the day before Blaire posts all about the nice catering (and cold beer) the band gets to enjoy. ..so yeah, it felt just a little like I was getting screwed.

To be honest, I don’t know if I will be spending $80 for a TOOL ticket again anytime soon. OK, well – I hate to leave on a negative note – so let me say that the visuals were pretty cool - I liked the lasers. I also really enjoyed Stinkfist, Jambi was cool, the 46&2 instrumental was nice, Lateralus was also a highlight, and it was cool to see all the lighters on the hill .

Overall: 2 stars out of 5.

[paraflux]

No, schism was not before 46&2, seeing as 46&2 was the third song, after Stinkfist and Jambi.

[tjb98]

I have to agree with those who believe they should have re-scheduled. Paying $80 and getting 50% of the lyrics doesn't cut it, especially when the most powerful verses are being left out. I was at the last show too when he was sick...I'll be in Dallas Thursday and already have a bad feeling.

I think we would all gladly wait another couple of months and get Maynard at 100%, then get short-changed.

[SunKing]

No, schism was not before 46&2, seeing as 46&2 was the third song, after Stinkfist and Jambi.

Perhaps you're right...sorry 'bout that. Now it's my turn to correct you...

Last time they were in town it was at the Verizon Wireless Theater ....

No, the last time TOOL played Houston it was in the Summit/Compaq Center/Lakewood Church - summer of 2002. (Maynard was 'sick' for that performance also). Tool came back and played in Beaumont in Nov '02 - and that was one of the best TOOL shows I've seen. TOOL has never played Verison - perhaps you're thinking about A Perfect Circle? I saw APC at Verison.

[G.foreman]

46 & "cough" well u finish the rest. i flew in from north carolina just to see this show and needless to say i was greatly disappointed. yeah it sucks that maynard was sick and we all appreciate the try but it really wasnt worth it. i dont think that they should do a free show for us but i do think they should come back. doesnt really do me any good cuz i cant fly back but at least everyone else should get a good show. it also really sucks that the type of people that are being drawn out to tool concerts now. half of them didnt even know any of the songs except for vicarious. on the bright side the rest of the band was still bad ass n loved their performance. all n all it was a BIG waste of money and time to fly home. guess thats just the luck of the draw sometimes

[optimistic-pessimist]

Last time they were in town it was at the Verizon Wireless Theater and the venue proudly proclaimed that the show would be over promptly at 10 pm, as a result, Reflection got cut from the set. This time it was illness.

They cut AEnema and Reflection from that show at the Compaq Center because Maynard was sick then too. Remember Maynard leaving the stage for most of The Patient? Also, I have a setlist from that show, and it clearly shows those other two songs in place.

... He did give us the Rosetta Stoned scream though, I dont know how he did that.

He did give us ONE of the screams in Rosetta, but there are a few. Anyway I agree... surprising he did it considering many of the other lines that we DIDN'T get to hear.

They did play a couple of things I hadnt heard before, trippy little interludes that could end up on future releases.

Most notable of these, to me, was the interlude they played before Right in Two. It seemed VERY odd and rather thrown together. Really more like they were back in soundcheck. Danny had this odd sample on repeat. It sounded like bottle glass breaking in a rhythmic, percussive way. Adam played some little riffs, and Justin tooled around, no pun intended. Then Danny started to solo a bit and I thought it sounded like a version of Merkaba. Then the whole thing faded and Adam starts playing the opening notes to Right in Two. Again... it seemed very odd and impromptu. I thought for sure they were building up to play Sober. Right in Two was a welcome surprise after that.

[paraflux]

^^ That sample was in Intension if I am not mistaken, the glass crushing one.

And about the last Houston show, I am still not convinced he was sick for that one, it appeared someone was laser-pointing his eyes during the Patient and that's why he walked off. I could be wrong, sure. But there were also signs up everywhere in the venue saying that the show would be over PROMPTLY at 10:00. If they had added Reflection to the setlist, as well as AEnema, then it would have gone over. I think venue politics had a large part to play, but I guess that's just me.

[Sp00k]

it also really sucks that the type of people that are being drawn out to tool concerts now. half of them didnt even know any of the songs except for vicarious.

I saw this as well, BUT the only songs these jokers next to me knew were from Ænima. Hopefully they'll go buy the album now.

[optimistic-pessimist]

^^ That sample was in Intension if I am not mistaken, the glass crushing one.

And about the last Houston show, I am still not convinced he was sick for that one, it appeared someone was laser-pointing his eyes during the Patient and that's why he walked off. I could be wrong, sure. But there were also signs up everywhere in the venue saying that the show would be over PROMPTLY at 10:00. If they had added Reflection to the setlist, as well as AEnema, then it would have gone over. I think venue politics had a large part to play, but I guess that's just me.


Possible I suppose, since I was standing near the soundstage and wouldn't have seen a laser from that far away, BUT I know for a fact that AEnema and Reflection are on the setlists that were taped to the stage that night... because I have one.

And breaking up the trilogy of songs? It seems to me that if they were going to have to shorten their show because of the venue, and knew this in advance, they would have chosen a bit more carefully and not broken up D/R/T. It was just too odd.

... and I think you're right about that sample from Intension. If I remember right it's at the beginning of the track... very quiet. That interlude didn't much resemble Intension though.

[rich568117]

No Complaints from me. I have seen a few shows, and people need to understand that people get sick, and the band members are humans, just like us.
I was rather disappointed with the venue. I have seen TOOL in Manfield Mass at the Tweeter center a couple times, and nothing compares to the acoustics in that place. Maybe I am spoiled, but I think it could have been better. (The Venue, not the band)
ISIS was a great opener. I consider myself a fan of Faith No More, but all the Mike Patten bands were annoying last time around... So it was nice to see a good band like ISIS play.
All in all it was a great show for me. Every show I have seen the fans do a lot of singing, so it was not so bad when Maynard wasn't singing, becuase most everyone was singing along (at least where I sat).

[Mitrie]

Alright l feel like it is important for the Tool fans to know what really went on during last night's performance. I am a security guard at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and let me first state that this is only my opinion, not the opinion of the Pavilion's staff or the venue itself. I am a big Tool fan, I love the band, the music. I believe they are musical geniuses and I am not here to bash the band or its music.

Everything seemed to be going well for the first three songs, but during Schism, my security supervisor came up to me and told me "The lead singer is about to walk off the stage, they don't know if the whole band is going to stop playing. If there is a riot, get to a safe spot immediately. They are preparing for anything backstage" I immediately thought that this was due to the fact that Maynard was sick. About 10 minutes later, my supervisor informed me that he was going to try to finish the set. He obviously did, and after the show, my supervisor told me that Maynard had threatened everybody numerous times to walk offstage and stop playing because he thought attendance was low. If you noticed, the band was supposed to come on stage at 9:00 but instead, they took the stage at 9:25. This was because Maynard thought there wasn't enough people in the house. I saw the report for the final attendance count, which was recorded at over 15,000 people. The pavilion has a capacity for 16,500. We consider that as being sold out. I don't really believe he was sick because when he sang what he sang, he didn't sound bad, not to mention the Rosetta Stoned scream. I still have a lot of respect for the band, but not for Maynard. Is he trying to imitate Axl?? I don't think it's fair to you, the real fans. And I don't think it's fair for you or for the staff, because he put everybody at risk. If he had walked out, and a riot had happened, it would have been his fault. Nonetheless, the band put on an amazing performance, and a good visual/light show. I hope they dont let us down the next time.

[optimistic-pessimist]

^ I don't really believe this. If he was pretending to be sick, then he's a better actor than he showed in "Bikini Bandits" and "Sleeping Dogs Lie." He was constantly leaning over and resting on his hands on his knees. He had his jacket on for a good portion of the show, and it was not exactly cool out.

The place looked full to anyone with eyes. I don't think this theory holds water.

[paraflux]

I mean, I'm with optimistic, I dont see how that's possible. Not to dog your position at the show, I dont disbelieve that you were told what you were told, Mitrie. However, security is paranoid about riots and will tell their workers anything in order for them to be on guard. There's no way that 15000 people is "not enough people." His gracious apologies to the crowd were enough for me.

plus, he didnt sound bad? He sounded sick even when he was just talking. He sang all of Rosetta Stoned an octave lower than normal.

[Mitrie]

Well, I obviously did not expect you guys to believe something like that immediately. Let me point out a couple of things. I've worked at the Pavilion for more than 4 years. We have had way heavier and more violent crowds than this and I have NEVER been told anything regarding a riot. My department has a supervisor who is very close to the employees of our department. We only have about 20 people working at each show under my supervisor, she's not the kind to BS about something like that. My supervisor was standing next to me and telling me what was going on as she heard it on her radio. Also, elaborating a lie like this would be pointless, it would have been easier to tell us that the whole deal was caused by him being sick. It definitely wasn't to keep us on guard, because they specifically told us "if a riot breaks out, DON'T STOP ANYBODY FROM DOING ANYTHING, just get to a safe place and let law-enforcement handle it".

Optimistic, you point out the interlude before Right in Two. When I saw this, to me it looked like Maynard didn't want to return to stage and Adam kept going back and forth to the side of the stage to talk to somebody. This is just my perception of it though, I didn't get any info about that.

PS: I might be wrong about him not singing, so disregard that comment

[scrasch]

Plain and simple, worst Tool show I've ever seen. This is my 11th show (3rd this year). I was at the Houston show a few years back when maynard was "sick". I was at the Philly show during the tour earlier this year when maynard was "sick". And I had the privilege of being at last night's show...when maynard was "sick". I guess it's debatable whether he was actually sick in light of the post by the Pavilion employee. Regardless, maynard's performance was pathetic. I've seen artists angered by lack of crowd involvement, but at every show where the singer or other band members were pissed at the crowd, the band lets the crowd know how shitty they are ad nauseum. That didn't happen here which makes me lean a little more to the "I'm sick" excuse. Problem is, I've seen other bands perform while they were sick and they belt it out and put on a good show because they understand that it's not the crowd's fault that they're sick and the fans shouldn't suffer. Maybe they have a little more respect for their fans. Finally, I've had tickets to shows where members of the band became ill prior to the show date and they have postponed the show and moved it to the end of the tour...again, because it's not the fans' fault and they should be treated to the same quality performance as the other cities.

The show should have been postponed if maynard was sick. if he wasn't sick and he was upset that there was only 15,000 fans instead of the capacity 16,500, he should stop being such a fuckin' baby and be glad that he has 15,000 fuckin' fans at every stop on the tour.

For an $80 face value ticket...I expect a whole lot more.

All this belly aching, though, and I'll still buy a ticket for the next show. If only to see if he "makes it up" to the fans who have been so devoted for so long and who wait patiently for 5 year stretches until Maynard decides to grace us with his presence

[Ashmare]

I was there. From the above posts and what I saw, the impression I'm getting is Maynard most likely considered cancelling because he was sick and it not being a full house. If there was a full house, he probably felt obligated to do what he could regardless of sickness, but if fewer than expected people were there, then it could be postponed for another date with minimal damage. He was beginning to get sick at Saturday's Arizona show as well, so Houston pretty much got the worst of it.

I do agree that it was a lackluster show, though. Awful, awful sound.

[KoReE]

Quick note before bed: Did anyone see the bat flying around on stage? BTW, Blair, please spread the word that there are rabid bats found in that area. I didn't see where it finally went, but it looked to me like backstage. If anyone had any sort of contact with it, they might want to keep that in mind. (A teenager died this year from rabies)
I was pleased with the show, although I could barely hear Maynard and there were some flubs. From right in front, in the pit; the lasers, lights and projection were truly amazing. I can just imagine what it will look like from afar... I am sure you will hear some negatives reviews on this show, but I for one am happy.

I saw the damned bat. I was in row SS. That's scary considering the rabies death earlier this year.

This show was great. It's too bad Maynard's voice wasn't up to par, but hey, the guy got sick. It's understandable. This is my 7th time seeing Tool, and all of the other 6 shows were excellent. And "Lateralus" more than made up for the rest of the show this time.

[KoReE]

The cowboy hat, boots, and the ATF jacket Maynard was wearing was much appreciated :D

So was the Happy Birthday to the Patriot Act.

[Spectrix]

With all that's been said, here and in all about maynard, I just don't understand it. Even though we don't know maynard personally, we know where he stands in life with his views on reality and spirituality. I very highly doubt that he would leave a show cuz there wasn't enough people. That would be too egoistic, and I'm almost possitive maynards been getting rid of his egoistic side even before the band had started. So, from what my opinion is on maynard and the band, I think they would play at an audience even if only 50 people showed up, cuz they know it would mean something to them. Maynard has to be sick, cuz he also cancelled tonights show in San Antonio, and I believe the Dallas show has been postponed also. I was supposed to go to the show tonight, and yeah I was a little disappointed but if the man's sick then let him heal, after all that he has made for us, we should be less selfish too. We can't be mad at the man or the band.

[paraflux]

I think we can all safely say that we dont know what happened. But I can also safely say that for everything I have received from this band, this is surely a small thing to grant the guy to be forgiven for being sick, for fuck sake.

[rachelrabbit23]

(In comic book guy's voice) WORST.TOOL.SHOW.EVER!

Yes, they should come back and perform a free show for those that were there last night. To not do so would be like a big "Fuck You" to the fans. We didn't pay $75 a ticket to listen to the crowd sing the songs, and btw, they were very off-key. We wanted to see TOOL, not Toolaoke. I'm sorry that Memford was sick, that really sucks, but it's extremely unprofessional to stand there and let the crowd sing for you and cut the set list by several songs. Either suck it up and sing or postpone the show, like they are tonight.

The highlight of the show for me was Lateralus. It was the only song played close to 100%. I thought they were going to debut Intension but went into Right In Two instead, which was beautiful. From what I could see, it looked like Adam was like "what the fuck?" all throughout the show. And when Memford walked off the stage after RIT, Danny seemed flabbergasted that the show was over and walked over to his sticks. I knew that was the tell-tale sign that the show was over. To say that I was disappointed would be a gross understatement. I was really upset as were my husband and the several friends we were with, as were all the people around us, especially the older fans that knew better.

I have to give props to the other members of the band for playing the hell out of the songs to compensate for Memford being M.I.A.. I can't believe I'm saying this since I always think concerts are too loud, but this show wasn't loud enough. At times, I could barely hear Adam, especially during the real poignant moments in the songs, which is really important to me since I love Adam so much. Like someone else said, Memford sang less than 50% of the show and when he did sing, I could barely hear him and it was muffled. Danny was amazing as always as was Justin. I love how Justin moves as he plays. What a cute guy. The light show was nice, but I have to say that I was so frustrated by Memford that I often had my eyes closed in order to focus on the music, to try to stay into the groove. I kept feeling a bad vibe from the stage. It seems there was something else going on other than Memford being ill. I could feel it.

The crowd was fairly well behaved. There were a few frat-boy like drunk fucktards, but far less than previous shows. Thank the universe for that. But how about that exit from the south gates? What the fuck? It took us FOREVER to just walk from the gate to the car. And from the car to the highway? Pfffttt....Just the icing on the cake to a disappointing show. The crowd leaving the south gates was mostly somber and subdued. And that tripe about there not being enough people there? HA! Whatever. That place was packed. There were waaaay more people there than the last Wooodlands show. That lawn area was a sea of people.

[Crimson Relic]

I had a lot of fun last night, despite the lack of vocals. We got to hear many, many instrumentals of the songs. Everything seemed alright until Maynard said, "What!?" instead of "Riiiight!" during Stinkfist. Then during Jambi during the lines "Shine on forever, shine on benevolent son..." he sang that part really low and then didn't sing during "Silent legions save your poison..." That's when I knew Maynard had gotten even sicker than I had read he was a couple of nights ok. Then, as the others have said, he didn't sing ANY hard parts after that. Skipped most choruses to the songs. The only time he did something hard was the scream towards the end of Rosetta Stoned. Poor guy. I really hope the next time they come around he's in good condition. Tool kind of owes Houston for the last two shows they've played here. I was REALLY looking forward to Wings for Marie/10,000 Days, but I understand Maynard couldn't pull it off like he wanted to. Right in Two was a good ender for 9-11 and he sang all the words until after the jam in the middle, he stayed silent at the end of the song. I would also like to add that Maynard still sounded stellar a lot of the time he was singing and the band KICKED ASS!!!

[SunKing]

Alright l feel like it is important for the Tool fans to know what really went on during last night's performance. I am a security guard at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion...

Mitrie, was the treat of a walk-off the reason they closed concessions? I was in line during Schism when they shut it all down. I thought it was EXTREEMLY lame that we couldn't even buy water. Heck, I was at the show with a friend and his wife - who had just delivered a baby Wednesday! Now that, my friends, is a hard core TOOL fan. ....and this poor new mommy couldn't even get a cold drink of water.... that, combined with a sub-par show really left me feeling dissapointed.

[[email protected]]

In regards to Maynard bitchin about not enough people being there and thats why he left... I am not doubting that what you or your supervisor was told was what infact you were told but I cant believe that. I mean I havn't been to the past couple shows of the tour but post after post has been saying that Maynard has been getting sick. Were every one of these shows not "full enough" so he decided to put on the cherade about being sick for a couple of nights. Also if he was so pissed off about not enough people being there I think that Maynards history would show us that he would NOT appologize for being sick to the crowd. If he is pissed enough to want to leave the stage then he is pissed enough to not even think about apologies. Finally, why would they cancel the San Antonio show if he was just angry? That show is sold out too, is Maynard just expecting it to be a disappointing turnout? I think that you were told what you were told and ur boss was too but I dont think that Maynard would do that. Nor do I think that he would bitch about the turnout. Maybe he was pissed that the show wasnt going how he wanted, aggrivated, and disgruntled because he was sick and has been. Because of all of that I think that he could have made a comment about the turnout maybe say "this show doesnt look sold out," or "At least its not a full house so everyone wont hear me sing this way (sarcastically or not)." If he said something to that affect and then when he left this stage the security nearby could have blown it out of proportion. I just think Maynard is above all of that. My two cents

[theprosperone]

Well, I obviously did not expect you guys to believe something like that immediately. Let me point out a couple of things. I've worked at the Pavilion for more than 4 years. We have had way heavier and more violent crowds than this and I have NEVER been told anything regarding a riot. My department has a supervisor who is very close to the employees of our department. We only have about 20 people working at each show under my supervisor, she's not the kind to BS about something like that. My supervisor was standing next to me and telling me what was going on as she heard it on her radio. Also, elaborating a lie like this would be pointless, it would have been easier to tell us that the whole deal was caused by him being sick. It definitely wasn't to keep us on guard, because they specifically told us "if a riot breaks out, DON'T STOP ANYBODY FROM DOING ANYTHING, just get to a safe place and let law-enforcement handle it".

Optimistic, you point out the interlude before Right in Two. When I saw this, to me it looked like Maynard didn't want to return to stage and Adam kept going back and forth to the side of the stage to talk to somebody. This is just my perception of it though, I didn't get any info about that.

PS: I might be wrong about him not singing, so disregard that comment


Dude, people who don't work directly for the band always get some lame story that is never true.

They cancelled tonight's show.....not because Maynard is a drama queen, because he is fucking sick. I know its fun to sometimes believe lies, scandal and drama but its much more intelligent to believe the obvious truth.

[RidetheRhythm]

Would it be possible or even worth getting a petition together or a letter of formal complaint to the management of the band, the pavilion (or any one of its many sponsors)...??

Granted, I had a great time as I was one of the drunk fucktards previously mentioned, but I kept it down and didnt get too rowdy--just had a great buzz-- (Like actually respecting the moment of silence when asked for by Maynard)-- I respected that quite a bit, however I didnt respect what the hell happened last night with the concessions, lack of lyrics and overall very subpar show (not performance--the musicians were spot on.) It did definitely lack a powerful sound as I have heard concerts there that have been way more intense--sound speaking.

[paraflux]

I did wonder why they have speakers on top of the lawn lightposts that were strangely silent. Yes, the sound could have been a lot better... starting with pushing the master volume pot upwards...

[optimistic-pessimist]

I think we can all safely say that we dont know what happened. But I can also safely say that for everything I have received from this band, this is surely a small thing to grant the guy to be forgiven for being sick, for fuck sake.

You're right... some understanding of the situation should be called for. He's sick and that surely can't be helped. He tried, and there's something to be said for that. I personally appreciate it. However, we can't simply say that this show was sub-par, and then move on. It was bottom of the barrel. It's obvious that Maynard didn't really know how bad off he was until he got into the show, or else they would have postponed it sometime Monday morning. But with that being said, they can't possibly believe that the Houston crowd got their money's worth. The other 3/4 of the band gave it their all, but without vocals, it's just not the same. Not to mention that we didn't even get Wings... and once again, I'm positive they were planning on playing it.

If I were in their place, I'd be planning on trying to make it up to the Houston crowd. Especially if you keep in mind what happened in '02. I think it's only right.

[sp4cem0nkey]

I have mixed feeling about the show.
The band (minus Maynard) all performed very well, and the absence of Maynards vocal gave me the opportunity to focus on other aspects, such as Danny's awesome drumming. I don't blame Maynard for being sick, and I belive that he really was sick, but I agree that Tool should come back and do a free show to make up for the disappointment.

I would like to recognize the crowd for being generally civil after the show. A more rowdy crowd might mave actually rioted. Even when we were packed down the south bridge, everyone was calm and orderly and considerate. It goes to show that Tool fans are generally compassionate and considerate people.

Oh, and to those that yelled during the moment of silence:

Kill yourself.
Seriously.
Do it.

One more complaint: What was up with Tool banning blankets and binoculars?
Seriously. What am I going to do with a blanket? Strangle someone???!

[rachelrabbit23]

You're right... some understanding of the situation should be called for. He's sick and that surely can't be helped. He tried, and there's something to be said for that. I personally appreciate it. However, we can't simply say that this show was sub-par, and then move on. It was bottom of the barrel. It's obvious that Maynard didn't really know how bad off he was until he got into the show, or else they would have postponed it sometime Monday morning. But with that being said, they can't possibly believe that the Houston crowd got their money's worth. The other 3/4 of the band gave it their all, but without vocals, it's just not the same. Not to mention that we didn't even get Wings... and once again, I'm positive they were planning on playing it.

If I were in their place, I'd be planning on trying to make it up to the Houston crowd. Especially if you keep in mind what happened in '02. I think it's only right.

quoted for it's "truthiness". :)

[orangeslices]

but I have to say that I was so frustrated by Memford that I often had my eyes closed in order to focus on the music, to try to stay into the groove. I kept feeling a bad vibe from the stage. It seems there was something else going on other than Memford being ill. I could feel it.



I totally agree.

[AgentDMT]

I have mixed feeling about the show.
The band (minus Maynard) all performed very well, and the absence of Maynards vocal gave me the opportunity to focus on other aspects, such as Danny's awesome drumming. I don't blame Maynard for being sick, and I belive that he really was sick, but I agree that Tool should come back and do a free show to make up for the disappointment.

I would like to recognize the crowd for being generally civil after the show. A more rowdy crowd might mave actually rioted. Even when we were packed down the south bridge, everyone was calm and orderly and considerate. It goes to show that Tool fans are generally compassionate and considerate people.

Oh, and to those that yelled during the moment of silence:

Kill yourself.
Seriously.
Do it.

One more complaint: What was up with Tool banning blankets and binoculars?
Seriously. What am I going to do with a blanket? Strangle someone???!

That's not Tool's doing, thats the Pavillion stuff. The Pavillion gets all retarded when it comes to rock concerts and bans everything.

Does anyone wonder if everyone would have gotten naked as Maynard asked, would he have sucked it up and sang his ass off (you know so he could cancel tonights show)?

[sp4cem0nkey]

That's not Tool's doing, thats the Pavillion stuff. The Pavillion gets all retarded when it comes to rock concerts and bans everything.


That's not what Pavillion security told me. They said all the restrictions were at the band's request. Why have I been able to bring these items into other Pavillion concerts?: Blanket, Binoculars, Water Bottle...

The security woman who kindly checked my binoculars for me actually told me that "[Maynard] said he would walk offstage if he caught anyone taking pictures."
If Maynard isn't really saying these things, then someone in Tool's management is seriously making him look like an asshole. I don't think the Pavillion staff is making this stuff up.

[rachelrabbit23]

And yeah, fuck the security bullshit. You want to see where? Pull my belt/waist of my pants back and let you see down there? Fucking bullshit! Why don't you just give me a pap-smear and pelvic exam while you're at it? I am so frustrated with this whole concert experience: over-priced tickets, over-priced merch, ticket-fucking-bastard with their monopolistic and corrupt behavior, cattle herding venues, "$9 beer night" concessions, Gestapo-like security, no this, none of that...NO FUCKING PURSES???, shitty performances? Pfffttt....I'm done. I'll download the show and put it on dvd and watch it from home without all of the bullshit.

My feelings are that I am going to pass on future TOOL shows. As much as I love them, I'm sick of this shit. :\ Maybe when they return to the small club tours in 20 years, I'll go see them again.

[optimistic-pessimist]

And yeah, fuck the security bullshit. You want to see where? Pull my belt/waist of my pants back and let you see down there? Fucking bullshit! Why don't you just give me a pap-smear and pelvic exam while you're at it? I am so frustrated with this whole concert experience: over-priced tickets, over-priced merch, ticket-fucking-bastard with their monopolistic and corrupt behavior, cattle herding venues, "$9 beer night" concessions, Gestapo-like security, no this, none of that...

I'm almost right there with you.

[SunKing]

That's not what Pavillion security told me. They said all the restrictions were at the band's request. Why have I been able to bring these items into other Pavillion concerts?: Blanket, Binoculars, Water Bottle...

This is true. I've been to three other concerts at the Pavillion within the past month. I would consider most of those to be 'heavier' than TOOL (Buzzfest with Stained, Family Values with Korn, Godsmack, Rob Zombie). Yet, despite that - we were allowed to bring blankets, binoculars - even cameras! The only restriction on cameras as those shows was that no 'professional photography equipment' was allowed. Of course, I am very familiar with TOOL's position regarding camera's - so that was no surprise. What WAS suprising to me was shutting down the concessions just minutes after TOOL hit the stage. ...I've still not been able to figure out why they did that.

[rachelrabbit23]

I'm almost right there with you.

It's out of control. After ticketmaster, the venue and the band are done having their way with you and your ass is nice and bloody, you're given a shit performance. It makes me sad. Concerts of my favorite artists have been one of the true joys in life. But they're not fun anymore. You have to jump through so many fucking hoops, it's impossible to fully enjoy things. And to all of the folks that don't mind, that think this is ok: I feel sorry for you. TOOL and Memford want to take shots at things like GWB and The Patriot Act and the NSA, yet they have absolutely no qualms about what they put their fans through to see their shows. Give me a break.

[sp4cem0nkey]

And yeah, fuck the security bullshit. You want to see where? Pull my belt/waist of my pants back and let you see down there? Fucking bullshit! Why don't you just give me a pap-smear and pelvic exam while you're at it?

They looked down your pants??!
Wow.
Are you sure that was a *real* security guy?

[imitatio]

5th show

the band was spot on but maynard must be sick as hell cuz if he wasn't speaking the lyrics he was just letting us, the crowd, sing for him. I know that he's trying to push on, but if the band wasn't incredible they would have received much less fan fare from the crowd. The one thing I thought to compare this was if this was an average dallas band playing the gypsy tea room and the lead singer was in maynard's state, they'd be dodging half consumed bottles of beer within minutes. But ya know what, this would not have happened, because in this instance the band would have cancelled the show and rescheduled due to an ill member of the band. I for one love to see the rest of the band pulling together to perform versions of songs rarely seen on stage(which I think was done once tonight, and given the circumstance should have been done MUCH more to compensate), but I know that I am the minority in the TOOL audience and most people want to see all cylinders firing.


hopefully by thursday he gets better and not worse but either way half of tool is worth twice as much as face value of a concert ticket when compared to 99% of bands out there

[rachelrabbit23]

They looked down your pants??!
Wow.
Are you sure that was a *real* security guy?

It was a woman: "I need to see in your pockets, miss. Can you pull them out." ME = "Not really, this is as far as they go" WOMAN = "I need to see your waist. Pull the waist of your pants and belt away and let me see. Turn around. Pull up your pants leg. Now the other."

Fucking Bullshit.

[KoReE]

They looked down your pants??!
Wow.
Are you sure that was a *real* security guy?

I'll have to agree, the security was....well, let's put it this way. If they checked you like that at the airport, there would never ever ever ever be another terrorist on board of an airplane ever again. They asked me to put all of my stuff on the top of a trash can, then pull all of my clothes tight while they wanded me. I've had less security in Saint Louis and Chicago at Slayer and Pantera shows. The Tool show in Chicago in May of 2001, they basically patted my pockets, and sent me on.

I'm not sure if all of this is just Tool. This has been a growing trend at the shows I've seen in Houston in general. Basically, anything that 5star is working. NIN, Aerosmith, etc., have all been somewhat heavy on the security.

But, one thing I can say is that the Pavillion staff is really nice. They had free coat check, and the security was very polite, to me and my wife, at least. I've never seen that anywhere else before.

[MartyV]

To TOOL: Lord knows I have no idea what kind of pressure you guys are under, but I consider myself a pretty big fan, and if you were me how would you feel about tonights performance. I don't know if there is anyway to make this right, but I do have a suggestion. How about a recording of live vocals from a previous show , so that when something like this happens you can at least have vocals to sync to. It would not be like you never sang them, I know you can sing every note and every lyric, and I just wanted to experience that tonight. I don't know If I will pay to come to a show again, but I hope that If I do you will not try to perform when are feeling as sick as you must have been tonight. I love you guys and I hope that this email doesn't offend. I just feel like I have been cheated. I now see that you have postponed your next couple of shows to heal, while I think this is an excellent Idea, it is not fair to the Houston fans that had to suffer through this show, This must be fixed you MUST make this right, give me my money or comeback for free, because you know you should have extended us the same fucking courtesy as the rest of the cities in TX.

[landshark]

The security at the Woodlands has always been that way, at every concert I've gone to. Granted, some shows you can bring blankets to and some you can't, but anyone who's been a Tool fan for any length of time should know how MAYNARD (but Memford is oh so witty!) feels about having his image captured. Thus, the camera banning which means they have to take a few extra steps to follow the policy. You think last night was bad? Does anyone remember the Woodlands show back in '01, when security was so tight that most everyone missed Tricky's set completely and quite a few more didn't get in until after Tool started? I know SunKing was there. That would have been something to bitch about. Compared to that show, last night was a cakewalk to get into. It's not all Tool, it's also the venue.

Maybe the band could have postponed the show yesterday, and yes it wasn't up to normal Tool show standards, but I'm impressed that Maynard powered through it and gave it his best shot. No complaints about Adam, Danny, or Justin's performances at all. Maybe they were going to play Wings, maybe not. Who cares, they make setlist changes and sometimes you don't get the song you want to hear. I was really surprised and happy to hear Right In Two - Justin amazed me yet again, as half the sounds in the song I could have sworn were a second guitar.

A few people mentioned the bat - I didn't see it on stage, but something flew right over our heads out on the lawn towards the end of the show and I thought it was a bird. Must have been the same thing, guess I just didn't pay close enough attention.

[MartyV]

Has anyone noticed that the official website has been under " Maintenance" since last night. I wrote an email to the bands general mailboox and it got sent back by the mailer demon. Who is with me on the fact that they should have canceled our show, and since they did not they should do a free show or give us our god damn money back

[KoReE]

Oh, one comment on the cameras. Maynard has always been a heavy when it comes to cameras. He has stated that he feels the show is something that happens once, and it is gone. Trying to capture it doesn't really capture its real essence. Furthermore, have you ever been on a stage with flashing bulbs blaring at you? I have been on a much smaller stage, with a few cameras in the crowd, and it's blinding. I can't imagine what it would be like in a large venue with thousands taking pictures. We're there to watch, not to be photographers. Be in the moment.

However, banning blankets, purses, etc. That was stupid. Whether it was the bands choice or the venue.

And what's with that clusterfuck walkway over the water? Trying to fite 15k motherfuckers over a 4-man wide sidewalk...

[KoReE]

Has anyone noticed that the official website has been under " Maintenace" since last night. I wrote an email to the bands general mailboox and it got sent back by the mailer demon. Who is with me on the fact that they should have canceled our show, and since they did not they should do a free show or give us our god damn money back

Site is up right now.

[KoReE]

The security at the Woodlands has always been that way, at every concert I've gone to. Granted, some shows you can bring blankets to and some you can't, but anyone who's been a Tool fan for any length of time should know how MAYNARD (but Memford is oh so witty!) feels about having his image captured. Thus, the camera banning which means they have to take a few extra steps to follow the policy. You think last night was bad? Does anyone remember the Woodlands show back in '01, when security was so tight that most everyone missed Tricky's set completely and quite a few more didn't get in until after Tool started? I know SunKing was there. That would have been something to bitch about. Compared to that show, last night was a cakewalk to get into. It's not all Tool, it's also the venue.

Maybe the band could have postponed the show yesterday, and yes it wasn't up to normal Tool show standards, but I'm impressed that Maynard powered through it and gave it his best shot. No complaints about Adam, Danny, or Justin's performances at all. Maybe they were going to play Wings, maybe not. Who cares, they make setlist changes and sometimes you don't get the song you want to hear. I was really surprised and happy to hear Right In Two - Justin amazed me yet again, as half the sounds in the song I could have sworn were a second guitar.

A few people mentioned the bat - I didn't see it on stage, but something flew right over our heads out on the lawn towards the end of the show and I thought it was a bird. Must have been the same thing, guess I just didn't pay close enough attention.

Amen.

[MartyV]

Site is up right now.

www.toolband.com?

I keep getting a "maintenance" sign

[Irish]

Hmm, it appears unlike a lot of you this was my first Tool concert. I really started getting into them as they were wrapping up the Lateralus tour, so I didn't get to see them then.

I was disappointed, but I was entertained. I was heartbroken when he didn't sing the chorus to 46 & 2...that's when I knew it was wrong. I'd gotten bad feelings when they started 25 minutes late (I knew ahead of time he was sick), but it really hit me when he couldn't sing the chorus/vocally challenging parts of any of their songs.

It was a little saddening for me and my girlfriend since it was our first Tool show. I was also disappointed by the sound...I've seen less-heavier bands louder than Tool was last night. However, we both liked the show and thought it was pretty gutsy of Maynard to try and do a show tonight (sorry, I'm not buying the bit that "security guard" posted earlier). I really can't blame the guy for getting sick.

Also, rachel, I think you need to cool down a bit. The security really wasn't that bad--I found them pretty friendly. You have to understand that Tool attracts A LOT of riff raff, so it only makes sense for them to check.

The highlight for me was Danny's drumming on "Right In Two". Simply fantastic, my mouth was agape the whole time. I've always loved him, but seeing him live was just awesome.

My main complaint is that I just...didn't feel anything. I came out of the concert not feeling totally blown away, just kind of "meh". My girlfriend and I both enjoyed it though. I really hope they give us another show. I think that we deserve one.

Anyways, that's all I really have to say.

[KoReE]

www.toolband.com?

I keep getting a "maintenance" sign

I pulled this up just now:

12 September, 2006 (01:12pm)
TONIGHT'S SAN ANTONIO SHOW POSTPONED

Unfortunately tonight's show in San Antonio has been postponed due to illness. Please HOLD ON to your tickets and stand by for further information.

It plays the splash screen with the menu, and the news page comes up.

However, earlier today, I was getting some "pear" errors, related to it trying to pull things from a database, and not being able to.

[KoReE]

Hmm, it appears unlike a lot of you this was my first Tool concert. I really started getting into them as they were wrapping up the Lateralus tour, so I didn't get to see them then.

I was disappointed, but I was entertained. I was heartbroken when he didn't sing the chorus to 46 & 2...that's when I knew it was wrong. I'd gotten bad feelings when they started 25 minutes late (I knew ahead of time he was sick), but it really hit me when he couldn't sing the chorus/vocally challenging parts of any of their songs.

It was a little saddening for me and my girlfriend since it was our first Tool show. I was also disappointed by the sound...I've seen less-heavier bands louder than Tool was last night. However, we both liked the show and thought it was pretty gutsy of Maynard to try and do a show tonight (sorry, I'm not buying the bit that "security guard" posted earlier). I really can't blame the guy for getting sick.

Also, rachel, I think you need to cool down a bit. The security really wasn't that bad--I found them pretty friendly. You have to understand that Tool attracts A LOT of riff raff, so it only makes sense for them to check.

The highlight for me was Danny's drumming on "Right In Two". Simply fantastic, my mouth was agape the whole time. I've always loved him, but seeing him live was just awesome.

My main complaint is that I just...didn't feel anything. I came out of the concert not feeling totally blown away, just kind of "meh". My girlfriend and I both enjoyed it though. I really hope they give us another show. I think that we deserve one.

Anyways, that's all I really have to say.

Unfortunately, you did not get a proper experience. The show lacked energy, probably because the lead singer didn't have any, because he was sick. Don't give up, go and see them next time they're around. They have blown me away every other time I have seen them.

[Irish]

Unfortunately, you did not get a proper experience. The show lacked energy, probably because the lead singer didn't have any, because he was sick. Don't give up, go and see them next time they're around. They have blown me away every other time I have seen them.

Yeah, my girlfriend and I are totally going to see them next time.

[Bumtil]

I Have to agree with Irish, though I have been following the band for a long time this was my first opportunity to see them live. I definitely understand and sympathize with Maynard being sick, I still couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy after the show, hearing about all the people who have been blown away by their shows. There were a few points in the show where i really "felt it" though, namely during Lateralus and our encore version of Right in Two which really brought what was left of the show back to life. I was expecting the show to end there at Aenema, given the little encore thing they had there, anyone know if that was planned, or maybe a last minute decision to extend the performance a bit? Anyways, big thank you to the band regardless for playing what they did given the circumstances, and one can only hope that they keep in mind the crowds sympathetic position on the lackluster performance and return to us soon. Also, I thought that Rosetta Stoned was really awesome live, a very fun and humorous song to rock out to in that type of atmosphere.

One thing to keep in mind for all you who are saying it was that bad, without Maynard the pressure was on for the rest of the guys and i think they more than rose up to the challenge with their stellar performance.

[AgentDMT]

So I know this is futile but the show of disappointment might have some effect. I think everyone who is disappointed with last nights show should shoot and email over to the bands management company. Maybe if they see such a harsh outcry there could be some sort of retribution. I doubt it, but its worth a shot.

[topside844]

Don't have time to post much.

The subtle changes made in the music and instrumental touches the guys put to offset Maynard not singing really made up for the fact Maynard had to sit out for alot of songs.

Overall it was just another beautiful night with those 4 guys from LA. Oh, and flux too :-p

Good meeting you and spending the show with you and your buds, paraflux.

[Ion]

I don't have much to say as everything has pretty much already been said but I was disappointed with the show. Lack of Maynard singing during the high parts of all the songs was killing me.......those parts are probably my favorite parts of the songs and I heard none of them last night. The rest of the band played excellent other than a few parts on Adam's behalf that I caught.....Danny is a fucking beast. Overall it was a good show but just needed Maynard's singing......sound was pretty good and I was at the bottom/middle of the lawn.....it wasn't really loud but good. I also do feel that we are owed another show....I'm from SA so there were other expenses involved with seeing them @ the Woodlands.....I was also going to attend tonight's show but I'm glad that it was cancelled to be able to see Tool at 100%....hopefully they'll do another Houston show when they come back to play for us San Antonians.

[dean]

EXTRA EXTRA.........the news is in and its official.........Maynard really isn't a nasa robot experiment gone wrong or an alien from another galaxy with super powers.........he's human.

Either that or he's an asshole:)


In other news - I have been really impressed with Justin in the past months. I really feel like 10,000 days is "his" record. The bass work on that record is truly amazing. Last night, that guy played that show like it was his last. Good man.

I agree that we should get a free show to make up for last night. We should also all get to go out to eat with the band and spend the day with them at the zoo. Then we can all go back to thier hotel room and watch movies together.

I know last night sucked, but at least we are alive and breathing and we got to spend the evening together. It could have been worse.......lets just focus and meditate on Maynard's health and try to get him well again.

Its ok Maynard......I still love you.

[Eussiah]

All who are saying they should have cancelled, you know deep in your hearts that if they had, you'd all be bitching about it and saying they should have tried to play anyway.

[Khadgar346]

This was my 4th time seeing Tool (I saw them on the 06 mini tour just last May in NYC)

Having read the setlists from the previous shows I got really excited about hearing wings prt 2. That was my biggest mistake by far.

I drove down to Houston from San Marcos and it was raining all day. The humidity was a killer but thank god it cooled down at night.

There was horrible traffic driving into the woodlands so we missed all of Isis except the last song.

Tool takes stage and the first words from Maynard were "Yeah" and Stinkfist starts playing. I could tell from his "yeah" that he did NOT want to be at that show. My guess was that they wanted to cancel it but they know how much of a bitch it would be to make it up again.

Anyways... I was able to get 3rd row center (row c) so I had an excellent view of everything that was going on stage BUT.... the seats sucked straight up. I had seat 1 so I was at the end of the row and security were so god damn distracting. Every 5 secs they were shining their flash lights and yelling at people to either to smoking their cigs or stop taking pictues with their cellphones. On top of that, there were no "real" Tool fans. Everyone around me were rich buisness men that had ticket hook-ups through their companys.

Maynard put no energey into the show at all, and you could tell at the first song . As for the rest of the band members, the tried really hard and put alot into it cause they knew Maynard was having such a hard time.

Maynard then said he was "sorry for being sick and that he was trying hard". He was only able to sing one FULL song, the rest he was able to sing alittle but left alot out. He acutally tried to get the audience to sing for him which was the first time I ever seen him do this.

Later on in the set Maynard said "this is alittle cheesey" but asked for silence for the 9/11 memorial. I honestly wanted to slap this one bitch across her face behind me that just screamed her lungs out during the silence. How fucking disrespectfull can you be? I guess it was expected....

Then we sang happy birthday to the patriot act even tho I think alot of fans thought it was Danny's birthday for standing up off his drumset.

The laser were pretty damn tight, tho I felt it took a long time for them to bust them out. The projections were messed up slightly, they would have a blue light across them on the two big screens on the side, but over all I enjoyed the visuals.

As I was driving back to San Marcos the next morning for the San Antonio show, I hear on the radio that it was canceled. Very dissapointing but at the same time it was no surprise. This Houston show was by far the worst Tool concert I have been too. I would rather Tool cancel their show then perform half-ass like they did at the Woodlands. It was not 100% tool show.

I was able to take some pictures with my cellphone even tho the security guards were so damn anal. Slider phones have the advantage for taking shots =] It's only a 1.3MP cam so they aren't the greatest....

This was during the last song for Isis (notice the secuirty guard directly in front of me hah)
http://deepu.eroding.com/gallery/data/media/11/SP_A0027.jpg

once again sorry about the quality =/
http://deepu.eroding.com/gallery/data/media/11/SP_A0043.jpg

http://deepu.eroding.com/gallery/data/media/11/SP_A0044.jpg

http://deepu.eroding.com/gallery/data/media/11/SP_A0045.jpg

http://deepu.eroding.com/gallery/data/media/11/SP_A0046.jpg

http://deepu.eroding.com/gallery/data/media/11/SP_A0053.jpg

http://deepu.eroding.com/gallery/data/media/11/SP_A0060.jpg

http://deepu.eroding.com/gallery/data/media/11/SP_A0061.jpg

During the Intermission, Maynard walked off stage. Danny Adam and Justin just sat up on Maynard's platform and Justin held up his lighter causing a sea to flash up..
http://deepu.eroding.com/gallery/data/media/11/SP_A0055.jpg

[rachelrabbit23]

Also, rachel, I think you need to cool down a bit. The security really wasn't that bad--I found them pretty friendly. You have to understand that Tool attracts A LOT of riff raff, so it only makes sense for them to check.



Uh, I think you need to blow me.

The woman searching me was absolutely NOT friendly. I had: ID, Credit Card, Cell phone, and lipblam, my ticket and that was it. I'm talking about the security business in general. It's bullshit and totally violates your civil rights. The 4th amendment reads " The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." in case you are unfamiliar. Funny how this ceases to be true when corporations are involved. Kind of like a microcosm of the country as a whole. Asking people to leave behind unsafe objects: knives, guns, etc is a reasonable request. Forbidding me to have my purse and asking me to pull the waistline of my pants back so they can see inside my pants is going over the line.

I've been to way more hard-core shows i.e. Slayer (5 times), Ministry, etc. where the crowd goes bananas and the security was "Can I see inside your purse" and that was it. If you want to see riff raff, go see a Slayer show, but then again, even Slayer seems more appreciative of their fans.

And optimistic-pessimist - great minds think alike. :)

[Ecce Iuvencae]

Let me start off by saying this... Cynthia Woods Pavillion is about as good at getting bad performances out of superb rock groups as George Lucas is at getting bad performances from solid actors.

That said...


The sound wasn't loud enough. Period. Tool was playing louder in my car on the way to the concert than they played at the actual concert. Fuck that. I was front center on the lawn and I could just barely hear them. Every time I've been to the Pavillion there seem to be stacks of speakers that aren't even turned on. What in the hell is up with that? If Tool isn't supposed to be played loud then I don't know who is.

Security was bullshit. I can't bring my fucking binoculars??? How bout a blanket so I don't have to sit directly on that muddy ass lawn??? I don't know if that was the Pavillion's fault or Tool's but whoever was responsible needs to understand that they were being fucking Nazis and we want our fucking blankets.

As far as concessions... Dude, the beers were almost ten dollars and they stopped selling them 15 minutes after Tool started. I don't even really drink at a Tool concert and that pissed me off.

That aside... I thought eveyone from Tool did a pretty damn fine job. Maynard was sick. I've been sick before where it comes and goes and so has everyone else. When you have 16,000 people waiting on you you have to make a choice. Maynard chose to sing because he undoubtedly thought he could sing at least most of it and give us a good show. The man seemed like he was genuinely apologetic and since Maynard has given all of us so much in the last many years I felt like I could let it slide.

The band sounded as tight as I've heard them (Even though the sound was low) and the visuals were beautifully coordinated and breathtakingly awesome. Most other headlining musicians would have cameramen posting their faces on those huge screens... With Tool, we get snakes eternally eating themselves, jumbles of scary body parts, really sweet looking highway with a crazy looking dude stumbling down it for Rosetta Stoned, sweet ass fucking candy white stage that reflects light from a screen spanning across its entire width, color changing tree lights and some fucking sweet ass laser beams. Not to mention those cool looking halos they brought out for Lateralus. Please, please tell me you were dissapointed because you should be kicked in the face.

The crowd sucked. It would be silent in there at times. 16,000 people at Tool and I feel like an idiot being one of the few yelling, "COME ON IT"S FUCKING TOOL!!! IT"S FUCKING AWESOME!!!" There's no reason I should feel left out screaming like that for my favorite band. People yelled during the moment of silence louder than people yelled 15 seconds after the end of Rosetta Stoned. Fuck that. Maynard was sick. He told us that. Show some support for one of the greatest bands making music today... you fucking pussies. You guys think that you are going to get a free show? You guys just "not going to see Tool anymore...'?" FUCK YOU. Whoever that so called security guard is talking shit like that... Fuck you too. The Woodlands sucks.

Tool postponed the San Antonio show because I'm sure that Maynard doesn't want to dissapoint anymore. If you guys are such hardcore TOOL fans then most of you complaining should get tickets to the other two Texas shows so that Maynard can be healthy and you won't be fucking bitchy.

Tool is the shit.

[G.foreman]

Tool postponed the San Antonio show because I'm sure that Maynard doesn't want to dissapoint anymore. If you guys are such hardcore TOOL fans then most of you complaining should get tickets to the other two Texas shows so that Maynard can be healthy and you won't be fucking bitchy.

so what about that bitch and that i took leave off from the military to fly home to be with friends just to see this concert. now what am i suppose to do. all the extra money i has went to this. i wish the concert had got cancelled so i could have changed my plane tickets.

[NewOrleans]

My 10th Tool Show

700 Mile drive (round trip from New Orleans) - gas @ $2.60/gallon = $120.00
2 night stay at the La Denny's (LaQuinta) - $162.00
2 Tool Tickets ($140.00)

Seeing the band play with 1/2 of Houston singing the songs:

Pricey..

Being my 10th show (1st of this tour), my wife and I were highly anticipating what would be one of the greatest performances of our lives, especially after reading the Staples center post.

You may have seen me as the guy with the "CREED SUCKS" t-shirt.

This was by far the most diasspointing show of my life but I do understand the circumstances and give Maynard some credit for the effort. Cancelling the show 1 hour before or during would have been a nightmare and many lives could have been lost on what was one of the most tragic days in American History.

Rumor has it that Maynard loves money more than money itself (source who works for the band).

On the otherhand, let's hope for a postive experience in 2007.

"I'm praying for Rain, I'm praying for Hurricane's, I wanna see the ground give way, I wanna see the DEMOCRATS go Down, mom please flush all the DEMOCRATS away, they keep sucking our WELFARE DOWN, I wanna watch it go right in, Mom Please FLUSH THEM ALL AWAY""' HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY

[paraflux]

So I know this is futile but the show of disappointment might have some effect. I think everyone who is disappointed with last nights show should shoot and email over to the bands management company. Maybe if they see such a harsh outcry there could be some sort of retribution. I doubt it, but its worth a shot.



This is bullshit. You dont think they know what everyone felt?

[Alistair_Carson]

MITRIE: You said you were security last night? Were you standing in front of the pit? And if so, which one were you?

RACHELRABBIT: Were you the one I was talking to before the show?



Well, everything that I felt about last night's performance has already been said by both Optimistic and RachelRabbit. I agree 100% with them. I paid good money for that pit ticket and Lord knows I felt a little scammed.

1. The obvious absence of vocals and ardor from Maynard.

2. Security were complete assholes. Even when you respectfully ask them a question they ignore you or tell you to "fuck off".

3. Wings was cut from the set. Justin even had his stool off to the side ready to go.

4. This was my first time ever seeing them live. Disappointment would be a huge understatement.

Don't get me wrong, I love and admire their music to death. Danny, Adam, and Justin sounded excellent. I can only imagine how exerting it is to play night after night. Nonetheless, I do feel like we should be at least afforded a discount performance.

[paraflux]

Uh, I think you need to blow me.

The woman searching me was absolutely NOT friendly. I had: ID, Credit Card, Cell phone, and lipblam, my ticket and that was it. I'm talking about the security business in general. It's bullshit and totally violates your civil rights. The 4th amendment reads " The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." in case you are unfamiliar. Funny how this ceases to be true when corporations are involved. Kind of like a microcosm of the country as a whole. Asking people to leave behind unsafe objects: knives, guns, etc is a reasonable request. Forbidding me to have my purse and asking me to pull the waistline of my pants back so they can see inside my pants is going over the line.

I've been to way more hard-core shows i.e. Slayer (5 times), Ministry, etc. where the crowd goes bananas and the security was "Can I see inside your purse" and that was it. If you want to see riff raff, go see a Slayer show, but then again, even Slayer seems more appreciative of their fans.

And optimistic-pessimist - great minds think alike. :)

Ok, i was seeing your points until you started getting all militant and political and shit.

UNREASONABLE search and seizure. If you dont want to go through it, you can go home. It's your choice. It isnt unreasonable to see what you are bringing into this facility where 15,000 other people are.

[paraflux]

And Alistair, where the fuck were you, you had my number and everything.

[Alistair_Carson]

Shit man, by the time you got there, there was no way I could use my phone without security biting up my leg. I hope I understood correct in that you didn't get there until 8:30 or so?

[optimistic-pessimist]

Does anyone remember the Woodlands show back in '01, when security was so tight that most everyone missed Tricky's set completely and quite a few more didn't get in until after Tool started? I know SunKing was there. That would have been something to bitch about. Compared to that show, last night was a cakewalk to get into. It's not all Tool, it's also the venue.


I was at that show too. I was one of the unfortunate few who missed all of Tricky and even some of TOOL. We missed all of The Grudge, and part of Stinkfist. However, I thought last night's security was worse than it was in '01. I go to a lot of shows, and that was some of the most detailed searching I've ever seen.

[HalfwayHouse12a]

Anyone see the dude with the pirate shirt and the eyepatch?

I agree with the fellow who said that if the show got cancelled it'd be a bummer as well. I am glad we got a show, however, had I known it was going to be a sub-par show (and par for Tool is very low, because they're TOOL), I would've chosen a postponing of the show. For full price for a ticket, we deserved to see Tool at 100%, not 75.

P.S. Thanks for the pictures.

[optimistic-pessimist]

Yes I definitely agree that a cancellation would have been better than last night's show. It's unfortunate that things worked out the way they did. Maynard obviously didn't know how bad the show would turn out until it was too late for them to cancel.

P.S. What pictures?

[paraflux]

Shit man, by the time you got there, there was no way I could use my phone without security biting up my leg. I hope I understood correct in that you didn't get there until 8:30 or so?

eh, I was with other people and we didnt leave at the time I anticipated, not really their fault but you know how group things go. I got in line about 8:15 and took me about 15 minutes to get to the gate and 10 seconds to get in. Perhaps its because I didnt give them any attitude, I dunno. Plenty of people snuck weed in.

[optimistic-pessimist]

Plenty of people snuck weed in.

... and some got other things in as well...

[HalfwayHouse12a]

On page 2, there were 7 or 8 cameraphone pictures posted by some generous person. Have a looksee.

[Irish]

Uh, I think you need to blow me.

The woman searching me was absolutely NOT friendly. I had: ID, Credit Card, Cell phone, and lipblam, my ticket and that was it. I'm talking about the security business in general. It's bullshit and totally violates your civil rights. The 4th amendment reads " The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." in case you are unfamiliar. Funny how this ceases to be true when corporations are involved. Kind of like a microcosm of the country as a whole. Asking people to leave behind unsafe objects: knives, guns, etc is a reasonable request. Forbidding me to have my purse and asking me to pull the waistline of my pants back so they can see inside my pants is going over the line.

I've been to way more hard-core shows i.e. Slayer (5 times), Ministry, etc. where the crowd goes bananas and the security was "Can I see inside your purse" and that was it. If you want to see riff raff, go see a Slayer show, but then again, even Slayer seems more appreciative of their fans.

And optimistic-pessimist - great minds think alike. :)


Your "blow me" comment was uncalled for, especially coming from someone of your assumed age (20 +). Yes, it was annoying that we couldn't take certain items in there like blankets or purses, but in all honesty they are trying to keep us safe. Heck, Maynard got hit by a water bottle the concert before this one.

I honestly think you need to chill out about this--one 20-second slightly-invasive search (nothing worse than what I've experienced going overseas in airports) isn't the end of the world. Once again, it was annoying. But it wasn't for no reason.

[dean]

What's up with the "flush all the democrats away" guy?


Well, at least he got the "creed sucks" part right.

[Alistair_Carson]

... and some got other things in as well...

Haha...

Some guy actually recorded the whole thing. I don't know how the fuck he got it in.

[landshark]

I was at that show too. I was one of the unfortunate few who missed all of Tricky and even some of TOOL. We missed all of The Grudge, and part of Stinkfist. However, I thought last night's security was worse than it was in '01. I go to a lot of shows, and that was some of the most detailed searching I've ever seen.

Ok, maybe we went in different entrances or you had a guy who was a little overzealous. I thought it was much lighter - walked up, lifted up my pants legs, lifted up my shirt so they could see my waistline, got scanned by the wand, and walked in. Last time I remember much more.

I don't necessarily agree that last night should have been cancelled, or postponed. Of course, I would love it if they come back when they redo the San Antonio show, but think about it this way: you got a really unique experience as far as Tool shows in that there were a lot of instrumental parts that maybe you wouldn't have heard otherwise. Because Maynard stopped a few times, the music got to breathe a little more than usual.

I was also at the show at the Compaq Center you mentioned earlier, when he walked off during The Patient, and we got an abbreviated setlist. Yeah, it was a little bit of a bummer, but then they came back a few months later and played in Beaumont, which was hands down the best Tool show I've personally seen so far. Someone else also spoke about it earlier in the thread. That was the first night I heard H. live, and that performance of Triad with Meshuggah's drummer was beyond description, but those weren't the only highlights. Because of those two shows, I decided that next time I wouldn't have any expectations and I also resolved to not read any setlists beforehand. Of course I caved and read setlists beforehand, but I still had a damn good time last night.

I know quite a few people on here drove or flew in from other places, or bought tickets to multiple shows, but those were your choices. I'm not saying that was a bad choice at all, if I could afford it I'd do the same thing, but what I'm saying is you can't really blame the band for that. Sorry you didn't get all that you came for, but like I said, you got a unique experience.

Anyway, now that I sound like a total hippy...

[optimistic-pessimist]

Haha... A "unique experience" is REALLY putting a positive spin on this. The kind of unique experience people are looking for would be more like, "Oh man I was at that show where they decided to play Flood right after the Grudge at the start of the show, and they didn't do that ANYWHERE else."... as opposed to, "Oh man I was at that show where Maynard could barely stand up and had to have the crowd sing for him, and he didn't do that ANYWHERE else. It was so special."

... and as for the Houston -> Beaumont comparison... I was at both of those shows too. Beaumont was on a completely different tour. It really shouldn't be compared to or linked to the Houston show. They were unrelated, other than being nearby in the same state. They came back around and played smaller market cities on the second tour in '02, and they'll do the same on the next tour in '07. If they play Beaumont, it won't be a makeup for last night's fiasco... it'll be another tour, another show, another money-making opportunity.

[imitatio]

Tool postponed the San Antonio show because I'm sure that Maynard doesn't want to dissapoint anymore. If you guys are such hardcore TOOL fans then most of you complaining should get tickets to the other two Texas shows so that Maynard can be healthy and you won't be fucking bitchy.


I should get tickets to other shows so that I'm happy that I saw a show that should've been postponed?

well, I HAVE bought tickets to the other shows.

and I HOPE that if he's still sick, that they're postponed.


I enjoyed the show but I definitely understand and agree with people who did not and who think the show should've been canceled. Concerts aren't fruit- when you get a bad one now and then you have the right to complain. It's your money, and if you think you've been slighted when it could've been avoided, then speak up. It's not bitching. Bitching is complaining about something that couldn't have been any other way. There was a choice made to go on with the show. Regardless of the good intentions, it was obviously the wrong choice.

[landshark]

Haha... A "unique experience" is REALLY putting a positive spin on this. The kind of unique experience people are looking for would be more like, "Oh man I was at that show where they decided to play Flood right after the Grudge at the start of the show, and they didn't do that ANYWHERE else."... as opposed to, "Oh man I was at that show where Maynard could barely stand up and had to have the crowd sing for him, and he didn't do that ANYWHERE else. It was so special."

Alright, so we have different definitions of "unique experience." I would have enjoy the first one more than the second one obviously, but would have taken something new away from both.

... and as for the Houston -> Beaumont comparison... I was at both of those shows too. Beaumont was on a completely different tour. It really shouldn't be compared to or linked to the Houston show. They were unrelated, other than being nearby in the same state. They came back around and played smaller market cities on the second tour in '02, and they'll do the same on the next tour in '07. If they play Beaumont, it won't be a makeup for last night's fiasco... it'll be another tour, another show, another money-making opportunity.

I didn't mean to imply that the Beaumont show was a make-up date for the Compaq Center show - you're right, it was another tour. But for me, it more than made up for any disappointment I felt after the Compaq Center show. That's why I compared the two.

Look, I know a lot of you are upset, and have a right to be. I only live about 15 minutes from the venue from last night, so it wasn't a big deal for me as far as trekking into another city just for the concert. And I know how passionate about music everyone is on here. As an aside to optimistic-pessimist, your post on The Spiral (yeah, I lurk a lot) about Deadboy and the Elephantmen made me go check them out, and then feel pretty stupid because I've owned "When the Kite String Pops" for years, listed it as one of my favorite albums, saw Acid Bath live with D.R.I. about 10 years ago, considered myself a pretty big fan, and had no idea the other band existed. Never thanked you for that, so thank you. Back to the point, don't let it bother you or deter you from going to see shows in the future if it's something you like, whether it's Tool or anyone else. Shit happens, people get sick, some shows are better than others. We could all debate all day and night whether or not last night's show should have been cancelled or postponed, but it wasn't, so all we can do now is look forward to what the next one brings.

<Insert my earlier hippy comment here x700>

[optimistic-pessimist]

Hehe... Deadboy and Acid Bath references make me happy. And you're welcome...

But yes... that is definitely true. This experience shouldn't keep anyone from going to anything in the future, because you just don't know how special the NEXT one might be. Why do you think I go to so many shows? It's for fear of missing something truly special.

Edit: Oh and @resonance. - Blair is a weird-looking, pasty white guy with stringy blond hair... last time I checked.

[Toolshedd]

OK.....let's start with something that no one else here has really touched on yet.

Isis......sucks........ass.
They were absolutely terrible. Nothing about them made me think that they were a band worthy to open for Kelly Clarkson, let alone Tool. After a song or two, we finally got up to walk around. We could take no more.

As for Tool, we flew in over 800 miles from eastern New Mexico just to see the show, and we had mixed feelings. The excitement of actually being at a Tool show and the venue itself was fantastic. Houston really is a great town to see a show. The band was RIGHT ON. I've read other reviews from other shows that said "Adam missed this part," or "Justin fucked up a little on that part," but tonight, it was almost as though they knew they had to make up for Maynard being under the weather. They nailed everything. And I'll take Maynard a little under the weather ANY day. Even if he wasn't singing, he was still up there fighting through it, and that says a hell of a lot about him in my book.

In closing, I would just like to say to Holly and Holly, the stripper show you both put on in front of us there will definitely be remembered for many lonely nights to cum! Thanks for letting us touch da heiny!

[Ecce Iuvencae]

the people in arizona didn't complain this much about maynard being sick. you guys got to see tool. doesn't anyone realize how awesome that is? maynard cant predict the severity of his sickness just like you cant. 16,000 people were there to see a band they might not have many more opportunities to see and if they hadn't gotten to see themright then and now there would have been some shit going down. they played their best, maynard APOLOGIZED for being sick and then the band quickly postponed the next show so that they wouldnt dissapoint anyone else. lots of people would have gone to that show and loved the hell out of it just because it was tool and tool is badass. you can't tell me that the experience wasnt worth the money... if it had gotten postponed you same people would have just bitched more than you already have.

tool has fucking rocked for over a decade and put out quality shows time after time after time and (specifically) the people who are talking about how they wont spend money to see Tool again, because of one or even a handful of bad shows, are fucking ridiculous.

[optimistic-pessimist]

Nothing about [Isis] made me think that they were a band worthy to open for Kelly Clarkson, let alone Tool.


... nothing except for the fact that TOOL likes them and specifically picked them to come on tour with them... jackass. This happens time and time and time again. TOOL picks bands that they like, so that hopefully they'll expose their own fans to something new or different, and yet I constantly hear how much people hate these bands.

I'm not even trying to force you to like them, because that would be pointless and silly. I'm just saying, have some fucking respect. Until I see YOUR band onstage opening for TOOL, then I don't think you can legitimately put down any bands that are up there.

if it had gotten postponed you same people would have just bitched more than you already have.

Actually a lot of the complaints on here have been pretty reasonable and mild... with a few exceptions. I think that most people on here certainly would have been disappointed with a cancellation, myself included, but would have eventually realized, sooner or later, that a cancellation is better than a half-assed performance. Our fast-paced, instant-gratification society definitely makes it hard not to say "I WANT MY TOOL NOW DAMNIT," but I think most people on here have enough patience and foresight to see that if Maynard can't sing, then waiting for a show isn't so bad.

[Ecce Iuvencae]

like i said before... maynard must have thought he could give at least a half assed performance. he was singing his ass off during stinkfist and he still managed to strain out "NOT ENOUGH, I NEED MORE..." After that it seemed like it faded out of him. He was sick. He must have thought he could do it because HE DID TRY... In case you didn't notice. I understand the dissapointment. I was dissapointed. But it wasn't shit. It was still tool and theres still 4 members in that band. 3 of them were flawless... one of them was sick. There were thousands of people there. You can't just send em home. They had to battle through it and they did a damn fine job.

[dean]

Alright guys.......I have some pretty interesting things to share with you. In case you aren't aware, Maynard actually has a myspace site that he actually uses. You should check it out in any case, but there is something about his site that is relavent to our discussions. If you look at his blogs, you will find that he made an entry on the day of our concert (monday 9-11-06). This is the first blog entry he has made in a month or so. I believe this blog is named "Bakersfield not from" or something to that effect. He describes a dream he had that I can't help but think is related to our discussions on the bad concert. He makes some references to "people with disabilities" and "trying to overcome ang giving it thier all." He then gives references to "casting stones." Interestingly, he doesn't mention being sick at all but I think this is classic Maynard using metaphors. He talks about "dreams telling the future" in abstract ways. Just thought this was pretty interesting and could give us something more productive to think about than how pissed we are about the concert. You guys check this out and tell me what you think.


The link is myspace.com/censorshipisacancer


In any case, I had fun hanging out with you guys on Monday and being in company of some other TOOL fans.

Good day.

[optimistic-pessimist]

^ Good post. Would you mind posting the content of the blog? I'm out of town until next Monday, and this computer won't let me access my Myspace account for some reason. Actually, I think that anyone who doesn't have a Myspace account wouldn't be able to see the blog... so post it for them too.

[AgentDMT]

the people in arizona didn't complain this much about maynard being sick.

they played their best, maynard APOLOGIZED for being sick and then the band quickly postponed the next show so that they wouldnt dissapoint anyone else.

you can't tell me that the experience wasnt worth the money... if it had gotten postponed you same people would have just bitched more than you already have.


Arizona didnt complain as much because:
1. Arizonas setlist wasnt short
2. Arizona got to see Wings
3. Arizona hit the guy in the head with a water bottle

When I buy a ticket to an event I shouldn't have to think about it like im gambling. I shouldn't have to say to myself okay theres a 70% chance I'm going to get a 2 hour show, and all the musicians playing like I know them to play and theres a 30% chance I'm going to get an 85 minute show, half the vocals, and an apology.

At 80 dollars face value tickets, the experience wasn't worth the money. I saw Tool in beaumont, much better experience, half the price. Seriously, there hasn't been 100% inflation since 2003.

[AgentDMT]

Interestingly, he doesn't mention being sick at all but I think this is classic Maynard using metaphors. He talks about "dreams telling the future" in abstract ways. Just thought this was pretty interesting and could give us something more productive to think about than how pissed we are about the concert. You guys check this out and tell me what you think.



About a week ago I had one of my dreams. I was an M.C. at the special olympics tryouts. At some point in the dream it was my job to announce a winner. I was handed a purple envelope by a white dove which reeked of beer and peanut farts. The dove, not the envelope. Anyway. I've never known a dove to giggle but this one did. Which should have been my first clue. I guess I was just caught up in how hard these challenged humans were trying and I missed the obvious. So I open the envelope and it's another sticky note from BOB.
"Judge not lest ye be judged. Unless you are in a desolate valley filled with drunk and irrational knuckle dragging apes with shaved heads and PMS. Then feel free to cast the first of many stones. Amen."
From the Book of DOUCHEBAG Chapter 9, Verse 5

I am inclined to think hes talking about Arizona and the water bottle incident. He describes his location as "desolate valley" which Phoenix is, and "casting the first of many stones" where stone is water bottle.

[resonance.]

Makes sense. He just posted a blog actually and it states his current mood as "sick" with a distressed frowny face. It's him explaining the correct way to pronounce Puscifer, like anyone on the planet couldn't figure it out. Also, it appears he was listening to 'Baby Got Back' at the time of posting. I wasn't sure what to make of this then I saw it was released in '92. Maybe Maynard's trying to get in touch with what made him awesome back in 1992? Sir Mix-a-Lot might have been an influence (?)

[psillyphreak]

Very disappointed with this performance. Drove from New Orleans to see the show and I am a HUGE Tool fan. It just really sucks that Maynard was sick. Something that also upsets me to no end is the fact that I had to drive to Texas in order to see Tool. New Orleans used to always be included in tour schedules...not just for Tool, but for many big bands. I do understand that last years hurricaines F'd some stuff up here, but we have many venues here that are in operation. Too many Tool fans here have to feel the same as I. For instance, Voodoo fest this Halloween would have been a perfect opportunity for them to stop by. Last time Tool headlined that venue was absolutely AMAZING. I check the tour schedule daily in high hopes that on October 29th they decide to add Voodoo fest before going back to Europe. Hopefully someone reads this post and says 'How can we forget about New Orleans?'

[paraflux]

Arizona didnt complain as much because:
1. Arizonas setlist wasnt short
2. Arizona got to see Wings
3. Arizona hit the guy in the head with a water bottle

When I buy a ticket to an event I shouldn't have to think about it like im gambling. I shouldn't have to say to myself okay theres a 70% chance I'm going to get a 2 hour show, and all the musicians playing like I know them to play and theres a 30% chance I'm going to get an 85 minute show, half the vocals, and an apology.

At 80 dollars face value tickets, the experience wasn't worth the money. I saw Tool in beaumont, much better experience, half the price. Seriously, there hasn't been 100% inflation since 2003.

Pretty absurd.

You take a gamble anytime you do anything. You buy a ticket to a Rockets game, and do you complain when you get there to find that McGrady is sick and although he's playing half-assed, he's still giving it all he has? Would you feel cheated?

[paraflux]

Paraflux, you obviously didn't take con law.

No, I didnt, and I was just irritated when I wrote that. But the point is still there, that you can agree to the terms or you can go the fuck home. No one forced her or anyone else into that venue.

[optimistic-pessimist]

You buy a ticket to a Rockets game, and do you complain when you get there to find that McGrady is sick and although he's playing half-assed, he's still giving it all he has? Would you feel cheated?

Eh... not exactly the best analogy. 1 member of a 5-man team that has 10 subs is not the same as 1 member of a 4-man team with... no subs.

If you're arguing against some Maynard fanboy who went solely because he's in the band, then you might have an argument. "He went out and gave it his best and you got to see him onstage... stop bitching." But I for one go to shows to hear the music... the songs... as they were written. This includes the vocals... all of them... particularly the most passionate and intense lines.

[AgentDMT]

Pretty absurd.

You take a gamble anytime you do anything. You buy a ticket to a Rockets game, and do you complain when you get there to find that McGrady is sick and although he's playing half-assed, he's still giving it all he has? Would you feel cheated?

This isn't a sports game. If McGrady is sick and playing half ass, odds are he isnt playing and someone that is 100% is playing. Substitutions are made. The full 4 quarters of the game is still played. You pay to see a sports game played by the players on the team. Just as for a concert you pay to see a musical performance done by the players of the band. If there arn't enough players to play the show because one of them is 50% the concert is "forfeited" and rescheduled or the money is returned. Since there are only 4 players in this band, and no depth for the lead singer the band should have "forfeited" and rescheduled the performance for another day.

Argument by analogy is always faulty and unproductive.

[vanselous]

This was my 16th Tool show. I am an avid fan. BUT....the fact is these guys are making an enormous amount of money and we are paying it. They are professionals and we simply did not receive the product we paid for. If Maynard could not even give us one complete song at even 80%, he should have rescheduled the show or cancelled and refunded our money, which as everyone here knows, was a good chunk of change.
Maynard apologized, so what, he should have called in sick. He still walked with our money. To me an apology from Maynard, a professional, does not equal $80 of my hard earned money. They are a great band but don't be so blinded by your admiration for them that you are also blinded to the fact that you were short changed. They owe every Woodlands ticket holder a show at no additional charge. Even Tool needs to be held responsible for their business.

[paraflux]

Eh... not exactly the best analogy. 1 member of a 5-man team that has 10 subs is not the same as 1 member of a 4-man team with... no subs.

If you're arguing against some Maynard fanboy who went solely because he's in the band, then you might have an argument. "He went out and gave it his best and you got to see him onstage... stop bitching." But I for one go to shows to hear the music... the songs... as they were written. This includes the vocals... all of them... particularly the most passionate and intense lines.

I can understand this. It isnt as if you've bitched about anything anyway.

Yes, I thought his sickness took a lot away from the experience. How could it not? But I cant bring myself to get bitter about it because everyone in the band gave us everything they had, asking for more is not only selfish, but really, really retarded. It is not retarded to ask for a postponement, but then you would have all the out of towners bitching because they made the blank trip. Who do you please?

[optimistic-pessimist]

I'm not bitter... but simply stating my opinion of the situation. I know that we will probably never get what we'd like to get out of this situation, and I won't be clinging to it, as I guess you imagine I will. But I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This is my opinion of the situation, and I'm going to express it. I also won't sit here idly and let someone else tell me that I'm wrong for having that opinion.

I'm one of the biggest fans of this band and their music that I know, but I'm still not beyond questioning them and their actions when I feel that something is wrong. The end.

Edit: And I sure as hell am an out-of-towner. I'm here in Texas all week. I'd choose postponing all three... and that's not just hindsight talking.

[AgentDMT]

But I cant bring myself to get bitter about it because everyone in the band gave us everything they had, asking for more is not only selfish, but really, really retarded. It is not retarded to ask for a postponement, but then you would have all the out of towners bitching because they made the blank trip. Who do you please?

Well, Tool is a band dedicated to quality of music. On many occasions they have said that the reason they dont shoot out albums like bullets out of a machine gun is because they want to take their time to put both quality and new prespectives in their work. For a band that takes so much time and dedication to quality product, you'd think they would hold the same standard for their shows.

And another thing that I think is fucked up. This is supposed to be their main tour yet it cost a shit load more and had a shit load less material than the "warmup" tour. When you say to people relax about the sold old scalper only warmup tour we will be touring again in the fall, why don't you try and deliver something that is worth a damn.

[NewOrleans]

To our NEW ORLEANS fans and friends.

Don't worry TOOL will be hitting the South and Southeast in 2007 as they will be going just about everywhere.

Besides the New Orleans Arena, there are not many venues back up to par that could host a TOOL show.

Optimist-Pessimist - How good was that Baton Rouge show. My wife and I were fortunate enough to see them 4 times that year (Houston, New Orleans, Pensicola, and Baton Rouge).

Keep you hopes up and mind positive as it can only get better from here.

This TOOL show may have not been up to par, but it was still better than most bands at 100%.

To the poor democrat who cried about my comment, I assume you support the Welfare system, money sucking lazy $##T%kers who sit on their porch and have 10 babies before they're 20 so the federal govt. can provide for them.

If Kerry was in office, we may not be at war, but our country would be controlled by a pussy.

[MartyV]

Well, I was on Walton and Johnson this morning complaining about our so called show and you know what they said? I got what I paid, for that "bands nowadays don't have the same ethics as bands of their generation" I hate to say it but it's true, I agree with everybody that they should have cancelled, yea I would have been upset about having to wait to see another show, but at least I wouldn't have been this upset about going to this one. But they also made me laugh a little by telling me I was shit out of luck, and that I should take my chapped red ass and dip it in the Woodlands water. It has made me feel better to vent, but for me anyway it is time to let go. This will be my last Tool show unless I can convince someone else to buy the ticket for the next one. I for one don't think that buying a concert ticket should be a gamble, and if it is I am going to have someone else take the risk.

[vanselous]

I can understand this. It isnt as if you've bitched about anything anyway.

Yes, I thought his sickness took a lot away from the experience. How could it not? But I cant bring myself to get bitter about it because everyone in the band gave us everything they had, asking for more is not only selfish, but really, really retarded. It is not retarded to ask for a postponement, but then you would have all the out of towners bitching because they made the blank trip. Who do you please?

This is a ridiculous statement. You were promised prime rib and force fed ground chuck yet you still thank the chef. In the words of another great influence "there is no other pill to take so swallow the one that makes you ill."

Is this not the kind of sheepish behavior that Tool has preached against throughout the years?

It is niether selfish nor retarded to expect what you pay for.

[LegalizeIt]

This is a ridiculous statement. You were promised prime rib and force fed ground chuck yet you still thank the chef. In the words of another great influence "there is no other pill to take so swallow the one that makes you ill."

Is this not the kind of sheepish behavior that Tool has preached against throughout the years?

It is niether selfish nor retarded to expect what you pay for.

Damn, man u need to realx and stop being a bitch, you just saw the greatest band in the world and you still have something to cry about, you sound like the real sheep bitching just like everyone in the world bitches. Stop being such a pussy.

[AgentDMT]

hahah san antonio got postponed cause of their sickness, see what happens for all the bitching u guys are doing, well i guess it worked but not for u bitches, haha thats funny, people are gunna br crying even more now on this page.

So if you go to a movie... And one characters dialog randomly cuts out throughout the show, and you dont get to see a couple major scenes of the movie because the movie reel guy didn't feel like it because his middle and ring finger hurt from a night of SUFIing at the Dane Cook show (who performed even when he was sick and performed a full show)... you wouldn't bitch about it and try to get your money back?

[Alistair_Carson]

And since you are a Mod, I'm sure this post will stay up for about as long as it takes for you to read it. Right?



Chill out man. Posts are rarely deleted here (unless in they're out of place). We all feel a little cheated, but quit lashing out at everyone else. You've posted like, what, twice?

[paraflux]

/thread imo

of course swaps can come re-open it if she likes. Perhaps I had a hand in this derailment, not sure, but yes, posts from people who were not at the show can go elsewhere. (http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=61772)


If anyone else who was AT THE SHOW would like to leave a REVIEW, feel free to pm me so I can let you post it.



Otherwise go to the thread linked.

And pessimistic_optimist is not a mod.

[paraflux]

I was there......we drove from New Orleans. Can you post this? We all had fun and loved the concert. My 14yo son attended this as his first ever concert, and loved every minute of it. So what if Maynard was sick, and really we got to see something no one has........Maynard holding the mike for us to sing!
Anyone who didn't think they got their moneys worth should give their paycheck back the next time they go in sick or have some excuse why they didn't perform perfect
at work, 100% of the time.
The venue was a little weird......the closing of the concessions was out there, most places just stop selling booze after a certain time, but still sell cokes and food.
But we all thought it was still a great concert, and Maynard, we hope you're feeling better soon! Get well!
excellent attitude. I wish mine were this pleasant, even.

[paraflux]

I am a long time Tool fan, but I saw them for the first time on Sept 11.

I'm not bitter about what happened. I adjusted my attitude about halfway through the first song when I realized MJK couldn't sing 100%. I felt good that MJK sang at all for the rest of the concert. The band sounded great, but they were not loud enough.

I know some of you won't want to hear this, but I was at the Dave Matthews concert two weeks ago, with almost the exact same seats. Dave Matthews was much louder than Tool. I was only 11 rows from the stage at Tool, and the first thing I thought when they started playing was "Hmm, not very loud, I feel bad for the people on the lawn." I saw Nine Inch Nails at Red Rocks in Colorado this year, and they were the same way. I was shocked at the low volume level.

But anyway, I thought the set list was great, and Right in Two sounded awesome at the end of the concert. MJK looked like he was dragging ass. I appreciate the fact that he tried to get through it. The rest of the band really put out for the show as well.

I just hope they come back for another show next year. I know a lot of people want a free show and such, but sometimes life isn't fair, and you just move on.
.

[paraflux]

I really hate when Tool brings out kick-ass bands like Meshuggah and Isis on tour and nobody likes them. if you don't like it, shut the fuck up and let them finish, I for one was there for Isis as well.

the security was by far the worst i have ever encountered at any show. period. it was even worse then the time in October 01 where a red-shirt on a horse threatened to club a bunch of us if we didn't get moving. and i know a few people who work at the Pavillion and they are told to be highly aggresive by their superiors, i'm all for security, just don't be a total fucking dick about it.

I liked the show but agree it could have been a lot better had Maynard been at 100%, the other guys played their asses off it compensate. Adam's guitar during Jambi was fucking unreal, i don't think tool should offer a free show, i do think they should offer a chance to get a slight discount on a ticket the next time through if you can prove you were at the show, but its nice to dream cause it probally won't happen.

will i stop seeing Tool show's because of one just okay performance? no, Tool have been my favorite band for as long i can remember, and you can't fault maynard for trying to play even when he was sick, that shows more dedication to his fans then just cancelling the show.

just my two cents.
.

[paraflux]

It was my first Tool show, and I have been dying to see them. For it being my first Tool show, I'm going to say that perhaps I was one of the few who actually enjoyed myself the entire show. I thought all the musicians were on par and even though I knew Maynard was sick and was not singing parts of songs, I was not disappointed. Just hearing the music and the crowd covering for him was enough for me. Maybe I wasn't bothered because it was my first time seeing Tool and had nothing else to compare it to. I tend to be a harsh critic when it comes to seeing bands live, but it was Tool, finally, and I was just happy to be there.

I left the galleria area around 7 and did not get into my seat til about 9:15! The car traffic and human traffic getting into the pavillion was INSANE. I had only been to the Woodlands once before for System of a Down/The Mars Volta last year, and I hate amphitheaters in general (the other being the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in SA/Selma). I've always had a lawn ticket and I never hear it loud or any sort of an impact out there. Sounds like I'm listening to the radio or something. So I was sure to get a seat ticket for this show, and I did. I was Left, Row BB, seat 19, and my view was better than I thought. Hell, there were quite a few empty seats all around me, I was suprised. I did not have anyone to the right or left of me for about 4 seats it seemed, I had all this rooom to myself for the whole show, ha.

Well, thanks to traffic, I totally missed Isis who I was also looking forward to seeing. So once I got into my seat, it wasn't long before Tool started. About their performance, it's pretty much what everyone else has already said. Yes, I was also someone who thought it was Danny's birthday, haha. While it did get annoying initially when Maynard would not sing on some parts, I just ignored it and got into the music itself, and Adam and Danny may very well be the best guitar/drummer combo I will ever see live. I can only imagine what a better Tool show would be like, with Maynard being 100%.

My feeling from everyone around me that I saw and heard, seemed to have enjoyed themselves and did not complain about Maynard, I mean, it's not like I heard booing or something to that effect. The lighters were insane, I have never seen that many lighters lit up at a show before, ever. I just turned around and saw the entire lawn lit up, I was like "DAYYUMM."

I was glad they played Jambi as the second song after not playing it in Phoenix, I got worried. Rosetta Stoned and Lateralus were my other favorites of the nite. While being pretty close in a seat, it still did not sound very loud. I've read other people complain about that too.

I was very disappointed to hear they cancelled the SA show, yet I totally understand. I had family and friends going to the show, and I know my little brother was really upset. I just hope they can reschedule it and not cancel it altogether.

But I hope and I'm sure I will see them again. Sometime soon I hope.

.

[paraflux]

This needs to be posted in here, optimistic_pessimist acquired the Houston setlist from the lighting guy at the Dallas show.

http://stashbox.org/uploads/1158593525/houston_setlist.jpg