the band had a lot of energy compared to the other shows I've been to over the years. it was kind of a bummer when i realized at the end of lateralus that we were not going to see these guys for another couple of years until they come out with their new album. so i think the band shared the sentiment and played extra hard. i was surprised by how into it maynard was; he was almost like the maynard from the lateralus tour but the funny version of it. i saw justin pounded at least two beers during the "wings" tease before flood. i definitely shit my pants too during the prison sex and cold & ugly/passage to bangkok tease. adam was looking at the magnificent view of the skyscrapers in the north side of chicago and soaking it in during lateralus. danny went all out during flood and lateralus. i was totally amused by maynard's hand gestures during the parts when he was rambling and talking to himself during rosetta; he was like one of those crazy people in san francisco tenderloin who wouldn't stop talking to themselves all day.

same setlist but i really didn't mind. the mix wasn't great where i was standing (i was about 30-40 feet in the front of the soundboard), but i didn't have high expectation given it's an outdoor festival so i was cool with that tool. and given how packed the place was, i was pretty damn close to the stage.

the crowd was definitely some of the craziest and the most devoted fans. they knew lyrics to every single song from beginning to end; it was amazing when you had 20,000 people singing along. there was a mosh pit right in front of me but i thought it was a very respectful and respectable pit.

great show. i definitely thought they were better than when i saw them last time at bill graham in san francisco. thank you TOOL!