Ok so 1st of all let me say this was first time ever seeing Tool, so I guess I would have been blown away no matter what. Also, just for reference, my seat was section 16 row D ( Fantastic seat, I could see everything)
So first in response to all the people complaining about the sound, I'm split. On one hand they sounded better than almost every other band I've heard but on the other the audio mix could have been a little bit better. It was FAR from terrible though, but us Tool fans are picky. I could hear Danny just fine though and that's the most important for me.
Now as for the actual performance? Yes I did hear a few very minor mistakes but they are human. Honestly I was just too immersed in the atmosphere and music to really even care, cuz none of them were huge, distracting things. and as far as Maynards voice and him omitting certain sections of songs.. I think honestly he's doing/giving us the best he can. I think people forget the guy is 47! !! It's time to be realistic. Now whether or not his passion and not his vocal cords are what is leading to the slight decline and increased use of vocal effects (which is more than reasonable on Hooker and Ticks, c'mon people) I just don't know enough about it to say. All in all I thought the band not only put on a good performance but also but an acceptable level of energy into the performance (considering their in their 40's and have never been extreme showmen).
As for the setlist, I'm not gonna lie I cheated and was following what they played on this tour, so when we didn't get the Pot I was slightly disapppointed, which i snapped myself out of quickly cuz how can you in any way be disappointed during the beginning of Aenima? I really did put some thought into this though and the conclusion I've reached is if I went to that show and had Zero knowledge of what was gonna be played would I have left disappointed? The answer is absolutely not, I was blown away. To ask Danny to play more than MAYBE 1 or 2 songs is crazy. My eyes were literally glued to Danny for about 65% of the show and he's a beast back there. I'm surprised he didn't need a heart transplant after Ticks & Leeches lol seriously. From now on I am not gonna look at setlists before I go see Tool, it only sets you up for disappointment when they should absolutely be none, zip, zilch.
So while it was my 1st Tool show and I will admit it's impossible for me to be completely objective, I tried to give you a honest evaluation of the show. The band? great, few minor mistakes, but to be expected from any humans performing live. Maynard? harder to say, he's always been an enigma. Yea he didn't talk to the crowd and thank us, or stay after and graciously ( as Danny, Adam, and justin did) wave and thank the crowd, but isn't that kind of what we should expect form him now? His effort on the songs and vocal peformance? relies on vocal effects/distortion where you would expect but does the best he can, in my humble opinon, maybe he is losing interest I wouldn't know either way. I will definitely be seeing Tool the next time they come around here, I'd give the show a 8.5/10 ( 9/10 if i wasn't expecting/hoping for The Pot)