Damn.... I guess I'm just ridiculously out of the loop or something. I forgot to read all the bitching, whining, and complaining so I could walk out with an attitude. Instead, I just took in a GREAT Tool show and LIKED it. Was the mix off? Yup. I was the FIRST guy in the door. According to event staff, the reason the doors opened about 15 minutes late was they were trying to fix some mix issues.

Since I've had the pleasure of spending YEARS on the road sleeping and working in a different place EVERY day, I know it kicks your ass in a hurry, even in one of those big, pretty Prevost coaches. I'm imagining what Justin, or Danny, or Maynard, or Adam's day must be like. At about 12 or 1 am after the Toledo show, the band was probably waiting in a nice long line of traffic at the Ambassador bridge. When they finally got to customs, they got to wake up, if even asleep, and clear the border. Then it's about a 6 hour drive to Toronto. That puts us at about 8 or 9 AM. The crew shows up with about 6 truck loads of crap a couple hours later and your day begins. No familiar surroundings. No family. 2200 miles (or more) from home. You're in a cold, dreary place. There were issues last night and that pissed people off. After a day of hiding from a mix of sane and deranged fans, dealing with the issues of the day because.... YEAH, you DO give a SHIT about the show... and dealing with road life, the end of your day brings 2 or 3 hours on a stage in front of a few thousand people expecting you to perform flawlessly. ...which you're probably not gonna. Then some self-righteous nut-sucker is gonna bust your chops in an internet forum. "Fuck you, buddy" pretty much sums it up on a real broad basis after a while.

These guys have more money than they will ever live long enough to spend. These guys LIKE doing this... ALL of them.

It's a shame the bigger picture and deeper thought have been forlorn. For instance, if Maynard's vocals sucked THAT much, THAT consistently, and his ability had deteriorated THAT much, do you really think the other's would WANT his contribution? It reasonably follows that Maynard must be providing something the rest not only tolerate, but continue to desire. Seems to me a little convoluted to be more critical than the BAND.

Also, I'd like to explain why I'm a Tool fan... because apparently some of you are a little ass-backwards on what being a fan of a group is about. I'm a Tool fan because I VERY much enjoy and relate to the unique expression of emotion they deliver and the skill with which they do it. It doesn't have jack to do with what my friends listen to. Or with how trippy the videos or concerts are. I like the guys. I like the music they make. And if some guy in that line of work wants to take my money and tell me to fuck off, I'm not gonna make big hay about it. Why? Because I know when you can do something in real high demand, calling the asshole paying you an asshole isn't really going to change the business relationship.

It's Tool people... Imperfect/lackluster/deliberately strange shows have been par for the course for a VERY long time now. I guess I just LIKE it imperfect or something. It's not some polished piece of bullshit. It's like human beings being REAL human beings. I know... that's all kinds of fucked up.