Staticfactory

Just getting a chance to write about the show now...

All in all it was a great show for the money. I was a little disappointed at the volume from the lawn, but it was nice to have some room to move around rather than be standing in 1 spot all night long.

Isis was pretty lackluster - we couldn't even hear the vocals 95% of the time. Their drummer is pretty sweet though.

The set list was pretty predictable as well, which was kind of disappointing. It would have been nice to get an 'obscure' track or 2 into the mix. Although it was nice to witness WFM/TTD live, I personally would have traded them in for something heavier... maybe Eulogy, Opiate/Flood, The Grudge, etc.

Maynard did well considering his illness, but I've noticed that he has lost a lot of his power over the years. He gets a lot of help from his keyboard for harmonies (during Schism for example) and for delay (Vicariously I...). He sounded good, but he certainly didn't blow my socks off. He was more active than he was at the Hummingbird, but I really miss the good ol' days when he'd get all possessed, staring out through the crowd, and gyrate in that herky-jerky Maynard way.

Danny, on the other hand, is a bloody monster. He was shot-for-shot with the album versions, which, considering the complexity of songs like Rosetta Stoned, is mind-boggling. His gong was MORE than loud enough, especially when he hammered it during Lateralus - almost blew my eardrums on the lawn! I'll pay to see that guy play any day.

Adam was Adam. I noticed that he missed a few notes here and there but he recovered nicely for the most part. He certainly isn't Mr. Charisma, that's for sure. Still a stellar performance.

Justin was the stand-out performer in my opinion. As the show went on he became more and more animated; even sitting down during Wings/10K Days. During Aenema he was retarded (in a good way)!!! Him leading the sea of lighters was also very cool. The view from the very back was pretty breath-taking, as almost every-other person had something lit.

It was kind of a shock to see Maynard come out wearing the Leafs jersey (and promptly remove it). As always, he was pretty funny. I don't know who Carol is but she certainly got her moment in the spot light. I enjoyed that he said "We dare you to go home." right before they went into the "encore". "Cleveland was louder and we haven't even played there yet!" was hilarious, and got the crowd screaming at full volume. My head still hurts from that!

As for the venue itself, the rain was scattered and it really didn't start to come down until right when the show ended. The lasers were pretty neat, but I kept expecting them to drop the huge black curtain at the back. Instead they did some kind of light-bright Alex Gray imitation "net of being". The wind was carrying the fog away before it could have it's full effect, but it was still pretty cool. The birds (seagulls/pigeons) were also pretty cool considering their timing. A friend of mine that's been to TMA a few times says they're always around. It was just really cool how they were illuminated by the lighting and almost looked like doves.

$10.75 beers and $47.00 t-shirts. 'Nuff said.

There were only a few drunkin' jerk-offs moving throughout the lawn that we encountered. Typical for any show I guess. Our section was pretty good, although a bit lifeless. Didn't stop me from rockin out.

In summary, nothing really unexpected (extended double-time bridge in Schism and added bridge to Stinkfist included... they ALWAYS do that now...) and I would have liked to have been much closer... like maybe in the 200s where I'd go deaf from the volume. It was better than the Hummingbird but didn't compare to Hamilton in 2002.

A great time, none-the-less!! Thanks to everyone that gave them a warm reception and thanks to the band for supplying music with substance! See ya on the next lap!

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