Faltering

Hmmm...well, what can I say? It's Tool live, lol...despite many downfalls attributed to assholes in the audience (and Los Angeles as well)...this was still my first Tool show, and it was pretty special to see the 4 of them down there on stage, doing what they do, aside from the multiple disappointments...

-sigh-

ISIS opening was nice...I couldn't help but be just a little anxious for them to finish their set so that Tool could make their way to the spotlight, but, I did my best to give them the time of day...listening to them closely, they do seem like a talented group of musicians. I was suprised to see, at one point, something along the lines of 5 acoustic instruments in total? i.e. a bass player, and perhaps 3 guitars, or some configuration along those lines. They had some interesting songs, and overall, a fairly unique style...can't say that I was annoyed to have to sit through them. ISIS thanks us for our time, and thanked Tool for having them along.

And then, the moment everyone was waiting for...

Tool made their way to the stage, and the crowd went wild. With no words of greetings from Maynard, they launched head first into Stinkfist, opening the show as perfectly as I could've imagined...so pleased to have heard that extended scream from Maynard after the interlude...vocals of that intensity just light up the atmosphere like fire...so much energy...and of course, the extended portion of Stinkfist was quite the treat. The night was going well so far.

"Today's my friend Eddie's birthday...so at the count of three, I want everyone to yell...'Eddie, you're a fucking idiot!" Much to my amusement, a large portion of the crowd incompetently yelled these words immediately, before Maynard even began counting. Alas...well, Maynard counted down, and the crowd gave this guy Eddie a hard time, thanks to Maynard.

"It's not really his birthday," Maynard informes us.

Then, The Pot. A nice acapella intro from Maynard, despite the fact that, at this point in the show, and throughout the entire show itself, I couldn't really hear as much of Maynard as I would've liked to. His voice seemed pinched, in that squeaky way that sickness seems to inevitably cause, and sort of distant. Perhaps it was my seat, but, I doubt it.

All was going well in The Pot, for about a sixth of it, until some asshole decided to ruin the show for everyone...It amuses me that at the single moment that I chose to look away from the stage, I returned my eyes to the front, just in time to see Maynard kick his mic stand off of the platform, and walk off stage. Of course, based on Maynard's later commenting, and the fellow reviews, I now know that Maynard was struck with a glass bottle of sorts in the head...

At this point, I was pleading with no one in particular for Maynard to come walking hastily back on stage to continue the song, but instead, my worst fears came true, as Maynard did not return until well beyond the end...so, for my first Tool show, not only did I miss the best of The Pot, but, Maynard further reprimanded the audience (though only several people deserved such a punishment) by refusing to sing for Forty Six & 2, only chimining in at the very end for the close.

I remember thinking, due to the fact that Maynard was in his place, that the lack of vocals for Forty Six and Two was due to some kind of extended intro to the song...but I was further heart-broken when Adam and Justin pounded in that way they do when the chorus should've been upon us...-sigh- Maynard was really making a lot of us unhappy (or at least me) on account of one or two assholes.

So, Forty Six and Two ends, and Maynard sarcastically thanks the idiot who nailed him in the head with a glass bottle during The Pot for his generous donation. He said something to the effect of, "For whoever threw the bottle of... ...thanks a lot; I just had to take a break and enjoy it". Hm, it was either something along those lines, or, he made a note of how the bottle stayed intact when it hit him in the head. "It didn't even break." I was cursing, pissed as hell. Other fans equally expressed their dissaproval of one moron dampening the night for the rest of us. Then, on a more serious note, Maynard tells the unappreciative fans down in the pit, "You people really need a better means of expressing your fucking love." And isn't he right...maybe a means that doesn't involve causing the vocalist of my favorite band to walk off stage during my first ever Tool concert (and first ever rock concert at that).

Well, next came Schism. That was quite a treat...Maynard's sickness was really taking a toll on him, and despite this, I still think the vocals weren't reaching into the audience correctly...and if they were, they just weren't making it to my seats...-sigh- I wish I had gotten those 101s...but due to my inexperience with purchasing tickets via ticketmaster, mine were released, and by the time I got anything, I had to settle for section 205, row QQ. I suppose I can't complain though...despite the poor angle and distance, I could still see the band well...The Cricket Pavillion was set up pretty nicely, such that even though everyone was standing, I had a clear view of the stage.

Well, a healthy Maynard or not, Schism is just one of those classics you gotta' hear live, so, I am thankful for that...and the speedy alteration of the middle part was a nice treat as well.

Next up was Rosetta Stoned...just based off of the beforehand ambience, I knew it was either going to be Rosetta Stoned, or Sober. Well, we got Rosetta Stoned, and that was just as awesome. Even though Maynard failed to perform on certain other challenging parts of songs, he gave us the screams for this one, and that was nice to hear...it seems like the screams were the only moments that really seemed to come through loud and clear. Well, Rosetta Stoned was really good, overall.

Was it just me, or did Adam or perhaps Justin repeatedly hold some lines a little too long, cutting into some of the parts of songs that were supposed to have more rest and silence? I noticed this in both Lateralus and Rosetta Stoned as well, if I recall correctly.

Well, up next was Lateralus...they just HAD to play this one live, right? Well, everything went pretty well, though I thought I noticed some sloppy timing in there at some point from either Adam or Justin, or perhaps a collective muddle. And, I was a little disappointed that Maynard stuck to the lower octaves when singing, "Our divinityyyy" towards the end. Usually he ventures into head voice for the third syllable of "divinity", but, not this time. Oh well...

Next up was Vicarious...everything was tolerable, despite Maynard having a difficult time surviving through his parts...and the difficulty really showed when he decided to sit out for "La-la-la-la-la lie...". I had been waiting to hear him chant that one...and ever more, I desperately wanted to hear, "Vicariously, I live while the whole world dies...much better you than I.", but to no avail.

It was at this point that Maynard probably felt he owed the crowd an explanation for his lack of delivering on some of the most anticipated moments... of some of the most anxiously awaited songs...

"It seems that every time we come to Arizona, we do so by way of LA...and it seems that every time I go to LA, I get sick...so I guess, I either really hate LA, or am just really sick...but, I think I have a solution...we need to have an earthquake" It was at this point that I hoped he would leap into the beloved, "Heyghh, heyghh, heyghh, heyghh, heyghh". But, at the very least, any Tool fan with a vague knowledge of the song Aenema knew what was coming...Continuing, he says, "So after this, I'm gonna' go home, take some sudafed, and jerk off to comedy central... ...goodnight..." This is a close representation of what Maynard gave the audience before leaping into Aenema...on with the song...

A nice performance on Aenema, minus the part where Maynard decided to stumble over the words of the closing versus, saying at one point, "Fuck L. Ron Hubbard, fuck your tatoos, fuck all you junkies and fuck your short memories." Of course, "tatoos" didn't belong in this section, but, over such a trivial thing, who can really get picky? Of course, at first, hearing him say it for the second time in the next verse was just an unfortunate reminder of how Maynard must've really been off this night (unless it was intentional)...and of all nights...I had to catch them with Maynard at less than his best...

Apparently, however, Maynard repeated the "junkies" lines three times intentionally, as to really drive home his distate for people who follow such a lifestyle. "Fuck all you junkies and fuck your short memories."

After seeing the kind of people I saw that night, Maynard couldn't have been more right....

You know, there really is something about LA...about Southern California in general...the last 5 times I'VE gone down there, I've caughten a sickness of one sort or another...all of them deviating in severity...some lasting a few days, while others linger for weeks...fucking Los Angeles...to think that I once lived there...maybe there's just something about living in Arizona, and then venturing into a place like LA...who knows...such a grimey, germ ridden place...maybe we really should flush it all away...it'd probably be nice to "watch it all go down."

So, towards the end of Aenema, Maynard apparently didn't even have the strength to sing those aggressive, "BRING IT DOWN, SUCK IT DOWN, FLUSH IT DOWN," Instead, he opted to say the first word of these phrases, in such a manner as if giving a demand, rather than in that tone that expresses his own desire to see it all just sink. "Bring it..." *crowd*, "Suck it" (Hahahah...you had to have laughed) *crowd*, "Flush it" *crowd*...annnnnnd...end.

*continued below*