A very excellent show
I just got back to Atlanta, flew up to St. Louis to see this show after I was able to score a great seat released on TM a few days ago. I was not disappointed; this was an amazing performance, even better than the one I saw in Atlanta...if that's possible. The posted set list is accurate. The jam in Lateralus with the drummer and guitarists from Melt Banana was good, even though it seemed his guitar was down too low in the mix till close to the end; when he unleashed some great echoing shards on top of Danny's drums and the congas. Melt Banana's set was well received, no boos like I heard in Atlanta. They are an interesting band, but more conducive to a small club than a big arena. Since Tool didn't play The Pot or Right in Two in Atlanta, and was well pleased they did in St. Louis. The Pot is not a favorite of mine, but I have a new respect for it seeing it live. It's a great showcase for Danny and he was blazing away on it; Right in Two was simply beautiful. I am amazed that Tool continues to sound so incredibly good, night after night; they perform flawlessly with enormous passion and skill. I had a better view of Danny at this show, and he blew me away with the energy and drive, pounding the fuck out of the drums, with machine gun fills and his amazing timing. Maynard was clearly audible in the mix throughout and he never sounded better. In fact, the volume at this show was much louder than the Atlanta show, but still clean and overall gorgeous; Adam and Justin’s tones sounding huge and Danny‘s drums giant and meaty. I love this tour’s overall lighting effect, some are putting down the laser spectacle, preferring the backdrop used on the 2002 Lateralus tour. While that was great, (though I have only seen video of that), the combination of computer controlled lighting and films, timed expertly with the music makes for a powerful presentation. I saw plenty of laser shows in the 70’s and agree they are old technology, but a lot of younger Tool fans are seeing them for the first time. The guy sitting next to me from Kentucky was seeing Tool for the first time, and he was obviously a big fan, as he was singing all the words to a lot of the songs. He had no idea what to expect from the live performance, and I could tell he was blown away. It didn’t bother me that he was singing, he sang the right words at the right time and in key, which helped note to others, if you can't sing...don't). I enjoyed hearing his comments as the show progressed, like God damn!!!, and Wow. Don’t know how many concerts he’s seen to compare it too, but it clearly was one of the best of the 402 concerts I have logged since 1969. Wish I could see them again; maybe in 2012 on the next tour ;-)