Part III:

After sound check is over, we're free to go back outside if we want. We'd just have to re-enter at doors with the general admission line. That's no big deal though, everything was seated, so no need to wait in line. We head back to the car for a little tailgaiting before the show starts. The venue was cool, and didn't hassle anyone in the parking lot.

My girlfriend and I look at each other, and all we can do is smile. I feel like I've already gotten my money's worth out of the ticket, and am in complete ecstasy...and we haven't even seen the show! Which is kind of a reflection of this writing, I can't believe I've written so much and I haven't even gotten to the show!

It's finally time to head into the venue for the show. As we make our way to our seats, it really hits me how close we were going to be for the show. We are literally in the front row, positioned just right of center perfectly in between Danny and Justin. Failure was the opener. Never listened to them before. They were alright, but to be fair, I could give a fuck who was on the stage at that point.

Finally the time arrives. The lights dim, and a heart beat echos across the arena. Soon you hear the familiar voice of Timothy Leary. Fuck yes, we're getting “Third Eye”. I can barely contain my excitement. I stand by my opinion, “Third Eye” is the ultimate opener for a Tool show. As Maynard stomped the ground while screaming “PRYING OPEN MY THIRD EYE!”, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be at that moment in time. No where else could have compared. I have no shame in admitting I had tears down my face at several points during that song. The level of emotion in my body then couldn't be contained, the music was in me, I could feel it. Even as I write this now, thinking back on it, gets me a little misty. I'm sure the security guy in front of me thought I was absolutely crazy.

Tool proceeded to rip through an amazing set:

Third Eye
Vicarious
Schism
Pushit
Intention
Lateralus
---Intermission---
Danny's Drum Solo
Jambi
46 & 2
Aenima
Stinkfist

I think this is my favorite set list of the tour. Couple that with the fact I got to hear an instrumental “Sober” and “Hooker” during sound check and it's a win/win. I wish a few more songs were added to the setlist, but really the only song I'd like to see dropped would be “Intention”. Perhaps “Vicarious” too. But any way you look at it, it's still a great show.

At two points during the set Maynard dedicated the show to Oderus Urungus, of GWAR fame, saying to live every day as if it's your last.

The high points of the show for me were “Third Eye” and “Lateralus”. “Lateralus” is probably my favorite Tool song of all time, and seeing it live is on another level. “Lateralus” should be in every Tool setlist for the existence of the band in my opinion. I really do enjoy the extended portions they add into some of the songs, I think they should expand upon that. Hell, just go full jamband on me, I'd be happy :)

“Lateralus” was also the climax for the show, visually. There were floor to ceiling LED screens projecting the classic Tool/Alex Grey imagery that we all know and love. During “Lateralus”, the lasers were introduced into the show. I'm a self admitted laser-whore. You have lasers in your show? Chances are you just bumped up a step in my book. They had literally a rainbow of lasers, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white. They also put a large bank of lasers and lights back by the sound board to project from a different angle all across the arena. There was a disco ball hung in the middle of the arena, I forget which songs it was lit up for. It was really cool to look back and see the whole venue lit up in psychedelic jubilation.

The whole crowd was really into it. The guy behind me ingested a bit too much of something though. Any time I looked back, he was sitting down, head in his hands down by his knees. I get it though, I've been there before! My very first Tool show was accompanied by a little fungus. Intense doesn't even begin to describe it. Sometimes all you can do is close your eyes and melt away.

Danny Carey is without a doubt, my favorite drummer. That guy is absolutely astounding. In the talk Adam gave us, he said Danny never stops drumming. He walks in on him practicing anything from basic skills to the most complex rhythms you can imagine. He's just always drumming, improving. Watching him really is a treat. In one previous show I'd seen, I had side stage seats, elevated just enough to get a top down view on Danny. That was a great show to appreciate him (San Antonio, 2006).

I always forget how big on an influence Justin is on their music too. Adam called him a “riff writing machine”. Over the years, I've come realize a lot of the sounds I initially thought were coming from Adam were really Justin on the bass. The guy really gets into it too. During parts, he'd have a very intense look on his face, you'd just see the sweat pour off him as he pummeled us with his bass.

Maynard was good as usual. My only complaint of the show is Maynard's vocals were hard to hear the first half of the set. Perhaps part of the problem was our seat? I've read a few other reviews of the show saying Maynard sounded great. He'd break through at times, but he was buried pretty low most of it. Things definitely improved after the intermission. You could tell he was holding back at times, but he hit Pushit perfectly.

At the culmination of “Stinkfist”, confetti canons went off, as if to herald the end of the show. After the show ended Maynard said thank you and left the stage fairly quickly as usual. The other 3 came out to thank the crowd and soak in the energy. Danny has a handful of drumsticks to throw out. He throws one and it lands just behind my girlfriend. I quickly dive for it, but my hand hit it just after someone else. Not wanting to be a dick, I let him have it. He was a tiny dude, could have easily wrestled it from him. But he had his hand on it first, fair and square. No need to ruin the energy of the night over something as silly as a drumstick.

Just before Danny walks off the stage, he throws another drumstick my direction. It's coming right at me. I go to catch it, but my coordination is off. My hands close a split second too late, the drumstick hits me in the forehead and bounces into the hands of the person behind me. The drumstick literally bounced off my third eye and into another fan's awaiting hands. Two drumsticks in my grasps, both gone. C'est la vie. Would have liked to have a drumstick, but I can't complain. Just thought it was funny one hit me in the forehead. I'm going to blame my missed catch on disorientation from the lights!

As the show ended and the lights came up, all I could do was try and capture that moment in time, that entire day in fact, into my memory. That's partially the function of writing such a lengthy “review” (maybe an essay at this point?). I want to be able to look back years from now and conjure up some of the memories from that day. Wait...does that mean you're reading my diary right now?

As I look back on my experience of that day, all I can do is smile and laugh. It really was a once in a lifetime thing for me, and am glad to have experienced it.

I know probably one person read the entire thing, but hopefully someone out there enjoyed reading it. As I sit here I realize I've spent a few hours writing this. Time to go get something to eat.