First time poster, long time lurker of the shed. This was my 3rd show and I just could not let this one go unreviewed because of how disappointing it was.

Like nickg420 and many others have stated, Maynard was a real downer. I took a virgin to the show, and she ended up being mildly entertained as was I, but I had to explain on more than 1 occasion that this was a piss poor performance on Maynard's part. Honestly, about halfway through the show I was getting much more excited for the songs that didn't require much input from Maynard so he wouldn't have the opportunity to underwhelm. Seriously, get Maynard off the fucking stage because he clearly does not want to be there. He sat down for HALF THE SHOW for fuck's sake!!! Some of the time all of the guys would be huddled in one spot trying to get something going and maynard would be off in the shadows.

I hate to complain about ticket prices, but given that this is a recycled tour with a static setlist, the effort that the guys put into performing is what is SO CRITICAL. I feel like danny, justin, and adam were laying it all out there. But Maynard, however, was beyond disappointing. Missing some lyrics, butchering others with no regard, and sometimes his timing was so far off you thought somebody staggered his vocals 1/2 second. During Rosetta Stoned and Vicarious I actually found myself wondering if he could actually be that far off and not be doing it intentionally. On that note, I didn't pay out my ass to have a microphone held out to me so I could sing the lyrics to Vicarious...hate it when musicians do that.

The visuals were appropriate and nice. Maybe I'm asking for a little too much but I would like to see more original content instead of music videos we've all seen a million times. If the visuals and stage directions are holding back the setlist then I'd be perfectly happy with some simplified display of random colors if they'd just play some different shit every once in a while. I heard so many people saying things like this on the way out..."Man I want to hear more from opiate" but I understand that's old. But why not more recent jams like The Pot...god forbid Disposition or Reflection.

Flood was by far the best. Drum duet was also nice simply because it was the only point during the show when at least 50% of the fatasses in the building moved a muscle. The crowd...my god...lamest collection of assholes I have ever been around.

This is my 2nd time going to Gwinnett Arena (last was for APC) and I will not be going back. The acoustics in this building are shit. Thumbs up to security though, probably the nicest group I've ever been around.

Bottom line: the show was entertaining but not great by any means, visuals were good, maynard sucked hard, flood rocked.
Was it worth the price of admission? No, in hindsight I would have rather sold my tickets and chilled at the house.


And last but not least, what the FUCK is up with CoSM commercial before the show? Somebody explain to me how this is OK. As soon as I heard "Tool has always pushed the boundaries, even with their stage displays..." I almost raged. Since when did we get commercials at a fucking concert??? I pay out my ass to get in the door (don't get me started on merchandise) and then the CoSM is going to ask for a donation. Seriously they should be ashamed. And I now that you guys love Tool but this type of slacking and selling out cannot be tolerated. People need to stop attending these shows and buying merchandise for the time being until it is warranted