The Tool Page: Opinion - View Single Post - 2006/09/01 - Las Vegas, NV

Just got in from the show and my ears are still ringing. Someone has already posted a setlist, so I won't bore you with the same info. Here goes:

The venue -

The Theater Under the Stars at the Hard Rock was an OK place to see a show. My buddy and I got there right before Isis went on and started making our way up front. They had a barrier set up that sort of bisected the floor of the venue and created a lane for the security goons. You could access the other side (which was closer to the stage) while Isis went on, but for some reason, they started denying access to this front area before TOOL took the stage. Weak. There was still plenty of room in the front area. We wound up watching the show from the left-hand bleachers and it worked out OK. I'm getting too old (at 36) to mosh and a huge mosh pit opened up right where we had been standing. It was hot, but that's pretty much to be expected in Vegas, right?

The stage -

TOOl's stage was all white, with a ~6 foot wall that ran along the back. They were projecting images on that screen throughout the concert. They were also projecting the same images on the floor of the stage, which I thought was an interesting touch. As you're looking at the stage, Adam was set up on the far left, Justin on the far right, Danny's drum kit was set up on the back right section of the stage and Maynard sang from an area immediately adjacent to the drum kit, i.e., the back of the stage. I'm not sure if this is a new thing or not. Towards the end of the show, they hoisted a net of lights behind the stage. Maynard was shirtless and mohawked, intermittently wearing a cowboy hat. Danny was wearing a Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey.

The show -

The last time I saw TOOL was in 1996 in Cincinnati (I think my review of that show is still on the website somewhere). I had high expectations for this show and TOOL didn't disappoint. They were as tight and polished as I had expected. My buddy, who has a passing familiarity with the band and has never seen them live, thought the show was outstanding. My only complaint would be that the guitar seemed to be a little over-amplified, burying the vocal mix.

In terms of Maynard's comments, Maynard remarked about a nearby Starbucks early in the show. At one point, he also asked the people (whom he called freeloaders) watching from their room balconies if they were enjoying the show. He asked if any of them were having sex or at least jerking off and asked for some hand motions to that effect. He also thanked the crowd for taking a break from the compulsive gambling and alcoholism. And, a revelation from Maynard - apparently both Rosetta Stoned and Opiate were written about a real estate agent from Miami Beach with dysentery. Who knew?

In terms of the songs:

Jambi was a highlight for me. I was hoping Adam would freelance the talkbox solo, but it was pretty much straight from the album. Still, it kicked ass. If I'm remembering correctly, I believe they opened Jambi with a short tabla solo from Danny.

Maynard sang the last part of Stinkfist with his back to the crowd. I thought that was unusual.

During both Sober and Schism, the video from the song was playing in the background.

Right before Lateralus, Maynard seemed to indicate that that would be the last song, noting that he would see us again around New Year's. We'll have to see if that's true. So they wrapped up Lateralus (which was also great - probably my favorite TOOL song) and they all had a seat on stage, the crowd screaming all the while. I knew that they hadn't done Vicarious yet. So after a brief sit-down, they all resumed their stations and launched into Vicarious after an extended feedback session from Adam and Justin. Maynard did the little piano parts of the song. After Vicarioius, they did Aenima - I had lost track of that one. So basically, Vicarious and Aenima were done as encores.

Again, great show. I hope they come back at the end of the year. My only complaint is that the $35 t-shirt I bought has the front TOOl logo printed off-center. That's annoying.

As always, LEARN TO SWIM.

09-01-2006, 11:55 PM	#6
Accidental Solid Level 2 - Poster Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 6 Bincount™: 0	Re: 2006/09/01 - Las Vegas, NV - Theater Under the Stars Just got in from the show and my ears are still ringing. Someone has already posted a setlist, so I won't bore you with the same info. Here goes: The venue - The Theater Under the Stars at the Hard Rock was an OK place to see a show. My buddy and I got there right before Isis went on and started making our way up front. They had a barrier set up that sort of bisected the floor of the venue and created a lane for the security goons. You could access the other side (which was closer to the stage) while Isis went on, but for some reason, they started denying access to this front area before TOOL took the stage. Weak. There was still plenty of room in the front area. We wound up watching the show from the left-hand bleachers and it worked out OK. I'm getting too old (at 36) to mosh and a huge mosh pit opened up right where we had been standing. It was hot, but that's pretty much to be expected in Vegas, right? The stage - TOOl's stage was all white, with a ~6 foot wall that ran along the back. They were projecting images on that screen throughout the concert. They were also projecting the same images on the floor of the stage, which I thought was an interesting touch. As you're looking at the stage, Adam was set up on the far left, Justin on the far right, Danny's drum kit was set up on the back right section of the stage and Maynard sang from an area immediately adjacent to the drum kit, i.e., the back of the stage. I'm not sure if this is a new thing or not. Towards the end of the show, they hoisted a net of lights behind the stage. Maynard was shirtless and mohawked, intermittently wearing a cowboy hat. Danny was wearing a Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey. The show - The last time I saw TOOL was in 1996 in Cincinnati (I think my review of that show is still on the website somewhere). I had high expectations for this show and TOOL didn't disappoint. They were as tight and polished as I had expected. My buddy, who has a passing familiarity with the band and has never seen them live, thought the show was outstanding. My only complaint would be that the guitar seemed to be a little over-amplified, burying the vocal mix. In terms of Maynard's comments, Maynard remarked about a nearby Starbucks early in the show. At one point, he also asked the people (whom he called freeloaders) watching from their room balconies if they were enjoying the show. He asked if any of them were having sex or at least jerking off and asked for some hand motions to that effect. He also thanked the crowd for taking a break from the compulsive gambling and alcoholism. And, a revelation from Maynard - apparently both Rosetta Stoned and Opiate were written about a real estate agent from Miami Beach with dysentery. Who knew? In terms of the songs: Jambi was a highlight for me. I was hoping Adam would freelance the talkbox solo, but it was pretty much straight from the album. Still, it kicked ass. If I'm remembering correctly, I believe they opened Jambi with a short tabla solo from Danny. Maynard sang the last part of Stinkfist with his back to the crowd. I thought that was unusual. During both Sober and Schism, the video from the song was playing in the background. Right before Lateralus, Maynard seemed to indicate that that would be the last song, noting that he would see us again around New Year's. We'll have to see if that's true. So they wrapped up Lateralus (which was also great - probably my favorite TOOL song) and they all had a seat on stage, the crowd screaming all the while. I knew that they hadn't done Vicarious yet. So after a brief sit-down, they all resumed their stations and launched into Vicarious after an extended feedback session from Adam and Justin. Maynard did the little piano parts of the song. After Vicarioius, they did Aenima - I had lost track of that one. So basically, Vicarious and Aenima were done as encores. Again, great show. I hope they come back at the end of the year. My only complaint is that the $35 t-shirt I bought has the front TOOl logo printed off-center. That's annoying. As always, LEARN TO SWIM. __________________ My name plate medallion says: Never trust a HAL 9000.
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