Eussiah

I was a huge fan of the visuals on the Lateralus tour, so I was a bit worried when I saw pictures of the small screens, as opposed to the giant ones I remember. But no worry was needed. The screens + stage projections + lights + net-of-being lights in the back + lasers = even better than Lateralus visuals. I like how they built the visuals up over the course of the show. Starting of with just good old lighting during Stinkfist, then one little projection for the The Pot, slowly building up to the spectacular full array of lighting and visuals during the 'encore.'

I had been reading about the other shows here on TDN, and knew the setlist by heart. I knew the lighters were coming, I knew lasers would show up, I knew he would say the last show was louder, etc. But knowing all that did not diminish the experience in the least. The set list is great the way it is, and I agree it would be really difficult to stick a new song in the middle of all that, unless it was the very beginning.

This is the greatest stage show I have ever seen. The lasers look 100x cooler in person than any picture or video can show. Wings/Days was executed beautifully, and the visuals really added to the experience of that song. The timing and sheer intensity of the projections/lights/lasers alone is a work of art, and I imagine not easy to pull off.

As for Maynard hiding in the back: from what I saw twice on the Lateralus tour, he was way more in the back then. He seemed much more visible this time, and more than just a shillouette. Although, he did tend to face my side of the arena most of the time.

The music itself was, well, Tool. The new songs were really strong live. The Pot, Rosetta Stoned, Jambi, and Vicarious rock as hard as anything, and were all really intense. I hadn't heard Schism on crack before, and enjoyed that very much. The mix was overall too loud. If they had been mixed the same as Isis, or maybe only a little louder, it would have been fine. It took my ears all of Stinkfist to adjust. Maynard was burried, especially during Rosetta. But knowing the words kind of made up for it, and I enjoyed his gesturing as he described the flaming stealth banana. Rosetta is one of the most overall fun songs they have, in terms of humor, pure rock power, and complexity of riffs/fills. The visuals were perfect for it. During Wings Maynard seemed to be turned up more, and stayed that way for the rest of the show. He wasn't drowning out anyone else, and I thought that volume should have been used the whole time. Nonetheless, he was audible, and rocked. I did appreciate the loudness of the bass. Too many bands shove the bass in the background, but this is one bass player who demands to be heard front and center. Amazing. Danny, of course, was in several dimmensions the rest of us weren't. And Adam was stupendous, whether dropping heavy riffs on us like bombs or sending his solos soaring into the sky.

The pure loudness drowned out the crowd, and not even the person standing next to me could hear me belting out lyrics. One of the highlights of my Lateralus tour experience was hearing the entire crowd singing in perfect sync with the band, while still hearing Maynard clearly. Especially during the "hey, hey, hey" at the beginning of AEnema. But the drowning out of the crowd also made it a really personal experience, where all you could hear was the band, and they were completely surrounding you in sonic and visual brilliance. I could feel like they were playing just for me, even in a crowd of thousands.

I, for one, appreciated the tameness of the crowd, even if it was imposed by security. I think the band liked it too. It focuses all the energy on the actual art being created. The section I was in (121, Row H) mostly sat down for Wings/Days, which I was pleased with. There wasn't much I could do but sit there and be amazed at the sounds and sights. There was a real sense of genuine awe and wonder during that song, with the smoke and lasers complimenting the beauty of the music perfectly.

Isis surprised me. I expected not to like them, but actually enjoyed them quite a bit. It's definitely not music for everyone, but I like instrumental/mostly instrumental atmospheric metal/rock. They played to a good sized crowd, and the crowd showed a lot of love for them. I think if one can appreciate what they do, they are a good mood-setter for Tool. Just my opinion, anyway.

Could anyone tell me what the sign said that people were holding up after/during 10,000 Days? It was on the floor, Justin's side, halfway between the stage and sound booth. It was turned sideways to me, so I couldn't see it well. I think it said "deliver the message"? As in, the message of hope for those who choose to hear it, and a warning for those who do not?

Anyway, spectacular show. It exceeded my expectations from the Lateralus tour, and provided a beautiful artistic experience that was both huge and personal.