Title should say March 11? Anyway...

Third Eye (Leary intro, extended)
Forty Six & 2
Schism (new intro, double-time extended section)
Pushit
Intension
Lateralus (new extended section)
--Intermission--
Danny Solo
Jambi
Opiate (new extended section)
Ænema
Stinkfist (extended, with a slightly different heavier ending)


If anyone was expecting any "surprises", well--- LOL @ U as I read on the internet once. It's TOOL...I fully expected a further refined version of their previous tour, and not some return to 1998 where they were playing differently-themed shows of wildly different setlists every night filled with guest artists, alternate versions, and cover songs. I still listened to the infamous 7/15/98 Kalamazoo (soundboard) bootleg before the show anyway, though.

Previously I've seen them in 2006, 2010, and 2012, and I hadn't ever heard Pushit or Opiate live, so those were nice treats. I really just wanted to hear Third Eye and Stinkfist again, and got them.

Content-wise, they brought out the old stalwarts---the Third eye extension that debuted in '12, the post-Lateralus-tour double-time section in Schism, extended Stinkfist, etc. However, the experimentation in Lateralus continued with a tighter, more focused and crowd-pleasing section, and Opiate got a pretty wild new middle section too. I almost lost my shit when they were doing the intro to Schism...it sounded very, very similar to the intro of the alternate version of Pushit, but heavier. I kept thinking, "could this be a new, THIRD version of Pushit???" but alas, when the opening Schism chords sounded, I had my answer. Also, it was a good choice to put Danny's solo by itself---it was kind of weird when they'd squeeze it into Lateralus (although, I admittedly really liked the [unique] drum duels they busted out every night).

Visually, they kicked it up another notch yet again. They actually took a small step back in the actual visuals-on-screen, in my humble opinion--during the 2012 tour they had really complex and psychedelic imagery. However, this show clawed back the advantage just by the way it was presented. The intensity of the videos, lights, and lasers went up and down to create a thrilling rollercoaster of an experience. Furthermore, there was one aspect I was particularly impressed by: the amount of light put on the audience. In most shows, and especially Tool shows in past eras, you sit in complete darkness watching the lights move over the performers. However, Tool reversed that paradigm: they lit the audience A LOT. They had projections all around the venue, and at some points it was so bright in my seat that it was almost like the house lights were on. This had a special 'consequence' that I somehow doubt was intentional; normally, the light from hundreds of cell phone screens recording/taking photos can be distracting, and especially when the over-zealous bouncers shine flashlights back into the crowd to dissuade video-makers. However, with so much light shined on the crowd, they became almost completely irrelevant, and it was much easier to focus on the show.

I thought the intermission was excellent. When Lateralus ended, the video screens went up with INTERMISSION and a timer counted down from 12:00. When the timer ended, Danny came out and started his drum solo. So straightforward and to the point...I thought that was really cool. They didn't put on any music (on previous tours they'd have a synth loop) which, like the ramping up and down of visuals, served as a bit of a "palette cleanser" to rest our eardrums and even engage in a bit of actual conversation. I also liked the timer; it gave a sense of certainty. I hate the typical rock band bullshit where they walk off stage and pretend to go home, while the crowd keeps cheering until they come back out. I just wonder what they do for twelve minutes.

There was only one real downer for me: the sound sucked. It was just too damn loud. Maynard sounded horribly tinny, and Justin's bass was just lacking its deep ballsy sound. However, this was by far the LOUDEST crowd I've ever heard at a Tool show--sometimes the extremely loud sound was necessary to drown out the cheering. Whatever, I just wish it had been a little quieter, and thus clearer. Oh well.


On a side note, it's a bummer that the setlist was almost the same two nights in a row. I clarified my position on this years ago when arguing about this was all the rage, but in summary, I can't really blame them for constructing setlists the way they do--they aren't just some dudes playing some songs, they've crafted a meticulously prepared experience. Playing the same setlist in every city is acceptable to me (albeit disappointing as a bootleg enthusiast). HOWEVER, with that said, the only part I really don't understand is, why would they play the same venue two nights in a row if the setlist is almost identical?? Well, now I'm not really disappointed in not going back for the second night...