you can be a genius and an asshole at the same time. look, he didnt sing any of the great buildup or hightlights to the songs. no "heh heh heh" or "learn to swim" at any point durung aenima. held out the mic for the end of vicarious and hid behind the megaphone far too much. didnt hit the best part of flood. the band did so well, and to have MJK mess it up - on most every night from what the vets have been saying - takes away the that little extra that makes tool so great.

i know hes 45, so he gets a mulligan when he cant do what he could at 25 - but you can tell when someone is engaged in a performance and when they are not. at least make up for it in other areas, like add a song rather than a 10 minute drone. or mix up the setlist a bit. screw the videoes for 1 song - you think anyone woudl really care about the screens if they threw Bottom or Prison Sex at us?

i saw them in NJ the night before and maynard was much better - but its still not fair to those that didnt get to see a good show. i have to say it sounds like i saw one of the better shows of this and last tour in NJ, so im fortunate and lucky. times are tough, money is hard to come by - but you can hang your hat knowing your going to see an epic band perform. then you get this show in NH, and it just sucks. if you cant rely on Tool kicking ass, then what can you rely on?

its really become hit or miss with them - and if you miss with only playing 8 songs then we have a real problem.