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Old 08-07-2006, 10:56 PM   #44
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Bay Area, CA
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Re: 2006/08/06 - Fresno, CA - Selland Arena, my 24th show

This was my 24th Tool show, and as usual, they kicked ass! Overall I enjoyed the aural experience, though the acoustics of an arena always leave something to be desired.

The evening began as we rolled into the parking lot, cracked open a beer, lit some cigars and then saw King Buzzo (of the Melvins) walking around the parking lot. Very cool to see him around, and it brings me back to the days when they opened for Tool in ’98. We entered the doors and found our seats just in time for the scheduled start – 8pm. Apparently confused with some future shows, I was expecting Isis any minute. Then I looked at the stage and realized it was Tool’s setup (can’t mistake Danny’s kit!) which made sense since they were playing the same funky “I’m an evil mutherfucker” bit that I heard at Coachella right before Tool took the stage. We were near the front of the seats, about half way back in the arena. We saw a few folks on the floor break through the security and run into the crowd.

The 4 screen setup and relatively plain stage is not as visually stimulating as the late-Lateralus tour visuals. But this matters little to me since Tool shows for me are 90% about the sound, the songs and the groove I find myself in – the other 10% is watching the band master their instruments.

Stinkfist is a great opener, and the arena surged with excitement as Tool eschewed the evening of technical excellence.

At Coachella The Pot was my favorite song of the day, and this time it was almost as fun, though the reverb in the arena was distracting me a bit.

46&2 just fucking kicks ass, and it’s a powerful song to behold in person. I will never tire of hearing this song!

Jambi – what a great in-your-face start to this song – I think Adam altered his talk box part somewhat from the album version.

Schism is a technically impressive song that I don’t enjoy as much as many folks, but it’s true Tool through and through.

Lost Keys – now some interesting things start to happen for me at this show – a song I hadn’t yet heard live! The first thing I noticed was that the long note/feedback at the start of the song is in fact Justin messing with his bass at his amp and not Adam as I had assumed. Rosetta Stoned kicked ass and is a different sort of groove than any other Tool song, to me.

Instrumental bit (before Sober) – nobody seems to be commenting on this piece, which I thought was incredible. It featured some great Carey solo work, and at one point I was sure it was turning into Third Eye, for a minute or two, before it morphed and then ended with the start of Sober. Does this piece have a name? What else do others think about it?

Sober is a great tune, and the one that got me hooked on Tool (back when KNAC ruled the heavy air-waves in LA!). I’ve heard it at almost every Tool show and still enjoy it.

Lateralus live grabs me and takes me to my own world. It’s emotional and powerful and I love to experience this song. It was my favorite one this night.

Vicarious – I realized that Justin and Danny were exactly in line with each other with Danny's kit directly above Justin's head in my line of sight. It was awesome to watch one, then the other and then both at the same time. I also noticed that the bell-like "ting-ting-ting-ting etc." bit you hear in Vicarious (near the begining and again later in the song) is Danny pounding on something that is usually behind his back that has pedals/keys using his fists.

Aenima – what can I say, it’s been a great closer at so many shows.

It was cool to see the guys take their respite right on the stage to keep the community tight. I would love to hear some other songs, especially 10,000 Days and Right in Two, Pushit and Opiate would be great too! Hopefully the upcoming shows I’ve got tickets to will hold some new tunes and set changes!

One thing I have to say is that in 24 Tool shows, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected in terms of mood, ambience and feel of the show. Lots of folks say “they don’t play like the did…” or “this was better/worse…” and speculate about why. All I can say is that you don’t know what you get until you try, which is why I keep trying more Tool shows!
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