4th show in four years, first one in San Fran.

Trans Am was surprisingly good. I had listened to some samples from their website and was unimpressed, but they were completely awesome on stage. I'm going to have to go listen to their sampels again to see where I went wrong! It's excellent how Tool always has high quality acts touring with them, from Trans Am to Isis to King Crimson. Had a good spot on the floor and loved every minute of the show. Took my girlfriend (it was her first Tool show) and they played all of her favorite songs: Jambi, Schism, and 46 & Two, so huge bonus there. I was disappointed that they didn't play Right In Two on this tour, and I had hoped they play Aenima for this California show but no such luck. Learn to swim!

Adam and Justin were killing it, neither one looked like he was ready to stop... they just kept hammering and hammering and hammering. Danny was in great form, and the "drum contest" was cool. The Trans Am drummer moves like a blur; you can barely see his arms when he gets going. Jello Biafra has put on some serious weight; I guess he isn't burning as many calories fighting the man anymore. But as someone who missed out on the original punk era by only a few years, it was still awesome to see him perform live. His front-stage animation is totally different from Maynard's background passivity. Maynard was in great voice. He only missed one line during one song (I think it was during Lateralus) but he was hitting the notes every which-a-way. Those guys really kick it for the larger cities (this is the first time I've seen Tool in a "big city").

Over all, while the acoustics in the auditorium aren't as good as other venues, it was an excellent show. I'm very happy to have been able to go, and the drive time there and back and all the other stuff I had to organize around it, was all worth it. Every bit.