ThisBogIsThick

First Tool concert for me and they have been my best-loved band since AEnema came out. Why or how it is possible that I waited 10+ years to see them is hideous and disgusting.

I got last-minute tickets to this show (Thank you Justin) and it was definitely the most powerful show I've been to.

I took a friend from work who wasn't sure she wanted to go, but I assured her she would not be bored.

We had beers beforehand at Clyde's and I was trying to explain to my friend about the raw onslaught of pure emotional power that I was expecting to come, but obviously it was impossible to describe – especially before my first show! She laughed but started to understand how much I admire this band. I was brimming with anticipation and really amped. Right before Stinkfest we got 2 beers each and it was on.


I love Tool and think I know them well. But nothing prepared me for this. As a band, they were able to draw out every ounce of energy I had. I was drenched with sweat afterwards and had no voice when it was over.

Dave McKenna of the Washington Post wrote in his Monday review (Style section):

"...fans of all ages came to the arena...having memorized every time change and pummeling riff. There are payoffs to such memorization....Even for those unfamiliar with the material, this was fantastic theater."

The point about memorization is very true. For the majority of Tool fans that I have met, the ones that are really into the band also claim them as their favorite. I saw many fans singing along to the lyrics, even the difficult ones, and they knew the breaks in the songs anticipated the powerful phrasing. Years of listening to their CDs gives many of us this "blueprint" to really appreciate the music live – but as I said, I was not prepared for this experience.

Often my friend (she was very into the show as it went along) would look to me for guidance but mostly I was screaming to every lyric I knew and moving to all those riffs I know so well to even notice she was there. A few times, I was able to warn her, by saying things like, “wait”…, “here”… or “NOW…” of a particular amazing passage about to come…like the slight pause halfway through Jambi, the parts preceding the “My Shadow” choruses in Forty-Six & 2, and of course right after “It’s a bull … shit … three … ring … cir … cus … side … show ... of ... FREAKS.”

That encore couldn’t have been better, and I definitely noticed the “wave” of raised hands right at “’Cause I'm praying for rain…” – but I think that was mostly elation for the slightest of breaks.

The videos behind the band, on the Jumbotron and the laser light show all were a great complement to the music. We had awesome seats (Thanks again Justin) in section 108 row H, right next to the railing. From my vantage, I had excellent sightlines of the crowd in the section adjacent to us, as well as just below as security guards whisked quite a few fans away for whatever rules they broke. I took a few shots on my cell phone, and the one that came out best was when the 4 green lasers criss-crossed and remained in place for several seconds.

I was really ecstatic to here Vicarious, as it’s my favorite on the new album, and I liked that they played Jambi first. The buildup to the end of Vicarious was phenomenal…and Maynard screaming “VICARIOUSLY I.........LIVE WHILE THE WHOLE WORLD DIES” was one of the best moments of the concert for me. At times I couldn’t hear the drums on Schism…and vocals on a few others….but overall the sound was amazing to a fan who knows how the songs are generally supposed to sound.

I could never complain after a concert like this, but here are a few songs that I would love to hear at a live Tool show in the future:

4 Degrees
Swamp Song
Intolerance
Eulogy
Jimmy