The Tool Page: Opinion - View Single Post - 2006/05/20 - New York, NY

The sound on this show was heads and tails above the awful quality of Friday's show. Maybe the band was smart and hired a new mixer for Saturday. I had tickets in the Mezzanine again, and I was impressed that I could actually hear most of Maynard's singing (as well as his editorial comments). The bass was still a bit overpowering, and Danny's electronics had no punch at all, but hearing Maynard screech and howl made it all worth while.

I don't know why I held out hope for a real change-up to the set list. Even remembering the Lateralus tour, I should have known better: they barely changed the setlist for each show at MSG - so why would they change the setlist around on a "warm up" tour? I would rather have heard The Pot or (as long as I am making futile wishes) anything from Opiate or Undertow instead of the Patient. It also felt like a shorter show than Fridays.

I have one fear - that Tool is starting to become like every other successful rock band that evolves into a corporate machine, where a tour is put together to promote a new album,, not for giving fans a chance to almost touch the music they love. The set lists for this tour have no breathing room - they seem to consist of "airplay hits/best of" and "new album" for the most part. Most long-time fans I know would kill to hear them play Opiate or Bottom or Hush or H. Tool has written so many great songs in their history that its a shame to only play the ones that either make it to radio, or are off the new album. Besides, anyone who saw the last tour has already seen those same songs played live. Its just formulaic.

My bitching and griping aside, it was a great show for what it was, with the band certainly giving their all. And being able to hear it was a plus. Once again I laughed my ass off when they hit that suprise bridge in Stinkfist and the whole crowd sings "I'll... Keep.... hey, where did the music go?" And although I usually watch Danny's every move, Maynard kept stealing my eye - some of his strutting around cracked me up. I think they are pretty well warmed up.

So, does anyone think the setlist is going to change much by the fall?

05-21-2006, 08:19 AM	#31
T00LFOOL Level 1 - Lurker Join Date: May 2006 Location: New York City Posts: 2 Bincount™: 0	Re: 2006/05/20 - New York, NY - City Center The sound on this show was heads and tails above the awful quality of Friday's show. Maybe the band was smart and hired a new mixer for Saturday. I had tickets in the Mezzanine again, and I was impressed that I could actually hear most of Maynard's singing (as well as his editorial comments). The bass was still a bit overpowering, and Danny's electronics had no punch at all, but hearing Maynard screech and howl made it all worth while. I don't know why I held out hope for a real change-up to the set list. Even remembering the Lateralus tour, I should have known better: they barely changed the setlist for each show at MSG - so why would they change the setlist around on a "warm up" tour? I would rather have heard The Pot or (as long as I am making futile wishes) anything from Opiate or Undertow instead of the Patient. It also felt like a shorter show than Fridays. I have one fear - that Tool is starting to become like every other successful rock band that evolves into a corporate machine, where a tour is put together to promote a new album,, not for giving fans a chance to almost touch the music they love. The set lists for this tour have no breathing room - they seem to consist of "airplay hits/best of" and "new album" for the most part. Most long-time fans I know would kill to hear them play Opiate or Bottom or Hush or H. Tool has written so many great songs in their history that its a shame to only play the ones that either make it to radio, or are off the new album. Besides, anyone who saw the last tour has already seen those same songs played live. Its just formulaic. My bitching and griping aside, it was a great show for what it was, with the band certainly giving their all. And being able to hear it was a plus. Once again I laughed my ass off when they hit that suprise bridge in Stinkfist and the whole crowd sings "I'll... Keep.... hey, where did the music go?" And although I usually watch Danny's every move, Maynard kept stealing my eye - some of his strutting around cracked me up. I think they are pretty well warmed up. So, does anyone think the setlist is going to change much by the fall?
OFFLINE \|