anfisechka

My first Tool show. It was not as amazing as I had expected/hoped it would be, and I am really sad to say that -- I certainly wasn't looking for faults or problems. Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind. Maybe it's because the crowd wasn't that great (imo).
Maybe...

Before I complain I'll note the cool things: I liked how everyone was yelling outside when it started raining/thundering: an appropriate 'supernatural' interlude to Tool. Also cool to see Adam jump out of his armored car, pre-show (sure lots of people saw that). Adam again walked right in front of my section (left center orchestra) before the show -- probably wasn't more than 15 feet away from me. He was wearing a hat and looking down, had maybe 2 or 3 people with him -- but no one seemed to notice who he was except a couple people sitting next to me. Bad omen. It's not even that people were being polite -- I think they honestly didn't know who he was.

Security sucked ass. Outside the staff were complete assholes, before and after the show, and usually for no reason. Continually kicked out the few people who were dancing in the aisles (and I would have liked to join them). Shining flashlights at people for no reason, singling out people who weren't doing anything wrong, etc.

Crowd: Where I was sitting, people really didn't seem that into it. Surprising, considering we were really close and had a decent view. There were some random people like myself dancing, air-drumming and singing/screaming along, but it's kind of a drain when you feel like everyone else is just standing there. And that's how I felt -- it seemed different elsewhere, and I wish I was in a more enthusiastic part of the crowd. There *were* several very loud ladies to my left screaming and trying to get people excited before and during the show -- props ladies.

I could barely hear Maynard at all during the show. Whenever he talked it sounded garbled and I could only make out a few words -- everyone screaming didn't help. I heard him say something about a metronome -- I think before the Pot. It sounded interesting. Anyone else make it out?

Sound mixing in general: The bass sounded really muddy, which is a shame because Justin seemed to be having a really good time (unlike Adam, lol). I also don't think it was loud enough. When I go to a show like this I want to feel every note IN MY BODY -- basically I just felt the floor. Occasionally felt some drums or bass in my throat or stomach, but not nearly enough to satisfy... On the plus side, guitar (and drums, though not loud enough) was really clear. I wish people would have shut the fuck up during Lost Keys though, I think that's a really beautiful 'song.'

Ok now I'll get into my general criticism. I've been waiting to see Tool for something like 8 years. It took me 7 hours to get to the show, I willingly paid ridiculous prices for my ticket, hotel and all sorts of other stuff on top of that. I did it because I was sure they would amaze me -- and in that event I wouldn't mind at all paying for the expensive merch, and would look forward to supporting them again in the fall.

There are 2 things I look for when seeing a band live: 1) musicianship, and 2) performance, which can include energy/passion/dancing/musical switchups, etc. We all already know they're great musicians, so I wasn't surprised by that. I know that by listening to the albums. I felt, however, that Maynard in particular was lacking in passion and effort. He sung well, didn't fuck up anything badly -- but I don't think the definition of a good performance is not fucking up. I wouldn't mind if he fucked up a few notes if he was totally into the performance, really belting it out (like we were), dancing, having a good time. And I LOVE Maynard, so it hurts to say that. Maybe it's because he was still sick, and I can understand that. It's just not the performance I know he's capable of giving, and that disappoints me. (Maybe listening to the tracks of him at the Layne Staley benefit right beforehand was a bad idea... damn those are fucking amazing.)

Thought some of his 'dance moves,' especially at the end of Rosetta Stoned when he did that 'aw, shucks' gesture were funny. Mostly thought they were kind of lame though. And I've spent many hours/days/years watching live footage so I think I have the right to judge. He didn't really seem to be in his body -- mostly hand gestures/arm motions/the kicking thing that got kind of old after a while. He didn't really seem like he owned the stage; I don't know if he ever will as long as he dwells in the dark on his platform behind everyone.

Disclaimer: I'm not saying it was a bad show. It was good, it was fun, I had a good time. But I never felt moved, I never got chills (as I almost inevitably do when I listen to their albums or live performances). I never really felt in kinship with anyone there (except the few people really dancing, who I saw from a distance and wanted to join with). The music was good, and they nailed pretty much everything. However, I felt the performance aspect was lacking, as well as the crowd (in my section at least, and it seemed the same in the back rows in general).

I'm looking forward to seeing them in a more general-admission environment though. Then I can adjust myself to suit my preferences...

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Но я предупреждаю вас,
Что я живу в последний раз...
-А. Ахматова