First off, let me say I am flabbergasted at being the first reviewer to post on last night's show at the Toyota Center!! It seems to be commonplace on this tour that those of us who read have not deemed it necessary to post their sentiments on this forum. Luckily, for us all, that does not deter me from this task at hand!!

To begin with backstory, I am from a small town about 60 miles outside Charlotte, NC. I have an older brother who has been in the Houston area for the last 25 years, and it has been 9 years since we last saw one another. A direct result of some juxtaposition in age, family dynamics, and the "carrying-ons" life kicks to the human race. After a long period of steady contact and banter, an aligning of minds was imminent. Scott (older brother), is an interesting bird. Steady minded, fantastically talented, and "humanly" successful. I've idolized him my whole life. The man has shared my undying love for a specific line of music. The same words that struck his soul, have struck mine. He took me to my first Rush concert at a very young age. So after several years of suggestion to explore Tool, I took the announcement of their show in Houston as the opportunity to pay it forward. Interestingly enough, his musical taste and journey never led him to have a working knowledge of Tool's body of work. Something that I assured him was not a prerequisite for being blown directly away. So tickets were bought, travel plans were made, and fingernails were chewed to the bone for the next month! Back to that in a bit...

Ill keep this quite direct and try to strictly reference the show here. Bear with me:

--3 Teeth: Odd combo of Orgy, NIN, and Disturbed influence, yet boringly basic. I did find my head bouncing to some of it, but i think that was purely an attempt to warm up the rest of my body for what was to come:)

--Primus: First primus show. Had the chance to see Oysterhead many years ago at Bonaroo. I knew then that Claypool was an absolute freak of talent. Bolstered in my mind by what transpired last night. Fucking talented; so, so tight. And a perfect compliment to the main event. I echo the sentiments of those on these forums before me.....WE NEEDED MORE!!!

--TOOL--
--As stated above, 12th show. First things first....setlist as I remember it:
1. Viginti Tres Teaser into NO QUARTER!!!!!
2. The Grudge
3. Parabola
4. Schism
5. Opiate
6. Aenema
7. Descending (New Jam)
8. Jambi
9. Forty Six and Two
10. Danny Drum Solo with Crazy Synth Stuff Going On
11. Vicarious
12. Stinkfist

Highlights(Music): How can I summarize this in the interest of brevity?? NO QUARTER!!!!!! Fuck what an unbelievable statement to make to start things off. Simply put: they take this song and bend it to their will. THE GRUDGE!!!! Easily my favorite song in their entire catalog. Having seen Tool twice during the Lateralus tours, I thought my days of witnessing this song performed live may have come to an end. How sweet it was to be so wrong!! "Saturn comes back around, lifts you up like a child, or drags you down like a stone to consume you til you choose to LET THIS GO" PARABOLA!! Nailed it! Absolutely drilled it! His voice sounded strong. DESCENDING: Blair was right, it sounds like TOOL!!!!! JAMBI: Even after seeing it performed for every show I've seen since 10,000 Days, it has become one of my favorite live staples. The honesty in those lyrics cuts to the soul. I'll stop there in terms of individual call outs. The rest of the show was the in-your-face fantasm that I've come to know, love, and hold dear over the last 16 years. The guys are having a blast together, celebrating their music, and celebrating the experience that is Tool live. They remain at the pinnacle of their craft.

Highlights (Maynard): Dressed in a juggernaut police riot outfit. I envision an internal conversation in his head: "These insufferable retards are ridiculous. It always seems to border a riot! Must look the part!"......."This sounds like Houston! I knew that it smelled like Houston, but it definitely sounds like Houston!".......by far my favorite---> the crowd was eating out of these guys palms, and Maynard took note, in between Parabola and Schism and in response to the deafening reception he said, and I quote, "By all means, jack off!!"......I think we were well on our way.

Ok, so all that being said, back to my Tool-virgin older brother, Scott. I am confident that Tool has gained a new fan for life. I think it is safe to say that he was blown away by what he witnessed, and I never doubted that would be the case. Their is no denying the magic connection of music, art, and the soul. The dots were connected for him last night, and I was glad to be what helped catalyze it.
On a personal level, the band is stronger than ever. The music sounds fresher than ever. TOOL lives on...strong and sound.

THE FUTURE:
In eleven days, I get to return to my music sanctuary. Tool is coming to Charlotte on the 26th, and as usual, I will be in the counted; a place I have come to call "home". Im thankful for the enrichment these guys and there art has given me in my lifetime. I look forward to sharing my wonderful girlfriend's first experience with these magic four. Every chance is a chance to relish.

Justin, Danny, Adam, MJK: thank you for your life's work. I will see you in 11 days. Charlotte awaits you!

Sincerely,
Insufferable Retard #2,132,219
AKA Chris