Let me preface this by saying that I am a HUGE Tool fan. I have seen them in concert 4 times (twice in Cedar Rapids) once in Madison and once in Omaha.

I would first like to address all of you who are bashing the Cedar Rapids crowd. I thought the crowd gave the band great support and was highly enthusiastic. Yes there were some idiots that threw crap on the stage and they should be kicked out but to chastise the entire crowd for the actions of a few people is not right. I have been to a lot of concerts and at every one of them, crap gets thrown onto the stage. It is an unfortunate fact of life that we all must deal with.

As for the show...
What an unbelievable light show and visual display!!! I have never seen anything like that and I was completely blown away. I was on the floor but I wish I could have had a second pair of eyes to see the show from the balcony because it looked like the people sitting up top were being treated to as good of a show as the people up front. The sound quality was also spectacular. I have never heard the US Cellular Center sound that perfect.

The set list, in my opinion, could have been better. I can think of at least 10 songs that I wanted to hear but didn't. I know that I am going to get railed on for this but someone needs to say it. I spent $60 to go to this show and I wanted to be treated to something special. Since it was a Tool show it was automatically special but it left me wanting a lot more. It pains me to say this but...it was pretensious. I know we are supposed to open our hearts and minds and just be thankful for any chance we get to see a glimpse of the genius that the members of the band exude every day. I appreciate the energy level it takes to put on a great concert and I can only immagine how life on the road can become tiresome and monotonous and can actually hinder the creative process. However, of the 2 hours that the band was on stage, a solid half hour of it had to be filler. I know that the ambient sound is part of the Tool experience and the proper mood needs to be set but I was left twiddling my thumbs on more than one occasion. At one point I even muttered "Jesus Christ, just get on with it." At the rate they were going I was expecting to be at the arena for 3+ hours which would have been fine but at the two hour mark when the band gathered for their huddle I thought to myself "You have to be fucking kidding me!"

If it is getting to the point where these huge tours are too much for the band members then maybe they need to be cut back. It would be fine with me if they only played large venues. I would drive hundreds of miles to see this band if I were assured a truly great concert. If I would have drove hundreds of miles and thumped down $90 bucks to see that concert, I would have been heartbroken. As it was I drove 30 miles and thumped down $60 bucks and was moderately annoyed. I heard one member of the crowd exclaim somthing along the lines of "Tool is the modern day Pink Floyd." I have never seen Pink Floyd in concert but if I paid good money and travled to see them, my expectations would be a lot higher than what I got for my dollar at the Tool show.

On a final note...Melt Banana sucked. I've heard cats fuck with more harmony. The drum solo during the Tool show was very cool though.

I have hated on Tool enough now, which is more than I ever thought I would in my life. I still love the band and I will probably see them again. I really feel that they are a band that will transcend generations.