Thread: Dec 10 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theater
View Single Post
bent's Avatar bent
12-12-2007, 02:05 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaced View Post
This review of the Tool show at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater on December 10, 2007 isn’t going to be about sound quality, amazing laser shows, set list reminders, or crowd reactions. You can find lots of that reading elsewhere. My review focuses on the more narrow topic of the actual jam itself. I’ll try to keep it short and sweet, but I can’t make any promises.

The Los Angeles gig was a homecoming of sorts for Tool, who calls our city their hometown. It goes without saying that such a show, as an unsaid rule, demands the band to bring it on, blow the doors out, and kill it. Because it’s important. Not only for them, but for their hometown neighbors who’ve spent absurd amounts of money to get into the one and only sold-out L.A. gig.

While the performance was wowing, it really wasn’t anything new for a Tool show. Tool shows are always wowing. These guys could cover Boys of Summer and blow everybody’s mind. My problem was the set list, and the other factors that literally defined it. As I write this, I just realized that the set list actually echoes some of my initially negative reactions to the 10,000 Days release last year. It’s an album with about four good songs on it. Vicarious, Jambi, The Pot, and Rosetta Stoned. The rest of the tracks are easily skippable, unless you’re high out in the garage lying on the couch closing your eyes with headphones.

Last I saw Tool was at their legendary Wiltern gig in August of 2001 on the Lateralus tour. I didn’t catch Tool here in L.A. back in September of 2006, but my understanding is that the set list was virtually the same as what we saw last night. Had this been the second time seeing Tool for me this tour, I’d probably be more vocal about what I saw last night.

The show is incredibly produced, which has an undeniable wowing quality that gives concert-goers something to talk about afterwards. Videos. Lasers. Lights. Fog. All that good stuff, sans the cliche explosives. That’s all fine and good, but here’s my opinion:

The live show is becoming a contradiction to the essence of the live Tool experience. With so many rigid technical factors in place, the live show has evolved into a mechanical handicap to the ultra-expressive quality of Tool’s art. This video needs to play here. This laser needs to shine there, at this moment. The fog needs to start here, and end here. The purple lights need to play on this song. And so on. It’s all computerized, meticulously rehearsed, and, well, sorta canned.

There was once a band that wrote a song called Lateralus, with an album by the same name. The underlying theme of the piece, found in the lyrics, the mathematics of the music, the artwork, and the implications of the metaphors, were to approach life laterally. Fuck the linear, fuck the norm. Draw outside the lines. As a matter of fact, fuck the lines. There are no lines. Spiral out. Embrace the random. Embrace whatever may come. Ride that spiral to the end, and we may just go where noone’s been. Be your own person. Think outside the box.

That band was Tool.

I would’ve liked to see Tool take a page from their own book and put it to use. Apply it to 2007. If the lasers and videos and fog machines are making things a little too creatively limiting, THEN THEY’VE OFFICIALLY BECOME A PROBLEM. It’s gotten to the point where the icing is controlling the cake. Time to lose the lasers and the video footage and fog machines. At least for a while. Try turning ‘em off for thirty minutes in the middle of the set, light some candles, and just fucking JAM. See what happens. Who knows, maybe they’ll play The Patient. Or Aenema. Or The Grudge. Or Parabola. Or Eulogy. I’m pretty sure lots of these folks will survive the rest of their lives without feeling robbed that they didn’t revisit the indulgent Wings of Marie 10,000 Days thirty minute opus that they ALREADY SAT THROUGH LAST YEAR.

And really. How can you not play The Pot in 2007? Unthinkable.

Hey Tool, you know we love you guys. But next time try something new. Take us where noone’s been. Not even you.
I'm sorry. . . but this is just about the most narcissistic self-indulgent crap review I've ever read of anything anywhere in my whole life.

Tool doesn't need to "JAM". YOU need to take LOTS of drugs or go skydiving with a nice chute failure or perhaps get attacked by a large dog. Something to sit you down and engender a touch of humility.

Yes Tool, what you need to do is get rid of that pesky show and all of that obnoxious rigidity and get back to the days when you just JAMMED on songs like The Grudge and Eulogy. You know. . . like Phish! God help us.

The show was phenomenal. Period. A natural development of everything that has come before in past tours both musically and theatrically. Truly something to see for our time. No one out there is doing it better in terms of authenticity and singularity of vision.

If you missed it, then there's good news. . . it's only getting better and better. I can't wait for next time.

If you didn't GET IT, or perhaps you're disappointed in the set list, then I have bad news for you. It's only getting better and better and you're STILL not gonna get it or LIKE the set list or Maynard's position on stage or Adam's lack of movement or whatever else it is you long for. But hey, I hear Night Ranger's still touring!
Old 12-12-2007, 02:05 AM   #44
Level 2 - Poster
 
bent's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 9
Bincount™: 0
Re: Dec 10 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theater
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaced View Post
This review of the Tool show at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater on December 10, 2007 isn’t going to be about sound quality, amazing laser shows, set list reminders, or crowd reactions. You can find lots of that reading elsewhere. My review focuses on the more narrow topic of the actual jam itself. I’ll try to keep it short and sweet, but I can’t make any promises.

The Los Angeles gig was a homecoming of sorts for Tool, who calls our city their hometown. It goes without saying that such a show, as an unsaid rule, demands the band to bring it on, blow the doors out, and kill it. Because it’s important. Not only for them, but for their hometown neighbors who’ve spent absurd amounts of money to get into the one and only sold-out L.A. gig.

While the performance was wowing, it really wasn’t anything new for a Tool show. Tool shows are always wowing. These guys could cover Boys of Summer and blow everybody’s mind. My problem was the set list, and the other factors that literally defined it. As I write this, I just realized that the set list actually echoes some of my initially negative reactions to the 10,000 Days release last year. It’s an album with about four good songs on it. Vicarious, Jambi, The Pot, and Rosetta Stoned. The rest of the tracks are easily skippable, unless you’re high out in the garage lying on the couch closing your eyes with headphones.

Last I saw Tool was at their legendary Wiltern gig in August of 2001 on the Lateralus tour. I didn’t catch Tool here in L.A. back in September of 2006, but my understanding is that the set list was virtually the same as what we saw last night. Had this been the second time seeing Tool for me this tour, I’d probably be more vocal about what I saw last night.

The show is incredibly produced, which has an undeniable wowing quality that gives concert-goers something to talk about afterwards. Videos. Lasers. Lights. Fog. All that good stuff, sans the cliche explosives. That’s all fine and good, but here’s my opinion:

The live show is becoming a contradiction to the essence of the live Tool experience. With so many rigid technical factors in place, the live show has evolved into a mechanical handicap to the ultra-expressive quality of Tool’s art. This video needs to play here. This laser needs to shine there, at this moment. The fog needs to start here, and end here. The purple lights need to play on this song. And so on. It’s all computerized, meticulously rehearsed, and, well, sorta canned.

There was once a band that wrote a song called Lateralus, with an album by the same name. The underlying theme of the piece, found in the lyrics, the mathematics of the music, the artwork, and the implications of the metaphors, were to approach life laterally. Fuck the linear, fuck the norm. Draw outside the lines. As a matter of fact, fuck the lines. There are no lines. Spiral out. Embrace the random. Embrace whatever may come. Ride that spiral to the end, and we may just go where noone’s been. Be your own person. Think outside the box.

That band was Tool.

I would’ve liked to see Tool take a page from their own book and put it to use. Apply it to 2007. If the lasers and videos and fog machines are making things a little too creatively limiting, THEN THEY’VE OFFICIALLY BECOME A PROBLEM. It’s gotten to the point where the icing is controlling the cake. Time to lose the lasers and the video footage and fog machines. At least for a while. Try turning ‘em off for thirty minutes in the middle of the set, light some candles, and just fucking JAM. See what happens. Who knows, maybe they’ll play The Patient. Or Aenema. Or The Grudge. Or Parabola. Or Eulogy. I’m pretty sure lots of these folks will survive the rest of their lives without feeling robbed that they didn’t revisit the indulgent Wings of Marie 10,000 Days thirty minute opus that they ALREADY SAT THROUGH LAST YEAR.

And really. How can you not play The Pot in 2007? Unthinkable.

Hey Tool, you know we love you guys. But next time try something new. Take us where noone’s been. Not even you.
I'm sorry. . . but this is just about the most narcissistic self-indulgent crap review I've ever read of anything anywhere in my whole life.

Tool doesn't need to "JAM". YOU need to take LOTS of drugs or go skydiving with a nice chute failure or perhaps get attacked by a large dog. Something to sit you down and engender a touch of humility.

Yes Tool, what you need to do is get rid of that pesky show and all of that obnoxious rigidity and get back to the days when you just JAMMED on songs like The Grudge and Eulogy. You know. . . like Phish! God help us.

The show was phenomenal. Period. A natural development of everything that has come before in past tours both musically and theatrically. Truly something to see for our time. No one out there is doing it better in terms of authenticity and singularity of vision.

If you missed it, then there's good news. . . it's only getting better and better. I can't wait for next time.

If you didn't GET IT, or perhaps you're disappointed in the set list, then I have bad news for you. It's only getting better and better and you're STILL not gonna get it or LIKE the set list or Maynard's position on stage or Adam's lack of movement or whatever else it is you long for. But hey, I hear Night Ranger's still touring!
OFFLINE |