"Chicago. I don't know what it is about this town but everytime I get here I get sick, must be allergic. Maybe some warm smiles will cure me. Or lots of noise."
03. Stinkfist
04. 46 & 2
"We had a new album come out, not sure if you're aware of that. Apparently it did very well. And we have you to thank for that. Thank you very much. New album means new songs, hence, the next one."
05. Jambi
06. Schism
07. Right in Two
08. Sober
"Thank you very much for attending this warm up show. We'll be back in the late summer for a full on tour. Not this intimate, however. Thanks a lot. See you again soon. Bye."
09. Lateralus
10. Vicarious
"Once again thanks for coming down. Apologize for being ill and having a sore throat, but, I don't want to be ill and have a sore throat, that means not touring and not singing, and that's just not an option. So thank you very much for coming down, thank you very much for helping us sell those records, thank you for helping me buy land in Montana stuffed with all kinds of spare batteries and guns and cattle and what not. You know why, right? Montana? It's a good spot. Tactically speaking."
So glad I came from St Louis to my 5th TOOL show....spread out over so many years. I saw them when they first played in NYC back in the early 90's. This band....this enigma of talent that gives birth to a lifetime of audible confections....made me feel better about the finanancial anal raping I took to be dead center row E (305/306).
Everyone knows Maynard was sick....but the sonic diamonds piercing my wanting ears made me glad I could yet again see my generation's Pink Floyd. From where I was, the sound was mind altering....as evidenced by my slow and embarassing tears during "46 & 2" when Danny spoke to all of us during his brief, yet spiritually influential drum solo fill....I'm a good drummer....Danny is simply not human. If he accidentally shit while walking I would pick it up and eat it like some life giving fruit.
E..U..P..H..O..R..I..A We all felt it...so glad I've had the same license plate for 10 years now......"46N2L". And as they embark on this tour, the world has only 2 choices regarding TOOL.....accept them or excorcise them....because they sure as fuck can't ignore them.
Last edited by Ceiling_Shot; 05-15-2006 at 06:33 PM..
My wife and I flew to Chicago from Baton Rouge for the show(my first), and it was worth every penny I spent. Our seats were 1st balcony, row A, seats 501 and 502. The tickets were purchased through stubhub and cost more than airfare, but again, worth every penny. The view was perfect as was the sound. I am now looking forward to the arena tour. I hope to see them a few times during it if possible.
This was my 4th time seeing Tool, saw them at MSG 2 times in 2001 and at Coachella two weeks ago.
I was sitting in 2nd Balcony, left section, 4th row, on the aisle. I got my ticket on Ticketmaste, 47 minutes after start of sale when they suddenly released "obstructed view" seats. I was the guy who threw the plastic cup at the guy in the front row of the balcony, who stood up when the first notes hit and of course others behind you had to stand up to see anything. Sorry dude if youre reading this but you blocked the whole sections view, though you prob didnt hear people yelling for you to sit down. Actually I think the cup missed that guy, but anyway he got the message I guess because everyone sat down about 5 seconds after that. The entire section sat until the last song, let me focus on the music real good...
Funny things in my section- a dude with dreads who had nice sized baggie of pot and was lighing it up before the show, dude you have no fear...
The guy sitting right next to me- didnt ask him but I think he was im'ing the set list, cause the phone was on after each song and he was typing. I found it funny.
Weird things- people going out to get beer in the middle of the show? WTF you dont mind missing a song just for some brews? One guy screaming to his friends on the floor, he was in the section on my right, the same guy letting everyone know he paid 450 bucks for his seat(congratulations), at the top of his lungs, haha.
Not mentioned yet-
Led Zeppelin "When The Levee Breaks" was one of the warm up tunes, nice tribute to Chi...
Cypress Hill "Insane in the Brain" was another. The first cheers went up when "Frankenstein Head" came on.
Musically wise, yes the sound up where we were was not the greatest(not as clear as at Coachella) probably because the ceiling gets low up there, plus we were sitting way up there, probably easily the equivalent of sitting in the high level of a sports arena.
Loved the extended arrangement, and the fact we got Right in Two. Now if we get Wings/10,000 Days in next few shows? I said it already, they could play the whole album and it would be great. Anyway I digress. You should have seen Maynard dancing during "Right in Two", during the fast part. If Maynard ever takes the center stage again he could absolutely have the crowd eating out of his hand, as if he didnt already...
Maynard did say something about them coming back in the fall for a tour, also he thanked people for helping out on songs, this was toward the end(though I could be off on the details).
Anyway it was a great show, better than Coachella two weeks ago. On this night, Tool was the greatest rock n roll band in the world... Also I must say I definitely got the feeling that the band was kind of blown away with the love they were getting from the audience at the end, they seemed to be genuinely moved. Add to this the great album sales, and I think the band has pretty much achieved what they set out to achieve, and it was great for us to share in that as fans.
Other details- security was tight as far as cameras/cellphones, but no metal detectors. Pant legs do get patted down. Security is noticing the LCD screens light up, so the obvious advice is either disabler the screen, or tape over it so when it lights you dont give yourself away, just point and shoot. Anyway I didnt want to chance getting stopped with my camera so left it at the hotel. Not too many people were taking a chance either, from what I saw...
Finally- Chicago is a great town I had a blast, it was my third time there and its a great city, not as good as New York, but great... And never mind the heroin addicts stopping you on the street to "just ask a question"(they were much more aggressive than in NYC...)
Just remembered, final digression:
Ok you did the Field Museum, Science and Industry, Art Institute, but did anyone check out Andy Warhol exhibit at Contemporary Art? That exhibit blew me away, especially the car crash pictures(which just stays with you), and girl fallen from 86th story on top of the car, that was HEAVY stuff to check out before a Tool concert.
Last edited by GeorgeinNY; 05-15-2006 at 06:56 PM..
This was my first time getting to see Tool after being a fan of them for many years and I have to say that it was the greatest live show I have ever been to! I would have loved to have it last a little longer, but I have no complaints! The show was amazing even if Maynard was sick with a sore throat. Is it true that he always gets sick when he comes to Chicago? Must be our crappy weather!
I always find it funny when the Stinkfist bit fools everyone.
Me too, the sad thing is at the show in Minneapolis they didn't do the extended version so I was actually the one who got fooled, I felt like a Tool :-(
ummm...what? I know it's called stinkfist...I thought that's what we were talking about. Also I know they don't do it to "trick" people, it's still funny watching people headbanging so hard only to realize they have to wait longer for the explosion of greatness.
was there any ga at this concert? like for people who had orch seats? cuz im seeing radiohead there in june and i have orch tickets, and i was wonder if thats actually g.a. or if there is actually seats.
100% seating. if you sit in the orch you'll probably end up standing the whole show like me.
ummm...what? I know it's called stinkfist...I thought that's what we were talking about. Also I know they don't do it to "trick" people, it's still funny watching people headbanging so hard only to realize they have to wait longer for the explosion of greatness.
no...you missed the point of the post. that version of stinkfist is called 'white lines'. that is what tool calls it. i sincerely hope i am not the only person in here that knows this already. if so, i won't bother injecting in these forums anymore. and by the way DJ CJ, your welcome.
did anyone else dig the meshuggah before they went on. before the evil joe skit. i was psyched. meshuggah sounded awesome on that theatres system.
Does anyone know what other music was playing before the show over the speakers? There were some kick ass tunes. Anyone know which Meshuggah tune/album? I am not familiar with much of their stuff.
Does anyone know what other music was playing before the show over the speakers? There were some kick ass tunes. Anyone know which Meshuggah tune/album? I am not familiar with much of their stuff.
it was off their "catch 33" album. which is one continuous epic. check it out. its entrancing.
traveled from memphis to see this show, and it was worth every penny. I think they sounded great. I'm really happy that they played Right in Two. Can't wait to see them again.
Danny is amazing. I wish he'd give a clinic in Memphis.
8th row... technically 3rd row... not including 5 folding chair rows that the "fans" that bought thousand dollar tickets or got mommy and daddy to get the tix were sitting in... right side, end seat, right in front of adam. 596,294,593 tool show... maynard's sore throat wasn't noticeable while I was there... sounded great. Setlist was good... only improvement would have been if it was neverending. I'll compare it to the philly show tomorrow... and if I'm lucky... the ny show on saturday too.
Getting ticket online at 10:00:01 on a saturday morning for chicago show: $72
Flight to Chicago via Southwest: $157
Train from sister's house to the city: $5
Taxi from union station to the theater: $8
Beer at the theater: $30
Seeing Tool again, meeting some cool people, almost blowing left ear drum, throat cold, and strained neck/upper back muscles.... f'n priceless
Just wanted to add, this thread and other threads- Im hearing a lot about people getting hearing damage, PEOPLE- please dont be stupid getting hearing damage at these concerts! Im 36 years old and got some severe tinnitis/hearing damage from being ignorant about the dangers when I was in my teens/twenties. Now I wouldnt even dream of going to Tool without my earplugs.
Fucking up your hearing for rest of your life just to see Tool without earplugs = worthless.
Show was incredible. ( my 6th ) I got to hear right in two!!!!!!!!, ( my favorite ) and the rest was mind numbing to say the least. The crowd was extremely cool as well. I had lower box seats, but couldn't resist going up front as soon as the music started. I apologise to whoever I was near up front. ( I may have been a little expressive of my excitement, but wtf it has been 5 years ) Security was kind enough to remind me of where my seats were located. My only problem was it was too short. Cool people, awesome music, great ( but hazy ) memories. Can't wait for the fall. I will be sure to catch at least three more shows when they come back around. KICK ASSS SHOW
This was my first Tool show and I think "Amazing" is pretty much the only word I have to describe it, but let me start from the beginning.
I have had a best friend since middle school, he's the guy who introduced me to Tool and a lot of other great music. To be honest their was just a certain period of time where I didn't "get" Tool. I liked it, but I think theirs a difference between someone who likes it, and "gets" it. Well anyways I've listened to Tool for a few years and now I love it and I get it, and I was really looking forward to my first show.
My friend moved to Chicago after our freshmen year of college. We've kept in touch since then and I had even been out there once before (I'm from Albuquerque, NM). Usually in May we try to go to E3 in LA and check out all the new video games and stuff that are coming down the pipeline, but due to finals and other stuff we weren't able to attend this year. Little did we know how lucky that would be for us. My friends uncle who he lives with pulls thru and comes up with 4 tickets on the Thursday before the show, a Thursday which would have had us in LA had we gone to E3. I just finished my last final an hour before when I get the phone call to go. Within ten minutes I had it cleared to take off work and bought plane tickets online. After finishing everything at work in a huge rush on Thursday and Friday, I get on a plane Saturday morning at five am to see Tool that evening. I don't know how but I even managed to get a window seat with a two day notice.
I get in to Chicago around Noon local time, pick up some Portillos, change and we head down town. An amazing series of events I am still surprised we pulled off.
I have to say the venue was absolutely amazing on every level. The staff was nice, courteous and professional, they even let us into the venue, let us pick up our merch and then let us go out the smokers exit to put it back in the Jeep and come back in so we weren't holding onto it the whole show.
Once we got back in we had just amazing seats. Orchestra pit row P seats 304-307. It put us right about eye level with the band. The sound in the venue was amazing. It was loud enough that you could 'feel' it, but never enough to be distorted. Everyone was way chill the whole show. I never had any problems with anyone and even the guy who was pretty tall in front of us seemed to make an effort to make sure he was in between us rather than in front of us so we could see well.
Now, the show.
Lostkeys and Rosetta Stoned are a great energetic way to start the show, I really enjoyed how they kicked everything off with it, and the length really lets you know your in for the fuckin show of your life.
Stinkfist was great just cause everyone knew it well and got really into it. Forty six and Two was amazing as well and really intense.
I loved hearing Jambi live, Adam seemed to be having some talk box issues for a few moments but it happens and wasn't really that bad, my friends cousin barely even noticed.
Schism extended was really awesome to hear, I saw it on all the set lists but didn't know it was extended so that was a pretty awesome surprise.
Right in Two was the surprise of the show. I had looked at all the other set lists prior to the show, so I wasn't expecting it and that was awesome. Especially since Right in Two has become my current favorite track off the new album, I just really love the progressive build up and Danny totally killed it, it was amazing.
Sober was really good, it was nice to get an older track in there. Lateralus was the highlight of the show for me though. It was just perfect in every aspect. And when the 'fire spiral' from the album art came on animated as Maynard was sining 'Spiral Out', that was just too good, it really helped me understand why everyone says their shows are just a step ahead of everyone else.
Vicarious sounded even better live than on the album. It lacked a little of that 'dry' sound on the vocals that is very apparent in the album, I actually liked it even better that way, and it made it fit perfect with Ænema which was an amazing song to leave on.
Well it was great to see an amazing show with really cool people, a great friend, in a cool new place and a spectacular venue. I'm back in Abq now and need to catch up on all my work but it was a perfect experience and I would do it again in a heart beat.
Oh yeah, before I forget, can anyone name any of the music that played before the show? A lot of that was really great and pretty diverse and I'd like to get my hands on some of it, thanks.
The most amazing show I've ever witnessed in my life. Blew away the first time I saw them in Indianapolis. I had the perfect seat for a drummer! Second balcony, first row, right in the middle! Could see everything that Danny was doing! That guy is a MACHINE!! Inspiring!
WOW, 17th TOOL show and this one was as amazing as all the others. I cant believe that anyone could complain about any part of this show.
I would pay anything to see them in a venue like this.
[QUOTE=GeorgeinNY]
Finally- Chicago is a great town I had a blast, it was my third time there and its a great city, not as good as New York, but great... And never mind the heroin addicts stopping you on the street to "just ask a question"(they were much more aggressive than in NYC...)
is any town as good as new york? also, i am proud of our aggressive heroin addicts; it keeps uppity tourists in their place when visiting our fine city.
peripheral- only one comes to mind- London, England, if you havent been there I highly recommend it. The big difference between Chi and NYC is by 10-11 that whole central area pretty much empties out, not nearly as much happening at night as New York or London. Magnificent Mile does have 5th Ave beat for shopping though, for sure...
yep, the addicts had the hotels entry and exit points staked out pretty well, they actually follow you down the block asking for money... I was staying at the Hyatt Chicago on E. Wacker right on the river, I guess in the middle of "the loop".
btw I discovered a very cool place to get some breakfast in the loop- "West Egg Cafe", look it up, had the "pork chops and eggs" breakfast damn good and relatively cheap ($8)
If Tool comes back to CHi on a Saturday in the fall, Im definitely going....
Last edited by GeorgeinNY; 05-17-2006 at 04:38 PM..
I was among about 3,000 other lucky people that got to be in Chicago last Saturday for Tool's show at the Auditorium Theatre. This place was right downtown, at Congress and Michigan, three or four blocks from the Art Institute. Great location, great place to see a show, especially a Tool show. I got into Chicago around 4pm and had a few hours on my own to wander about the city. I just walked around, went into bookstores and record stores and other places that looked interesting. I went and got something to eat before the show, and got in line at the theatre around 6:30, with the show scheduled to start around 8. I got in fairly quickly, got in the merch line, scored a fucking awesome poster, and found my seat. I resisted the urge to go have a cocktail b/c I still had to drive home that night, and chilled out in my seat, anxiously awaiting my favorite band.
Finally, around 8:35, Justin strolls out on stage and starts fucking with his bass. The place goes wild. Adam follows, picks up his guitar, and starts "Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)," the intro to "Rosetta Stoned." Danny walks out and takes his place behind his monster kit. This fucking thing looked even bigger than the set I saw him play in 2002. Finally, the Lost Keys breaks, Maynard comes out in jeans, a huge dinner plate of a belt buckle, and cowboy boots, with a megaphone strapped to his back and starts the song. "Alrighty then...picture this if you will..."
What began then and lasted for the next 90 minutes was a sonic assault that was unlike any concert I'd been to. "Rosetta" gave way to "Stinkfist." Prior to "Stinkfist," Maynard announced that he was sick, but you wouldn't have been able to tell if he hadn't told us. The only differences were the fact that he held off in a couple songs, and used something to modulate his voice during "Schism." We got the extended version of "Stinkfist" where the band feedbacks into the beginning, completley jams out the middle, and gives us the intro sample right before "I'll keep digging..." A few people missed it when Maynard dropped out before the jam, but they all caught up later. "Stinkfist" gave way to a powerful version of "Forty-Six and Two" that was set off by a short but still amazing solo by Danny. Following "46&2" came the second (or third, depending on how you count "Lost Keys") new song of the night, "Jambi." I'm hadn't been turned on to this song until recently, but it fucking kills live. The thrash riff intro is tits live. After they started "Schism" which is admittedly not my favorite Tool song, I wondered what happened to "The Pot" which had been played at every concert prior. I would find out what happened to "The Pot" shortly. "Schism" has a fucking fantastic double-time feedback/bass solo from Justin before he broke into the regular solo. Regardless of my feelings, it's cool to hear live, especially like that. There was a bit of an extended break after "Schism" and everyone (sans Justin) began playing their respective electronic devices, and broke into something familiar (which I would later remember to be the intro to "Intension") and then all of a sudden Adam began "Right In Two." This has been my absolute favorite song from 10,000 Days ever since the album came out and I got to hear them play it live for the first time ever! I'll admit, I was a little teary-eyed during the intro, but all that changed watching Adam and Justin thrash through the song's middle and ending. Fucking incredible.
I could have left after that and been perfectly happy, but there was more. A mini jam led into "Sober". I usually skip this one at home, but I'd never heard it live before and it kills live (other than everyone singing every fucking word). "Lateralus" was next, a ten minute journey into the fucked up world of crazy time signatures. Maynard, who was fairly reserved most of the night (only kicks with the cowboy boots and a few pelvic thrusts), went apeshit during this song. Awesome to watch him throughout "Lateralus." Following that song, the members of the band all came down and sat on Maynard's platform to soak in the applause and cheers and everything, before they broke into the encore.
"Vicarious" was first, and this is another killer live. Danny plays the xylophone sounds in the intro on his keyboard and keys in the buildup, and Adam and Justin take off with this song. Such a powerful ending. Maynard then thanked us for allowing us to let him purchase land in Montana, since it's "such a good location, tactically speaking," and began "Aenema." "Fuck Rupert Murdoch and fuck all his clones..." was substituted, which is fitting, considering he owns the world. Maynard ended the song with a pelvic thrust, and we were let back out into the cold night.
For those of you playing at home:
Lost Keys/Rosetta Stoned
Stinkfist
Forty-Six and Two
Jambi
Schism
RIGHT IN TWO
Sober
Lateralus
--------------------------
Vicarious
Aenema
This was different than the previous Tool concerts I'd attended (Indianapolis 9/8/03 and Indianapolis 10/21/04) in the fact that it wasn't such an intense spiritual experience as those two shows were for me. Yes, this was a collection of greatest hits, so to speak, but it wasn't the same, and that's certainly not to say that the band was bad or the concert was bad. It was different, and different is good. Instead of hiding in the shadows and trying to convey some sort of message, it was just four guys on stage rocking out, having fun, and allowing the crowd to have the same kind of fun. I didn't feel like my head had exploded afterwards. I just felt like I had seen a great fucking concert, and I most certainly had. I can't wait until they come back around later this year.
__________________ '"It took so long to remember just what happened..."
all righty then: flew from orlando for the show... this was my 2nd show/wife’s 1st. being so close to them was surreal to say the least... maynard is not real... he’s manufactured by the band’s unified psychic power which is the channeling tool. I truly think that’s the case... is that what’s happening here?
This was a great show. Although, I can't see why anyone would get mad at someone standing. Well, actually, that happened to me once at an APC show. I got mad. But I can respect that this guy I am referencing was standing.
I was in Gallery A . . . on the farthest seat to the right. If you were in that section, you may rememeber me falling a couple times as I "danced". There wasn't much room to "dance", but I made due. The guys behind me were nice. The ladies to my left were also nice. All mentioned parties stood the entire show, but did not "dance" or dance. My buddy and I have been to 5? shows and this one was comparable to our first at the '96 Lollapalooza (which also featured Snoop Dogg and Devo). We were spotted as "Tool fans". It was the aforementioned ladies' first show and they mentioned that they had spent "rent money" to buy their tickets. Good for them. I have a feeling Tool doesn't like the Midwest much. Danny wore his Laker's jersey again . . from its color, I don't believe he washes it very often. Or perhaps he gets it dry cleaned.
On a lighter note, if you do happen to see an act, musical or otherwise, at the Auditorium Theatere in Chicago, bring smokeless tobacco, as smoking is strictly prohibited by carcinogen fearing ushers. Their concern for clean air is so strong that they thought it necessary to bowl me over (amid my "dancing") to remove 3 supposed smokers. After they had their smoke-free talking-to, they distrupted my "dancing" once more (x3).
But hey, at least they were standing.
Lets get into why a rock concert is typically held on a lawn or general admission venue, shall we? Aside from the obvious answer of "it's roomier" . . . it behooves one to consider that it allows everyone the choice of sitting or standing. Why are there chairs at the Auditorium Theatere? For sitting of course! Well, at least during Columbia College's renditions of Brigadoon. See, life is about choices. It seems your standing-upright fearing mother made the wrong one somewhere around the 1st or 2nd trimester. I kid, I kid . . . but seriously.
This was a great show. Although, I can't see why anyone would get mad at someone standing. Well, actually, that happened to me once at an APC show. I got mad. But I can respect that this guy I am referencing was standing.
On a lighter note, if you do happen to see an act, musical or otherwise, at the Auditorium Theatere in Chicago, bring smokeless tobacco, as smoking is strictly prohibited by carcinogen fearing ushers. Their concern for clean air is so strong that they thought it necessary to bowl me over (amid my "dancing") to remove 3 supposed smokers. After they had their smoke-free talking-to, they distrupted my "dancing" once more (x3).
But hey, at least they were standing.
Lets get into why a rock concert is typically held on a lawn or general admission venue, shall we? Aside from the obvious answer of "it's roomier" . . . it behooves one to consider that it allows everyone the choice of sitting or standing. Why are there chairs at the Auditorium Theatere? For sitting of course! Well, at least during Columbia College's renditions of Brigadoon. See, life is about choices. It seems your standing-upright fearing mother made the wrong one somewhere around the 1st or 2nd trimester. I kid, I kid . . . but seriously.
Monkeys throwing cups at Monkeys . . .
Haha that reminds me of seeing Floyd at Camp Randall in 94' when me and a few buddies plunked down $150 for front row dead center (man that was a steal considering I payed 130 for 2nd balcony Tool tix).
Anyways, the people directly behind us told us ti sit down and after we refused took it as far as getting security to try to get us to sit down, to which our reply was, "This is f'ng Pink Floyd, we're in the front row, we payed good money we'll stand if we want too... I mean look around man there's about 70,000 other people doing the same damn thing!"
Well, they left us alone but after the show I could hear the b*tch that was trying to get us to sit down mumbles to her bf/husband something to the effect of, "Oh honey, I'm so glad you made me come along, it was really cool, I loved the lasers". Wanted to shout in her ear "They opened with Astronomy Domine you b*tch" Hahaha
Man, I've never wanted to punch someone so bad (and definitely the only time in my life I've ever had the desire to punch a girl in the kisser)
I could just imagine their conversation from earlier in the day:
BF/Husband: Hey I scored some great 2nd row seats to Pink Floyd you wanna go with me?
B*tch: Pink Floyd? Who's he?
i am not too bright, but in regard to the auditorium being a nonsmoking facility, i believe the potential for fire is much more of a concern than it is for having clean air. i saw plenty of smoke being exhaled throughout the orchestra level, but i am sure it was not tobacco.
i am not too bright, but in regard to the auditorium being a nonsmoking facility, i believe the potential for fire is much more of a concern than it is for having clean air. i saw plenty of smoke being exhaled throughout the orchestra level, but i am sure it was not tobacco.
What's more important than clean air?
Either way, once their smoking ceased, I noticed it made the show sound cleaner. Clean sound . . . clean air . . . don't we deserve both?
Either way, once their smoking ceased, I noticed it made the show sound cleaner. Clean sound . . . clean air . . . don't we deserve both?
did you think the bass was too heavy at times? i was in row t seat 405, and during some songs it was very muddy, but during sober it was fine. all this talk about clean sound and air, perhaps i need to clean my ears.
