Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Quote:
Originally Posted by junior
The biggest differences between the 3 nights, from my perspective:
thanks for the words! that clears up alot of my curiosity about what happened the other 2 nights. initially i was planning on being there for saturday's show, but it turned out friday made more sense to attend coming from LA solo. i couldn't turn down a friday the 13th show either. glad i caught the milla night
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Yea true dat. I got is tweet also.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phosphorescent Button
Well that didn't take long...Puscifer April 4th @ Club Nokia in L.A. with Tim Alexander's opening band Into the Presence.
__________________ Sep. 7, 2006 Los Angeles, CA~Staples Center// Apr. 28, 2007 Las Vegas, NV~The Pearl (PIT) // May 2, 2007 San Diego, CA~Cox Arena// Dec. 14, 2007 Las Vegas, NV~The Pearl (PIT)
__________________ Sep. 7, 2006 Los Angeles, CA~Staples Center// Apr. 28, 2007 Las Vegas, NV~The Pearl (PIT) // May 2, 2007 San Diego, CA~Cox Arena// Dec. 14, 2007 Las Vegas, NV~The Pearl (PIT)
Denis Leary is in the Nokia Theatre.
Puscifer is in Club Nokia. http://www.clubnokia.com/eventdetail.php?id=21861
The 2 venues are on the same property, and part of LA Live, but they are in different buildings.
Club Nokia is on the 3rd floor of the AEG building at LA Live and is similar to a House of Blues, but with a somewhat more modern vibe. http://www.clubnokia.com/
I envision the names of these 2 venues confusing people for years to come...
"Hey, are you going to go see <band name> at the Nokia?"
"Which one?"
"The one by the Staples Center"
"Yeah, which one?"
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Quote:
Originally Posted by sinfall
so Junior... have you thought about possible stage effects/show for the next Tool show whenever that may happen?
I've been thinking about it since the start of the 2006 tour.
I don't really start to give it serious thought until I know they are going to do something, though.
It's not good to commit to an idea too early with Tool because there are a lot of factors to consider.
For example, if I commit to certain equipment or concepts now it might be outdated technology by the time they start to tour and there might be something better, or (of course) another band had beaten us to it.
Another example would be the 2006-2007 tour. Adam came up with that over-all concept (white stage, projection on it). He presented that idea to us in June, which is when I realized most of my concepts weren't going to work in those conditions. So it always makes sense to get in sync with Adam before going full steam ahead on ideas. Usually the over-all idea is a bit more collaborative, or if Adam has a main idea it is less restricting than this one was. Because of the downward video projection, the airspace above the band could not be used for anything that would get in the way of the video. My original idea for the 3 lighting rings would have placed them directly over Adam, Danny and Justin, but the location of the video projectors made that impossible and limited some of the effects I had in mind. But, you adjust and go on.
One other factor was that the production needed to be able to work in arenas and amphitheatres, and a number of effects I had in mind wouldn't have worked in the amphitheatres, so they didn't make it into the show. In general, I don't like doing Tool shows in amphitheatres. I think it almost always compromises the show in some way. There are too many uncontrollable variables. Weather is one, specifically wind and daylight. The video crew had a hell of a time trying to focus all of those projectors (16 of them!) in daylight, and lights are no fun to focus in those conditions either. The ceiling height over the stage is often lower than what you have in arenas and you can't get the height you need to make it look and work right. Many times you can't hang anything further than the downstage (front) edge of the stage, so everything has to be on stage. For example, the mirror ball effect from 2002 couldn't have happened in an amphitheatre.
But, I digress. The shorter answer would have been that I have some ideas swimming around, but it's not time to go fishing for them just yet.
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
I'd love to see Tool utilize the transparent LED based video curtain that Trent Reznor was using for NIN's 2008 tour. It was an utterly captivating use of technology.
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phosphorescent Button
I'd love to see Tool utilize the transparent LED based video curtain that Trent Reznor was using for NIN's 2008 tour. It was an utterly captivating use of technology.
I'm not even that big a fan of NIN, but that shit was incredible.
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phosphorescent Button
I'd love to see Tool utilize the transparent LED based video curtain that Trent Reznor was using for NIN's 2008 tour. It was an utterly captivating use of technology.
The biggest problem with doing that is that it's so closely associated with NIN. They certainly weren't the first to do that gag, but it was high profile enough that it's now "their thing". It's a natural progression from their 1994 "Hurt" gag, which is also a variation on prior art, but is still "theirs" by association.
If Tool were to incorporate that kind of technology (I'm not ruling it out) it would have to have enough of a twist on it so people wouldn't just think we were copying Trent.
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
don't know where else to post this (maybe someone can point me in the right direction) ... got the opportunity to meet Maynard and Eric last night at a wine signing in denver. autographed chupacabra has invaded my cellar livestock!
__________________ ...it's okay until he pisses on your lighter
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Quote:
Originally Posted by junior
The biggest problem with doing that is that it's so closely associated with NIN. They certainly weren't the first to do that gag, but it was high profile enough that it's now "their thing". It's a natural progression from their 1994 "Hurt" gag, which is also a variation on prior art, but is still "theirs" by association.
If Tool were to incorporate that kind of technology (I'm not ruling it out) it would have to have enough of a twist on it so people wouldn't just think we were copying Trent.
Yea, I loved that stage show and think Tool's imagery would have adapted well, but now it would be a copycat issue.
I wonder if you could "stack" a pair of these video walls slightly out of phase with each other and feed each of the screens with a portion of stereoscopic material.
Last edited by Phosphorescent Button; 02-27-2009 at 02:22 PM..
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Quote:
Originally Posted by sonnyboy11
Hey junior- are you doing lights at the Nokia gig?.
As far as I know, yes.
Nokia should be a good place to do a Puscifer show, and a good place to see it. It's a bit smaller than the Pearl, but in a good way.
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
It would probably be a very expensive rig, but technically would it be possible to have LCD screens suspended over the audience? Something like this....
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
something like the screens nine inch nails uses stretched above the crowd would be cool, as long as it were only used at certain points. otherwise it would be too much.
as for people thinking you copied trent, the same could be said of the lasers and hanging motorized circular light fixtures with screens in the middle copying pink floyd (p.u.l.s.e.), but you did it right (in your own way) so nobody cared. i say if it adds to the experience, go for it. i'd love to see tool's art on a screen like that, be it on a stage, above a crowd, whatever.
Last edited by frosty nugs; 03-02-2009 at 01:33 AM..
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
I've always been supportive of the idea that the show shouldn't just be over the stage.
There are a few issues with doing stuff over the audience, and money is usually at the root of most of them. Most arenas have the ability to rig (hang) equipment over the audience area, but some don't. In most cases, the building is optimized for rigging over the normal stage area in that there are more/better beams in that area. Size and location of the scoreboard can throw a wrench into the works. As I've mentioned before, tours that have to play both arenas and amphitheatres would run into a problem at the amphitheatres because there is almost never any rigging available over the seats.
Anything "out of the normal" in an arena is sure to add time and/or people to the load in. On the 2007 tour the normal load in time was 9am on the day of the show, and everything was loaded into the trucks and on the way to the next show by around 1am. This makes it difficult to schedule back to back shows that are more than 8 hours (by truck) apart.
Sight lines are always an issue in arenas. Anything out over the audience would have to be very high up (50-60 feet or more) so as not to block the view for the people in the upper decks. Once you start getting lights and video gear that high over the audience's heads it would start to lose effectiveness. Trying to do a video ceiling (though a cool idea) would be quite expensive for something that might not end up being that good of an effect (at that height), and adding in the fact that you wouldn't want to over-use it, it starts to get really difficult to justify to the bean counters. It's always best to try to keep the expensive stuff where it will get the biggest bang.
Proper theatres can bring on a whole different set of restrictions. Most of the time there is only one place to rig a truss in front of the stage because there are a limited number of holes (usually 2) in the ceiling to rig motors. Most theatres have a "fire curtain" that cannot be obstructed. A fire curtain is a heavy, thick fire barrier that drops into place on the front edge of the stage and seals off the stage from the audience in the case of a fire. It is usually illegal to hang anything, or have anything under it that could interfere with it's downward path of travel.
So, I'm not being negative for sport, it's just that these are the sorts of things that have to be constantly kept in mind when putting shows together. Many of my days on a tour will have a time of day that I spend consulting with the tour accountant and the production manager making adjustments to various aspects of the production in order to determine which additional seats can be sold and which might need to get re-seated because of an anomaly in that particular building that causes our rig to be a sight line issue.
Sorry to ramble on. I'm unemployed at the moment and quite bored.
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Thanks Junior! Your insights about the behind the scenes technical details are always fascinating. Especially to geeks like myself. Is the economy starting to take a heavy toll on the concert industry? It seems like shows are far less frequent now than in the same period in 07 & 08, especially the larger scale productions.
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Quote:
Originally Posted by junior
I've always been supportive of the idea that the show shouldn't just be over the stage.
There are a few issues with doing stuff over the audience, and money is usually at the root of most of them. Most arenas have the ability to rig (hang) equipment over the audience area, but some don't. In most cases, the building is optimized for rigging over the normal stage area in that there are more/better beams in that area. Size and location of the scoreboard can throw a wrench into the works. As I've mentioned before, tours that have to play both arenas and amphitheatres would run into a problem at the amphitheatres because there is almost never any rigging available over the seats.
Anything "out of the normal" in an arena is sure to add time and/or people to the load in. On the 2007 tour the normal load in time was 9am on the day of the show, and everything was loaded into the trucks and on the way to the next show by around 1am. This makes it difficult to schedule back to back shows that are more than 8 hours (by truck) apart.
Sight lines are always an issue in arenas. Anything out over the audience would have to be very high up (50-60 feet or more) so as not to block the view for the people in the upper decks. Once you start getting lights and video gear that high over the audience's heads it would start to lose effectiveness. Trying to do a video ceiling (though a cool idea) would be quite expensive for something that might not end up being that good of an effect (at that height), and adding in the fact that you wouldn't want to over-use it, it starts to get really difficult to justify to the bean counters. It's always best to try to keep the expensive stuff where it will get the biggest bang.
Proper theatres can bring on a whole different set of restrictions. Most of the time there is only one place to rig a truss in front of the stage because there are a limited number of holes (usually 2) in the ceiling to rig motors. Most theatres have a "fire curtain" that cannot be obstructed. A fire curtain is a heavy, thick fire barrier that drops into place on the front edge of the stage and seals off the stage from the audience in the case of a fire. It is usually illegal to hang anything, or have anything under it that could interfere with it's downward path of travel.
So, I'm not being negative for sport, it's just that these are the sorts of things that have to be constantly kept in mind when putting shows together. Many of my days on a tour will have a time of day that I spend consulting with the tour accountant and the production manager making adjustments to various aspects of the production in order to determine which additional seats can be sold and which might need to get re-seated because of an anomaly in that particular building that causes our rig to be a sight line issue.
Sorry to ramble on. I'm unemployed at the moment and quite bored.
No problem :) We enjoy learning your aspect of the show and your point of view. you are just pointing out the details that all of us may not know, but of course now we do! Thank junior!
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phosphorescent Button
Is the economy starting to take a heavy toll on the concert industry? It seems like shows are far less frequent now than in the same period in 07 & 08, especially the larger scale productions.
The economy is definitely hitting the touring industry. Acts like the Jonas Brothers are doing fine, but that's about it. This time of year is traditionally a bit down from the rest of the year, but this year is definitely worse.
The thinking is that touring will turn around by summer, but probably not full-scale.
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Well I can tell ya this junior- you're skills with lights are among the best I have seen. I saw my first concert back in 1978. From there I have seen hundreds of shows. My own band was signed to Interscope for a while and I did several tours. And while I never graduated from caring much beyond what my sound man did, I realize how important a good lighting presentation can be. I look forward to what you have in mind April 4th!
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Quote:
Originally Posted by sinfall
I saw Metallica back in January and their use of lasers I'm sure was a direct result of TOOL. Unfortunately they didn't pull it off as well.
Don't mean to hate, but TOOL is far from the first band to use lasers in their stage show. Personally, I wish they would go back to the old purple spotlights on Adam and Justin and the videos on the back screen.
(Then again I'm old and probably living in the past...)
Re: General Tool tour questions / discussion (merged)
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwb
Don't mean to hate, but TOOL is far from the first band to use lasers in their stage show. Personally, I wish they would go back to the old purple spotlights on Adam and Justin and the videos on the back screen.
(Then again I'm old and probably living in the past...)
Oh, I know. I'm just saying in recent years. Maybe i'm just outta touch :)
