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marcus's Avatar marcus
07-07-2009, 05:36 PM

Do not post in this thread unless you attended this concert(except for me of course).

SETLIST - (courtesy of my fellow canadian in the thick of things, kanaduh)

Jambi
Stinkfist
46 & 2
Schism
Lost Keys *new audio*
Rosetta Stoned
Flood
Aenema
Lateralus
Vicarious
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Last edited by SadSummerSea; 07-27-2009 at 06:33 PM..
Old 07-07-2009, 05:36 PM   #1
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07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Do not post in this thread unless you attended this concert(except for me of course).

SETLIST - (courtesy of my fellow canadian in the thick of things, kanaduh)

Jambi
Stinkfist
46 & 2
Schism
Lost Keys *new audio*
Rosetta Stoned
Flood
Aenema
Lateralus
Vicarious
__________________
Be careful what you pretend to be, because you are what you pretend to be.
-Kurt Vonnegut

Last edited by SadSummerSea; 07-27-2009 at 06:33 PM..
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boobah's Avatar boobah
07-27-2009, 07:11 PM

Awesomeness that I expected. Nothing different than previous reviews, no complaints either. Think I know why Flood follows Rosetta and why M leaves early. I will keep that to myself though because I'm mildly schizophrenic. Loved the show though. Haven't been since pre-Lateralus. Visual elements were AMAZING.

Edit:
A few people asked so I started a thread (to share my mildly schizophrenic insights):

http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=114457

Last edited by boobah; 07-28-2009 at 01:15 PM..
Old 07-27-2009, 07:11 PM   #2
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Awesomeness that I expected. Nothing different than previous reviews, no complaints either. Think I know why Flood follows Rosetta and why M leaves early. I will keep that to myself though because I'm mildly schizophrenic. Loved the show though. Haven't been since pre-Lateralus. Visual elements were AMAZING.

Edit:
A few people asked so I started a thread (to share my mildly schizophrenic insights):

http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=114457

Last edited by boobah; 07-28-2009 at 01:15 PM..
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HarryCvrJR
07-27-2009, 07:51 PM

How can I rate TOOL anything but a 10!? I'm not sure, however, that they did a good sound check at the Gwinnett Center before the show, or maybe that's just how the Gwinnett center sounds, but I could not hear a word that M said. The rest of the band sounded great, but where were the lyrics? Last time I saw them at Bonnaroo 2007. That was a life changing show, the lyrics were clear, the lasers and lights were constant and killer, the videos were massive, it was this show times ten. With that said, I will still never miss a Tool show that comes within 300 miles of where ever I live. I think also if I have a chance to see them outdoors again within 900 miles I'll go too. Lollapalooza.....? here we come!
Old 07-27-2009, 07:51 PM   #3
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

How can I rate TOOL anything but a 10!? I'm not sure, however, that they did a good sound check at the Gwinnett Center before the show, or maybe that's just how the Gwinnett center sounds, but I could not hear a word that M said. The rest of the band sounded great, but where were the lyrics? Last time I saw them at Bonnaroo 2007. That was a life changing show, the lyrics were clear, the lasers and lights were constant and killer, the videos were massive, it was this show times ten. With that said, I will still never miss a Tool show that comes within 300 miles of where ever I live. I think also if I have a chance to see them outdoors again within 900 miles I'll go too. Lollapalooza.....? here we come!
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kdo615
07-27-2009, 07:55 PM

Beautiful
Old 07-27-2009, 07:55 PM   #4
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Beautiful
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mondegreen
07-27-2009, 07:56 PM

Setlist was the same as the night before, much like I expected. I was hoping for a surprise, but none was to be had. I think one reason for the setlist not changing night to night is that the show is so intricate. The videos, lights, lasers, etc... all work in conjunction, and I'm sure changing that night to night would be a difficult task. That being said, I wouldn't mind to see the band strip things down a bit to allow for more flexibility in the setlist.

As for the performance, it was a good one. Not the best I've seen, but I don't think they'll ever beat the show I saw at the Tabernacle in May of 2001. For that matter, I enjoyed the 10,000 days show at Gwinnett more than this one as well.

Danny, Adam, and Justin looked like they were having a great time. Maynard put on a decent show, but seemed disengaged. I almost got the feeling that he's ready to move on. I hope I'm wrong, but if there is a weak link in the band it is him.

Adam's vocals on Jambi were fucked up tonight, and he looked pretty pissed about it. Maynard had a few little slip ups, most notably (for me, anyways) at the start of 46 & 2. The vocals during Rosetta Stoned were a complete mess, especially near the "I didn't even graduate from fucking high school" part. the drum solo during Lateralus was cool, espcially watching Justin play the bass with one hand whilst drinking a beer (Stella Artois, anyone?) with the other.

I was positioned near the front of the floor almost directly in front of Maynard. The crowd was pretty awful; it's amazing that so many idiots are attracted to a Tool show. Kind of ironic, really. Standing at the front of the floor I expect things to be tight, and I expect to be bumped, etc... However, I'm not too fond of being constantly elbowed/pushed from the back, and I don't take kindly to people trying to push in front of me (I waited an hour and a half outside to get my spot, if you want a better location get here earlier next time). In any case, the bucktooth rednecks to my left really wanted to ruin the show for me with the constant attempts at moshing, and some old fat dude kept sweating on me until I told him to fuck off at the end of Rosetta Stoned. I can't believe that those people spent $85+ for floor tickets just to act like complete jackasses.

Oh well, the show was still a blast, and I have a feeling it will be the last Tool show I see for awhile. Hopefully Maynard can recapture his energy and Tool can move forward as a complete band.

P.S. I could vaguely hear the soundcheck before the show, and I'm almost positive the played Hooker with a Penis followed by something that sounded totally unfamiliar to me (a new cover, perhaps???). Hopefully they'll work some of that stuff into upcoming sets.

Last edited by mondegreen; 07-27-2009 at 09:34 PM..
Old 07-27-2009, 07:56 PM   #5
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Setlist was the same as the night before, much like I expected. I was hoping for a surprise, but none was to be had. I think one reason for the setlist not changing night to night is that the show is so intricate. The videos, lights, lasers, etc... all work in conjunction, and I'm sure changing that night to night would be a difficult task. That being said, I wouldn't mind to see the band strip things down a bit to allow for more flexibility in the setlist.

As for the performance, it was a good one. Not the best I've seen, but I don't think they'll ever beat the show I saw at the Tabernacle in May of 2001. For that matter, I enjoyed the 10,000 days show at Gwinnett more than this one as well.

Danny, Adam, and Justin looked like they were having a great time. Maynard put on a decent show, but seemed disengaged. I almost got the feeling that he's ready to move on. I hope I'm wrong, but if there is a weak link in the band it is him.

Adam's vocals on Jambi were fucked up tonight, and he looked pretty pissed about it. Maynard had a few little slip ups, most notably (for me, anyways) at the start of 46 & 2. The vocals during Rosetta Stoned were a complete mess, especially near the "I didn't even graduate from fucking high school" part. the drum solo during Lateralus was cool, espcially watching Justin play the bass with one hand whilst drinking a beer (Stella Artois, anyone?) with the other.

I was positioned near the front of the floor almost directly in front of Maynard. The crowd was pretty awful; it's amazing that so many idiots are attracted to a Tool show. Kind of ironic, really. Standing at the front of the floor I expect things to be tight, and I expect to be bumped, etc... However, I'm not too fond of being constantly elbowed/pushed from the back, and I don't take kindly to people trying to push in front of me (I waited an hour and a half outside to get my spot, if you want a better location get here earlier next time). In any case, the bucktooth rednecks to my left really wanted to ruin the show for me with the constant attempts at moshing, and some old fat dude kept sweating on me until I told him to fuck off at the end of Rosetta Stoned. I can't believe that those people spent $85+ for floor tickets just to act like complete jackasses.

Oh well, the show was still a blast, and I have a feeling it will be the last Tool show I see for awhile. Hopefully Maynard can recapture his energy and Tool can move forward as a complete band.

P.S. I could vaguely hear the soundcheck before the show, and I'm almost positive the played Hooker with a Penis followed by something that sounded totally unfamiliar to me (a new cover, perhaps???). Hopefully they'll work some of that stuff into upcoming sets.

Last edited by mondegreen; 07-27-2009 at 09:34 PM..
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kanaduh
07-27-2009, 08:15 PM

...where to begin today?

First of all: I am an idiot.
For most concerts I have purchased the poster right away and carried it/hid it under seat during the show. This is has been tremendously annoying having to worry about losing/theft/ect. So today when I got to the venue, all 3 merch booths were fully stocked with posters. Every show so far has had the previous dates posters still on sale because they don't sell out, so I figured I would wait until after the show to get mine today. As soon as Vicarious ended, I quickly took off while the band did their wave to the crowd in an attempt to grab my poster before the massive crowds exited the arena. I get to the first merch booth - all sold out of signed and unsigned. Run my ass to the second booth - sold out. Same for the third. Was so fucking pissed... just my luck it sells out at the first show I decide to wait for. I rationalize with myself saying "it's just a poster". But then if I am getting the poster for EVERY show on this tour, it will be a fucking bitch months/years down the road if I am missing just one. Needless to say I end up offering $100 (which i technically didn't have) to random people for the unsigned $25 poster. After 4-5 people refused, I finally found a chick who needed rent money desperately and agreed.

And that is how I spent $100 on a $25 poster.

Whatever, on to TOOL:

I wanted to mention this in the dallas thread but I forgot. For the past two shows now they have introduced a new video advertisement that they play 15 minutes before tool takes the stage. It's an overview of this "tool shrine" that alex grey and the chapel of sacred mirrors is doing. It's a pretty neat little video and features a bunch of cool images and mini interviews with adam. I reckon the rest of you going to future shows will see it as well.

It's become pretty clear through the reviews that especially during Rosetta Stoned, maynard has been changing up the lyrics and saying random jibberish for some parts. Today was no exception, however I also noticed this during other songs as well. Specifically during Stinkfist, MJK clearly was saying random individual words at different parts of the song. By the way, that extended stinkfist is fucking incredible. Danny, you monster...

Tweak Bird's drummer is just getting better and better. The crowd generally gives them a positive reception and seem genuinely impressive. I'm definately a fan. The extended lateralus duet was epic, as always.

Adams guitar and/or mic died for the second straight night, this time during jambi. I'm not an expert on guitars so I can't tell you exactly what happened (i'm sure junior will help) - but I believe just as he was about to start the first note of the talk box solo his guitar made a weird noise, then didn't sound the way it should during the solo. Adam walked away from the talk box, looked around, and started improvizing with his pedals trying to fix it? Hopefully other more tech-savy people can comment on this.

I was sitting in a seat that was side stage tonight, so I could see the drum-tech sitting behind Danny for the entire show. It was funny when DC hit his gong during Lateralus, I thought that thing was going to topple over and kill that poor drum tech. Even when he's fixing DC's drumset in the middle of various songs, Danny is still punding away like crazy with the tech in the middle of his kit working around it. I think that guy needs special health insurance for working beside DC every night...

Oh... Lost Keys!
As i said in the text to summersea for the setlist, there was something different tonight. Almost disapointing in a way, to be honest.
They played an audio clip of a voice talking, something new I didn't recognize. Very similar to the intro of "third eye" for a few seconds there... had me super excited/nervous for a bit... but alas, it was just a new intro for lost keys/rosetta stoned.
That shouldn't take away from the song though - LK/RS is still the strongest song live on this tour, in my opinion.

Also, who the hell is the tool booking logistics person?
So far of the 7 shows, 5 of them have been in venues that are virtually in the middle of butfuck nowhere, especially in relation to the closest major city. Very annoying when you don't have a vehicle...

Oh well.
Overall tonight was interesting. A solid show, no doubt.

And it's good to see they are still adding new things to the tour is it progresses. Albeit minor additions, at least we're not getting the exact same thing every night.

G'night folks. Time to go north...

Edit: By the way, I saw Justin today a few hours before the show riding his bike through a local path/park adjacent to the venue. Always good luck with the bikes. I got to meet danny and justin in the kelowna fall 2007 show as well when they went out for a bike ride - rather unsuccessfully - through a canadian winter snowstorm.

Last edited by kanaduh; 07-27-2009 at 08:25 PM..
Old 07-27-2009, 08:15 PM   #6
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

...where to begin today?

First of all: I am an idiot.
For most concerts I have purchased the poster right away and carried it/hid it under seat during the show. This is has been tremendously annoying having to worry about losing/theft/ect. So today when I got to the venue, all 3 merch booths were fully stocked with posters. Every show so far has had the previous dates posters still on sale because they don't sell out, so I figured I would wait until after the show to get mine today. As soon as Vicarious ended, I quickly took off while the band did their wave to the crowd in an attempt to grab my poster before the massive crowds exited the arena. I get to the first merch booth - all sold out of signed and unsigned. Run my ass to the second booth - sold out. Same for the third. Was so fucking pissed... just my luck it sells out at the first show I decide to wait for. I rationalize with myself saying "it's just a poster". But then if I am getting the poster for EVERY show on this tour, it will be a fucking bitch months/years down the road if I am missing just one. Needless to say I end up offering $100 (which i technically didn't have) to random people for the unsigned $25 poster. After 4-5 people refused, I finally found a chick who needed rent money desperately and agreed.

And that is how I spent $100 on a $25 poster.

Whatever, on to TOOL:

I wanted to mention this in the dallas thread but I forgot. For the past two shows now they have introduced a new video advertisement that they play 15 minutes before tool takes the stage. It's an overview of this "tool shrine" that alex grey and the chapel of sacred mirrors is doing. It's a pretty neat little video and features a bunch of cool images and mini interviews with adam. I reckon the rest of you going to future shows will see it as well.

It's become pretty clear through the reviews that especially during Rosetta Stoned, maynard has been changing up the lyrics and saying random jibberish for some parts. Today was no exception, however I also noticed this during other songs as well. Specifically during Stinkfist, MJK clearly was saying random individual words at different parts of the song. By the way, that extended stinkfist is fucking incredible. Danny, you monster...

Tweak Bird's drummer is just getting better and better. The crowd generally gives them a positive reception and seem genuinely impressive. I'm definately a fan. The extended lateralus duet was epic, as always.

Adams guitar and/or mic died for the second straight night, this time during jambi. I'm not an expert on guitars so I can't tell you exactly what happened (i'm sure junior will help) - but I believe just as he was about to start the first note of the talk box solo his guitar made a weird noise, then didn't sound the way it should during the solo. Adam walked away from the talk box, looked around, and started improvizing with his pedals trying to fix it? Hopefully other more tech-savy people can comment on this.

I was sitting in a seat that was side stage tonight, so I could see the drum-tech sitting behind Danny for the entire show. It was funny when DC hit his gong during Lateralus, I thought that thing was going to topple over and kill that poor drum tech. Even when he's fixing DC's drumset in the middle of various songs, Danny is still punding away like crazy with the tech in the middle of his kit working around it. I think that guy needs special health insurance for working beside DC every night...

Oh... Lost Keys!
As i said in the text to summersea for the setlist, there was something different tonight. Almost disapointing in a way, to be honest.
They played an audio clip of a voice talking, something new I didn't recognize. Very similar to the intro of "third eye" for a few seconds there... had me super excited/nervous for a bit... but alas, it was just a new intro for lost keys/rosetta stoned.
That shouldn't take away from the song though - LK/RS is still the strongest song live on this tour, in my opinion.

Also, who the hell is the tool booking logistics person?
So far of the 7 shows, 5 of them have been in venues that are virtually in the middle of butfuck nowhere, especially in relation to the closest major city. Very annoying when you don't have a vehicle...

Oh well.
Overall tonight was interesting. A solid show, no doubt.

And it's good to see they are still adding new things to the tour is it progresses. Albeit minor additions, at least we're not getting the exact same thing every night.

G'night folks. Time to go north...

Edit: By the way, I saw Justin today a few hours before the show riding his bike through a local path/park adjacent to the venue. Always good luck with the bikes. I got to meet danny and justin in the kelowna fall 2007 show as well when they went out for a bike ride - rather unsuccessfully - through a canadian winter snowstorm.

Last edited by kanaduh; 07-27-2009 at 08:25 PM..
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cadgear
07-27-2009, 08:27 PM

Excellent concert, I had an absolute blast. A few hiccups with the band, but mondegreen and kanaduh covered all the major points. I'd like to add my frustration with Georgia crowds, this is why I don't go to many concerts in the state. Aside from the usual redneck asswipes trying their best to ruin anything anyone tries to do (because they don't know how to do it on their own, of course), I lost track of how many people I watched fall asleep in the seats.

Tweak Bird, the opening band, wasn't absolutely terrible, unlike Tomahawk (2002). Wasn't the greatest, but it had you nodding your head and or tapping your foot. Crowds seemed to enjoy it, I didn't mind one bit. Could barely understand the lyrics, though.

Overall, an excellent show. The entire experience gets a 10 in my book, as is usual for Tool.

Last edited by cadgear; 07-27-2009 at 08:32 PM..
Old 07-27-2009, 08:27 PM   #7
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Excellent concert, I had an absolute blast. A few hiccups with the band, but mondegreen and kanaduh covered all the major points. I'd like to add my frustration with Georgia crowds, this is why I don't go to many concerts in the state. Aside from the usual redneck asswipes trying their best to ruin anything anyone tries to do (because they don't know how to do it on their own, of course), I lost track of how many people I watched fall asleep in the seats.

Tweak Bird, the opening band, wasn't absolutely terrible, unlike Tomahawk (2002). Wasn't the greatest, but it had you nodding your head and or tapping your foot. Crowds seemed to enjoy it, I didn't mind one bit. Could barely understand the lyrics, though.

Overall, an excellent show. The entire experience gets a 10 in my book, as is usual for Tool.

Last edited by cadgear; 07-27-2009 at 08:32 PM..
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pentonvb05
07-27-2009, 09:02 PM

Show was excellent, even with the same set list. These guys should be able to play this show in their sleep now. Thought Adam was going to have problems all night after the first portion of the talkbox solo didnt go over the speakers. It seems they got it worked out pretty quickly. I thought before Lost Keys that we were going to hear something new. I think it was the audio form Faaip de Oiad (sp?) but I could be wrong I couldnt hear it very well.

Lighting was beautiful. Excellent job Junior. Although that light that shines on Adam from directly behind him, back of stage right I believe, is a killer on the eyes when he moves out from in front of it.
Old 07-27-2009, 09:02 PM   #8
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Show was excellent, even with the same set list. These guys should be able to play this show in their sleep now. Thought Adam was going to have problems all night after the first portion of the talkbox solo didnt go over the speakers. It seems they got it worked out pretty quickly. I thought before Lost Keys that we were going to hear something new. I think it was the audio form Faaip de Oiad (sp?) but I could be wrong I couldnt hear it very well.

Lighting was beautiful. Excellent job Junior. Although that light that shines on Adam from directly behind him, back of stage right I believe, is a killer on the eyes when he moves out from in front of it.
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Renholder09's Avatar Renholder09
07-27-2009, 09:19 PM

Show was great, though I do agree the lyrics got mucked from time to time. I thought the drum duet was amazing. Especialy for someone (like me) who things Danny Carey is god... or maybe satan, it was amazing. Being able to see them all work again make my year. Barely made it anyways so i'm really happy I got to go. Missed my chance to buy tickets but while out at the DMV a lady say my Tool shirt and said she bought extra tickets for people who ended up bailing out so i got tickets 2 days before the concert at face price, pwn, pwn.
Old 07-27-2009, 09:19 PM   #9
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Show was great, though I do agree the lyrics got mucked from time to time. I thought the drum duet was amazing. Especialy for someone (like me) who things Danny Carey is god... or maybe satan, it was amazing. Being able to see them all work again make my year. Barely made it anyways so i'm really happy I got to go. Missed my chance to buy tickets but while out at the DMV a lady say my Tool shirt and said she bought extra tickets for people who ended up bailing out so i got tickets 2 days before the concert at face price, pwn, pwn.
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Prisoner 37
07-27-2009, 09:24 PM

Just got back,great show,thank you Tool.Not the most tight show,as some of the other posters Stated.The vocal tracks were drowned out in some parts.And yeah the crowd kinda sucked.People just kept filing out 3-4 songs before it was over.Then this girl was throwing up about 2 rows down like 1 -2 songs into the show, cops ensued to take her up the stairs ,other than that,there we're a lot of cool people around.I was in sec.100,near the top.It was weird though,there was a whole section of seats to the right of me(about 30-40 seats)that were completely unoccupied, guess some scalper couldn't sell his tickets.There are a lot of new interludes, some with much more synthy sounds than usual.The lasers were awesome.Those were the Iron Man 2 lasers/lights?On a scale of 1-10,compared against other Tool shows,it was about a 7, although the sound/crowd isn't Tool's fault really.Of course I was sober,at least in psychedelic sense.I did love Tweak bird also,they'll probably wind up with some of my hard earned money in their pockets.
P.S. One thing that did suck was that they were out of medium and large in the tongue tied/connected shirt,and I got my merch before the show.I wanted that shirt, but had to get the skeleton one,although when I got to view the skeleton one in the light,it's better looking than I thought at the show.I'm sure they'll have more at the other shows, probably waiting on a shipment.
Old 07-27-2009, 09:24 PM   #10
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Just got back,great show,thank you Tool.Not the most tight show,as some of the other posters Stated.The vocal tracks were drowned out in some parts.And yeah the crowd kinda sucked.People just kept filing out 3-4 songs before it was over.Then this girl was throwing up about 2 rows down like 1 -2 songs into the show, cops ensued to take her up the stairs ,other than that,there we're a lot of cool people around.I was in sec.100,near the top.It was weird though,there was a whole section of seats to the right of me(about 30-40 seats)that were completely unoccupied, guess some scalper couldn't sell his tickets.There are a lot of new interludes, some with much more synthy sounds than usual.The lasers were awesome.Those were the Iron Man 2 lasers/lights?On a scale of 1-10,compared against other Tool shows,it was about a 7, although the sound/crowd isn't Tool's fault really.Of course I was sober,at least in psychedelic sense.I did love Tweak bird also,they'll probably wind up with some of my hard earned money in their pockets.
P.S. One thing that did suck was that they were out of medium and large in the tongue tied/connected shirt,and I got my merch before the show.I wanted that shirt, but had to get the skeleton one,although when I got to view the skeleton one in the light,it's better looking than I thought at the show.I'm sure they'll have more at the other shows, probably waiting on a shipment.
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phr34k
07-27-2009, 09:40 PM

Had a great time tonight. Band was on point as usual. Sound in the arena was crap as it has always been for every band ive seen there, so honestly you cant really blame the guys at all. over all for me it was probably a 7 out of 10 on my scale. I had the honor of taking my buddy to his first show, and i sat beside a husband and wife from pretty close to where im from that were also hearing TOOL for the first time, and it was great to get to see the reactions from them as the show progressed.
Could the show have been better?....Yes...Could they have played more/longer? ....DUH! Did i have a good time?....FUCK YES, and i will go back to every show they play til theyre done :) Highlight of the night for me..... my buddies girl got Justin's copy of the setlist.....Lucky bitch :)
Old 07-27-2009, 09:40 PM   #11
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Had a great time tonight. Band was on point as usual. Sound in the arena was crap as it has always been for every band ive seen there, so honestly you cant really blame the guys at all. over all for me it was probably a 7 out of 10 on my scale. I had the honor of taking my buddy to his first show, and i sat beside a husband and wife from pretty close to where im from that were also hearing TOOL for the first time, and it was great to get to see the reactions from them as the show progressed.
Could the show have been better?....Yes...Could they have played more/longer? ....DUH! Did i have a good time?....FUCK YES, and i will go back to every show they play til theyre done :) Highlight of the night for me..... my buddies girl got Justin's copy of the setlist.....Lucky bitch :)
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Jayhawker's Avatar Jayhawker
07-27-2009, 10:51 PM

First show on this leg....9 overall.

I thought the show was pretty right on. Caught a few mistakes with Adams guitar early on. Jambi didnt get the mouth part to work??? But he corrected pretty nicely there. Thought Maynard was having fun early on but got pretty quiet towards the end. Kanaduh I must have been pretty close to you as for I was also side stage and was drooling over the drum techs job. But lord knows the ear plugs better be the best ever. The guys overall sounded pretty decent though. First time in the arena and from where I was sitting the echo was pretty bad but nothing I couldnt handle. Got a signed poster which was nice beings there were only 350 of them so that will make a nice keep sake. Hope I can get a cheap ticket for the Charlotte show would be a ton of fun to hit the road and see how that show goes.

I did howver just get in and check the toolband site and notice Blair was having some fun with us....what was with all of that???

Anyways short and sweet. Thought the boys kicked ATL's ass. Hope everyone was safe and like Maynard said found their clothes after taking them off to enjoy themselves during the show.
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Old 07-27-2009, 10:51 PM   #12
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

First show on this leg....9 overall.

I thought the show was pretty right on. Caught a few mistakes with Adams guitar early on. Jambi didnt get the mouth part to work??? But he corrected pretty nicely there. Thought Maynard was having fun early on but got pretty quiet towards the end. Kanaduh I must have been pretty close to you as for I was also side stage and was drooling over the drum techs job. But lord knows the ear plugs better be the best ever. The guys overall sounded pretty decent though. First time in the arena and from where I was sitting the echo was pretty bad but nothing I couldnt handle. Got a signed poster which was nice beings there were only 350 of them so that will make a nice keep sake. Hope I can get a cheap ticket for the Charlotte show would be a ton of fun to hit the road and see how that show goes.

I did howver just get in and check the toolband site and notice Blair was having some fun with us....what was with all of that???

Anyways short and sweet. Thought the boys kicked ATL's ass. Hope everyone was safe and like Maynard said found their clothes after taking them off to enjoy themselves during the show.
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07-28-2009, 12:02 AM

FIrst time post, third tool show, saw them in knoxville 2002 and last at bonnaroo 2007. Like everyone on here has been saying they did not disappoint. Loved every second, thought Rosetta Stoned and FLood were amazing. Cant wait to see them again
Old 07-28-2009, 12:02 AM   #13
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

FIrst time post, third tool show, saw them in knoxville 2002 and last at bonnaroo 2007. Like everyone on here has been saying they did not disappoint. Loved every second, thought Rosetta Stoned and FLood were amazing. Cant wait to see them again
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fazebesnappin's Avatar fazebesnappin
07-28-2009, 12:16 AM

Fantastic show, as always with Tool. I did notice that Maynard's vocals were not loud and clear but that shit doesn't even matter when you're screaming all the lyrics to the top of your lungs. Flood was special for me because I've been to 3 other shows and this was my first time hearing it live. Tweak Bird was pretty damn good for a band of two guys (with the exception of the flutist who came out every now and then). I don't know if anyone noticed that Justin drank TWO beers with one hand while playing bass, then when one bottle was empty he sat it down and continued drinking the other one for a little bit...whole time NEVER missing a note on his bass. I know ya'll saw him drinking the beer but no one has yet to mention the two beers in one hand that he started out with. Danny really seemed to enjoy his duo with Twink Bird's drummer. When it was over he smiled at the dude and gave him the "sign of the horns" (you fuckin rock) hand gesture. Adam sat and watched them play the drum duo as if he was amazed as well. The crowd was typical for Georgia. You had quite a few people there who just came for live music and alcohol (not really Tool fans). This one dude next to me didn't know shit except for the songs often played on Project 96.1 (local radio station). I met one pretty cool country ass dude in cowboy boots. He seemed out of place there but was nice nonetheless. Needless to say, I had a fuckin BLAST and I'm pretty sad now that it's over because it may be many years before they tour again :( "Everyone take care of each other!" -MJK
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Old 07-28-2009, 12:16 AM   #14
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Fantastic show, as always with Tool. I did notice that Maynard's vocals were not loud and clear but that shit doesn't even matter when you're screaming all the lyrics to the top of your lungs. Flood was special for me because I've been to 3 other shows and this was my first time hearing it live. Tweak Bird was pretty damn good for a band of two guys (with the exception of the flutist who came out every now and then). I don't know if anyone noticed that Justin drank TWO beers with one hand while playing bass, then when one bottle was empty he sat it down and continued drinking the other one for a little bit...whole time NEVER missing a note on his bass. I know ya'll saw him drinking the beer but no one has yet to mention the two beers in one hand that he started out with. Danny really seemed to enjoy his duo with Twink Bird's drummer. When it was over he smiled at the dude and gave him the "sign of the horns" (you fuckin rock) hand gesture. Adam sat and watched them play the drum duo as if he was amazed as well. The crowd was typical for Georgia. You had quite a few people there who just came for live music and alcohol (not really Tool fans). This one dude next to me didn't know shit except for the songs often played on Project 96.1 (local radio station). I met one pretty cool country ass dude in cowboy boots. He seemed out of place there but was nice nonetheless. Needless to say, I had a fuckin BLAST and I'm pretty sad now that it's over because it may be many years before they tour again :( "Everyone take care of each other!" -MJK
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nickg420
07-28-2009, 05:32 AM

I'm sorry but everyone is giving Maynard more credit than he deserves...The Band was phenomenal but Maynard just plain sucked total ass...I'm sorry someone has to say it.

The visuals and band were waaay better than last tour. However Maynard made this show a disappointment for me. I mean come on guys he missed complete verses and just sang gibberish on more than a couple songs....And once he just did make it on stage in time to sing his part...WTF?? Anyway, I enjoyed the music as always and would probably go see them again if they came...but Maynard needs to either shit or get off The Pot...no pun intended.

I had great seats and got my hands on a poster. The people around me were really cool and noone needed their ass kicked after the show or anything. Except for a few people who were completely drunk and lost as to where their seats were and just came barreling down the row...Spilling beer and shit.

Anyway, I'll give this show a 7 out of 10. The crowd was in to it the whoel way through. The band was tight all night. The visuals, lights and lasers were mind blowing. Everything and everyone was there....Except Maynard.
Old 07-28-2009, 05:32 AM   #15
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

I'm sorry but everyone is giving Maynard more credit than he deserves...The Band was phenomenal but Maynard just plain sucked total ass...I'm sorry someone has to say it.

The visuals and band were waaay better than last tour. However Maynard made this show a disappointment for me. I mean come on guys he missed complete verses and just sang gibberish on more than a couple songs....And once he just did make it on stage in time to sing his part...WTF?? Anyway, I enjoyed the music as always and would probably go see them again if they came...but Maynard needs to either shit or get off The Pot...no pun intended.

I had great seats and got my hands on a poster. The people around me were really cool and noone needed their ass kicked after the show or anything. Except for a few people who were completely drunk and lost as to where their seats were and just came barreling down the row...Spilling beer and shit.

Anyway, I'll give this show a 7 out of 10. The crowd was in to it the whoel way through. The band was tight all night. The visuals, lights and lasers were mind blowing. Everything and everyone was there....Except Maynard.
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Odrac69
07-28-2009, 06:06 AM

A long time fan since '92.....I must say that this was not one of the best shows I've seen. I still loved seeing and hearing them live.....although....

Maynard's vocals were waaaay to low, muffled and mixed too far behind the band.
Technical difficulties happen to the best of them and it was cool to see them recover.
To me, the (Maynard) leaving the stage just before the last notes of the last song is
finished and then not even staying onstage for one second to wave and give thanks has
gotten a little old.
His vocals were either changed or not sung at all......example.....end of vicarious.

But, they're still the best band musically in the past 20 years, I always enjoy seeing them live and I'll continue to go see every last tour until they wave the big goodbye.
Old 07-28-2009, 06:06 AM   #16
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

A long time fan since '92.....I must say that this was not one of the best shows I've seen. I still loved seeing and hearing them live.....although....

Maynard's vocals were waaaay to low, muffled and mixed too far behind the band.
Technical difficulties happen to the best of them and it was cool to see them recover.
To me, the (Maynard) leaving the stage just before the last notes of the last song is
finished and then not even staying onstage for one second to wave and give thanks has
gotten a little old.
His vocals were either changed or not sung at all......example.....end of vicarious.

But, they're still the best band musically in the past 20 years, I always enjoy seeing them live and I'll continue to go see every last tour until they wave the big goodbye.
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wes
07-28-2009, 06:20 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by kanaduh View Post
...where to begin today?

First of all: I am an idiot.
For most concerts I have purchased the poster right away and carried it/hid it under seat during the show. This is has been tremendously annoying having to worry about losing/theft/ect. So today when I got to the venue, all 3 merch booths were fully stocked with posters. Every show so far has had the previous dates posters still on sale because they don't sell out, so I figured I would wait until after the show to get mine today. As soon as Vicarious ended, I quickly took off while the band did their wave to the crowd in an attempt to grab my poster before the massive crowds exited the arena. I get to the first merch booth - all sold out of signed and unsigned. Run my ass to the second booth - sold out. Same for the third. Was so fucking pissed... just my luck it sells out at the first show I decide to wait for. I rationalize with myself saying "it's just a poster". But then if I am getting the poster for EVERY show on this tour, it will be a fucking bitch months/years down the road if I am missing just one. Needless to say I end up offering $100 (which i technically didn't have) to random people for the unsigned $25 poster. After 4-5 people refused, I finally found a chick who needed rent money desperately and agreed.

And that is how I spent $100 on a $25 poster.

Whatever, on to TOOL:

I wanted to mention this in the dallas thread but I forgot. For the past two shows now they have introduced a new video advertisement that they play 15 minutes before tool takes the stage. It's an overview of this "tool shrine" that alex grey and the chapel of sacred mirrors is doing. It's a pretty neat little video and features a bunch of cool images and mini interviews with adam. I reckon the rest of you going to future shows will see it as well.

It's become pretty clear through the reviews that especially during Rosetta Stoned, maynard has been changing up the lyrics and saying random jibberish for some parts. Today was no exception, however I also noticed this during other songs as well. Specifically during Stinkfist, MJK clearly was saying random individual words at different parts of the song. By the way, that extended stinkfist is fucking incredible. Danny, you monster...

Tweak Bird's drummer is just getting better and better. The crowd generally gives them a positive reception and seem genuinely impressive. I'm definately a fan. The extended lateralus duet was epic, as always.

Adams guitar and/or mic died for the second straight night, this time during jambi. I'm not an expert on guitars so I can't tell you exactly what happened (i'm sure junior will help) - but I believe just as he was about to start the first note of the talk box solo his guitar made a weird noise, then didn't sound the way it should during the solo. Adam walked away from the talk box, looked around, and started improvizing with his pedals trying to fix it? Hopefully other more tech-savy people can comment on this.

I was sitting in a seat that was side stage tonight, so I could see the drum-tech sitting behind Danny for the entire show. It was funny when DC hit his gong during Lateralus, I thought that thing was going to topple over and kill that poor drum tech. Even when he's fixing DC's drumset in the middle of various songs, Danny is still punding away like crazy with the tech in the middle of his kit working around it. I think that guy needs special health insurance for working beside DC every night...

Oh... Lost Keys!
As i said in the text to summersea for the setlist, there was something different tonight. Almost disapointing in a way, to be honest.
They played an audio clip of a voice talking, something new I didn't recognize. Very similar to the intro of "third eye" for a few seconds there... had me super excited/nervous for a bit... but alas, it was just a new intro for lost keys/rosetta stoned.
That shouldn't take away from the song though - LK/RS is still the strongest song live on this tour, in my opinion.

Also, who the hell is the tool booking logistics person?
So far of the 7 shows, 5 of them have been in venues that are virtually in the middle of butfuck nowhere, especially in relation to the closest major city. Very annoying when you don't have a vehicle...

Oh well.
Overall tonight was interesting. A solid show, no doubt.

And it's good to see they are still adding new things to the tour is it progresses. Albeit minor additions, at least we're not getting the exact same thing every night.

G'night folks. Time to go north...

Edit: By the way, I saw Justin today a few hours before the show riding his bike through a local path/park adjacent to the venue. Always good luck with the bikes. I got to meet danny and justin in the kelowna fall 2007 show as well when they went out for a bike ride - rather unsuccessfully - through a canadian winter snowstorm.
the charlotte show is downtown. you should have no problems with travels we are staying at the omni charlotte hotel.
Old 07-28-2009, 06:20 AM   #17
wes
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Quote:
Originally Posted by kanaduh View Post
...where to begin today?

First of all: I am an idiot.
For most concerts I have purchased the poster right away and carried it/hid it under seat during the show. This is has been tremendously annoying having to worry about losing/theft/ect. So today when I got to the venue, all 3 merch booths were fully stocked with posters. Every show so far has had the previous dates posters still on sale because they don't sell out, so I figured I would wait until after the show to get mine today. As soon as Vicarious ended, I quickly took off while the band did their wave to the crowd in an attempt to grab my poster before the massive crowds exited the arena. I get to the first merch booth - all sold out of signed and unsigned. Run my ass to the second booth - sold out. Same for the third. Was so fucking pissed... just my luck it sells out at the first show I decide to wait for. I rationalize with myself saying "it's just a poster". But then if I am getting the poster for EVERY show on this tour, it will be a fucking bitch months/years down the road if I am missing just one. Needless to say I end up offering $100 (which i technically didn't have) to random people for the unsigned $25 poster. After 4-5 people refused, I finally found a chick who needed rent money desperately and agreed.

And that is how I spent $100 on a $25 poster.

Whatever, on to TOOL:

I wanted to mention this in the dallas thread but I forgot. For the past two shows now they have introduced a new video advertisement that they play 15 minutes before tool takes the stage. It's an overview of this "tool shrine" that alex grey and the chapel of sacred mirrors is doing. It's a pretty neat little video and features a bunch of cool images and mini interviews with adam. I reckon the rest of you going to future shows will see it as well.

It's become pretty clear through the reviews that especially during Rosetta Stoned, maynard has been changing up the lyrics and saying random jibberish for some parts. Today was no exception, however I also noticed this during other songs as well. Specifically during Stinkfist, MJK clearly was saying random individual words at different parts of the song. By the way, that extended stinkfist is fucking incredible. Danny, you monster...

Tweak Bird's drummer is just getting better and better. The crowd generally gives them a positive reception and seem genuinely impressive. I'm definately a fan. The extended lateralus duet was epic, as always.

Adams guitar and/or mic died for the second straight night, this time during jambi. I'm not an expert on guitars so I can't tell you exactly what happened (i'm sure junior will help) - but I believe just as he was about to start the first note of the talk box solo his guitar made a weird noise, then didn't sound the way it should during the solo. Adam walked away from the talk box, looked around, and started improvizing with his pedals trying to fix it? Hopefully other more tech-savy people can comment on this.

I was sitting in a seat that was side stage tonight, so I could see the drum-tech sitting behind Danny for the entire show. It was funny when DC hit his gong during Lateralus, I thought that thing was going to topple over and kill that poor drum tech. Even when he's fixing DC's drumset in the middle of various songs, Danny is still punding away like crazy with the tech in the middle of his kit working around it. I think that guy needs special health insurance for working beside DC every night...

Oh... Lost Keys!
As i said in the text to summersea for the setlist, there was something different tonight. Almost disapointing in a way, to be honest.
They played an audio clip of a voice talking, something new I didn't recognize. Very similar to the intro of "third eye" for a few seconds there... had me super excited/nervous for a bit... but alas, it was just a new intro for lost keys/rosetta stoned.
That shouldn't take away from the song though - LK/RS is still the strongest song live on this tour, in my opinion.

Also, who the hell is the tool booking logistics person?
So far of the 7 shows, 5 of them have been in venues that are virtually in the middle of butfuck nowhere, especially in relation to the closest major city. Very annoying when you don't have a vehicle...

Oh well.
Overall tonight was interesting. A solid show, no doubt.

And it's good to see they are still adding new things to the tour is it progresses. Albeit minor additions, at least we're not getting the exact same thing every night.

G'night folks. Time to go north...

Edit: By the way, I saw Justin today a few hours before the show riding his bike through a local path/park adjacent to the venue. Always good luck with the bikes. I got to meet danny and justin in the kelowna fall 2007 show as well when they went out for a bike ride - rather unsuccessfully - through a canadian winter snowstorm.
the charlotte show is downtown. you should have no problems with travels we are staying at the omni charlotte hotel.
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mthurman
07-28-2009, 06:30 AM

This was my 4th TOOL show since 2001, and it is very apparent that now, TOOL is only Adam, Justin, and Danny. After last nights show, i am convinced that Maynard is not in TOOL anymore, or atleast that he doesnt want to be in TOOL anymore. I was in the floor, dead center about 20 feet away from the stage, and i was waiting for Maynard to quit playing and walk off the stage any second. The band was AWESOME, even the fuck ups were recovered very nicely, but Maynard obviously didnt want to be there. I think, maybe, he has lost his voice, and he knows it. Even in 2007, his vocals are heavy with effects that drown out his actual voice. I remember in 2001, his vocals still had effects used here and there, but he was singing loud and clear with pride. Last night, he was muttering vocals, and his mic effects just elevated his voice. He looked sad the whole show, and the rest of the band patted him on the back a couple times, as if coxing him to keep going. I will say that, the last time i saw TOOL was at Bonnaroo 2007, and that was a completely different vibe then last night. At Bonnaroo, it seemed that the band was there to prove a point, to blow everyone away, including Maynard, and it made me extremely proud to be a TOOL fan. Last night, they were just going through the motions. I will see them again in Charlotte tomarrow, so maybe my faith in TOOL as a whole will be restored. Like i said, Adam, Justin, and Danny were mind blowing and still obviously have their heart in the band, but dont bullshit us Maynard, if you dont want to be there, then dont even walk out onstage.

And one more thing. $40 for a shirt? i mean, they were awesome shirts, but charging your fans $40 for a shirt after they spend $80 to see you? After that, i bought a bootleg shirt for $10 in the parking lot with pride. The poster was cool, and i like how it was numbered and unique to each night, so i could see throwing down $25 for something limited and unique. I will continue to support bootlegs of TOOL until they get off their greedy cloud and quit ripping off their fans.
Old 07-28-2009, 06:30 AM   #18
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

This was my 4th TOOL show since 2001, and it is very apparent that now, TOOL is only Adam, Justin, and Danny. After last nights show, i am convinced that Maynard is not in TOOL anymore, or atleast that he doesnt want to be in TOOL anymore. I was in the floor, dead center about 20 feet away from the stage, and i was waiting for Maynard to quit playing and walk off the stage any second. The band was AWESOME, even the fuck ups were recovered very nicely, but Maynard obviously didnt want to be there. I think, maybe, he has lost his voice, and he knows it. Even in 2007, his vocals are heavy with effects that drown out his actual voice. I remember in 2001, his vocals still had effects used here and there, but he was singing loud and clear with pride. Last night, he was muttering vocals, and his mic effects just elevated his voice. He looked sad the whole show, and the rest of the band patted him on the back a couple times, as if coxing him to keep going. I will say that, the last time i saw TOOL was at Bonnaroo 2007, and that was a completely different vibe then last night. At Bonnaroo, it seemed that the band was there to prove a point, to blow everyone away, including Maynard, and it made me extremely proud to be a TOOL fan. Last night, they were just going through the motions. I will see them again in Charlotte tomarrow, so maybe my faith in TOOL as a whole will be restored. Like i said, Adam, Justin, and Danny were mind blowing and still obviously have their heart in the band, but dont bullshit us Maynard, if you dont want to be there, then dont even walk out onstage.

And one more thing. $40 for a shirt? i mean, they were awesome shirts, but charging your fans $40 for a shirt after they spend $80 to see you? After that, i bought a bootleg shirt for $10 in the parking lot with pride. The poster was cool, and i like how it was numbered and unique to each night, so i could see throwing down $25 for something limited and unique. I will continue to support bootlegs of TOOL until they get off their greedy cloud and quit ripping off their fans.
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spiralout41
07-28-2009, 06:53 AM

Enjoyed the show.. Always good to take a Virgin to their first live Tool show.. Had a blast..

Last edited by marcus; 07-28-2009 at 09:48 AM..
Old 07-28-2009, 06:53 AM   #19
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Enjoyed the show.. Always good to take a Virgin to their first live Tool show.. Had a blast..

Last edited by marcus; 07-28-2009 at 09:48 AM..
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spiralout41
07-28-2009, 06:54 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by mthurman View Post
This was my 4th TOOL show since 2001, and it is very apparent that now, TOOL is only Adam, Justin, and Danny. After last nights show, i am convinced that Maynard is not in TOOL anymore, or atleast that he doesnt want to be in TOOL anymore. I was in the floor, dead center about 20 feet away from the stage, and i was waiting for Maynard to quit playing and walk off the stage any second. The band was AWESOME, even the fuck ups were recovered very nicely, but Maynard obviously didnt want to be there. I think, maybe, he has lost his voice, and he knows it. Even in 2007, his vocals are heavy with effects that drown out his actual voice. I remember in 2001, his vocals still had effects used here and there, but he was singing loud and clear with pride. Last night, he was muttering vocals, and his mic effects just elevated his voice. He looked sad the whole show, and the rest of the band patted him on the back a couple times, as if coxing him to keep going. I will say that, the last time i saw TOOL was at Bonnaroo 2007, and that was a completely different vibe then last night. At Bonnaroo, it seemed that the band was there to prove a point, to blow everyone away, including Maynard, and it made me extremely proud to be a TOOL fan. Last night, they were just going through the motions. I will see them again in Charlotte tomarrow, so maybe my faith in TOOL as a whole will be restored. Like i said, Adam, Justin, and Danny were mind blowing and still obviously have their heart in the band, but dont bullshit us Maynard, if you dont want to be there, then dont even walk out onstage.

And one more thing. $40 for a shirt? i mean, they were awesome shirts, but charging your fans $40 for a shirt after they spend $80 to see you? After that, i bought a bootleg shirt for $10 in the parking lot with pride. The poster was cool, and i like how it was numbered and unique to each night, so i could see throwing down $25 for something limited and unique. I will continue to support bootlegs of TOOL until they get off their greedy cloud and quit ripping off their fans.

To the last paragraph........This is the most IGNORANT thing I have EVER heard a so called TOOL fan say... But to each his own.. Enjoyed the show.. Always good to take a Virgin to their first live Tool show.. Had a blast..
Old 07-28-2009, 06:54 AM   #20
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Quote:
Originally Posted by mthurman View Post
This was my 4th TOOL show since 2001, and it is very apparent that now, TOOL is only Adam, Justin, and Danny. After last nights show, i am convinced that Maynard is not in TOOL anymore, or atleast that he doesnt want to be in TOOL anymore. I was in the floor, dead center about 20 feet away from the stage, and i was waiting for Maynard to quit playing and walk off the stage any second. The band was AWESOME, even the fuck ups were recovered very nicely, but Maynard obviously didnt want to be there. I think, maybe, he has lost his voice, and he knows it. Even in 2007, his vocals are heavy with effects that drown out his actual voice. I remember in 2001, his vocals still had effects used here and there, but he was singing loud and clear with pride. Last night, he was muttering vocals, and his mic effects just elevated his voice. He looked sad the whole show, and the rest of the band patted him on the back a couple times, as if coxing him to keep going. I will say that, the last time i saw TOOL was at Bonnaroo 2007, and that was a completely different vibe then last night. At Bonnaroo, it seemed that the band was there to prove a point, to blow everyone away, including Maynard, and it made me extremely proud to be a TOOL fan. Last night, they were just going through the motions. I will see them again in Charlotte tomarrow, so maybe my faith in TOOL as a whole will be restored. Like i said, Adam, Justin, and Danny were mind blowing and still obviously have their heart in the band, but dont bullshit us Maynard, if you dont want to be there, then dont even walk out onstage.

And one more thing. $40 for a shirt? i mean, they were awesome shirts, but charging your fans $40 for a shirt after they spend $80 to see you? After that, i bought a bootleg shirt for $10 in the parking lot with pride. The poster was cool, and i like how it was numbered and unique to each night, so i could see throwing down $25 for something limited and unique. I will continue to support bootlegs of TOOL until they get off their greedy cloud and quit ripping off their fans.

To the last paragraph........This is the most IGNORANT thing I have EVER heard a so called TOOL fan say... But to each his own.. Enjoyed the show.. Always good to take a Virgin to their first live Tool show.. Had a blast..
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vforvicarious
07-28-2009, 07:31 AM

I saw em last night for the very first time and was....disappointed.



Lemme start out by saying that Tool is prolly my fave band ever. I have spend the last nine years memorizing the lyrics to just about song of theirs, so needless to say when I heard the opening notes of Jambi I was ready to go.



Adam, Danny, and Justin were great, they were focused, but still loose enough to allow the music breathing room and just let it overtake your senses completely. And they looked like they were having fun and engaged. However, I thought their instruments were turned up way too loud. I saw NIN in the same venue last year and I was right up against the barricade like I was last night and I thought the sound was perfect.



But like I said, I was disappointed, and that came down to one thing. One bright, glaring thing......Maynard. I have idolized Maynard. I think he's the best lyricist in music today and have spent hours analyzing his lyrics. But last night it was like he wasn't even there. He couldn't be bothered to take off his sunglasses or sing directly facing a paying audience. He'd either sing with his side to us or his back to us. But the absolute worst part was his vocals. For one, they were extremely mumbled and turned down way low. He alternated between a traditional mic and this megaphone type thingy and I couldn't hear shit between the two of them. But what I did hear was crap. I'm trying to sing along to Stinkfist and in some spots he's changing the words around to random gibberish. He even skipped an entire verse! And at the end of the night, he said "Thanks for coming out" and walked off while the other three guys riled up the audience and threw out drum sticks, guitar picks, water bottles, and generally seemed humbled and appreciative of the sold out arena's love for them.



This has led me to a terrible conclusion that I never thought I'd ever find myself thinking. Namely that Maynard is the weakest link in Tool. I think he's finally let the fame and accolades go to his head where he's thinking he's too big for Tool and he can act any way he wants to just because of who he is. 10,000 Days was nowhere near as deep or insighftul as Lateralus, even though the music on that record was probably the best on any Tool record. I would not be surprised if their next album takes a sharp decline in quality because of Maynard's ego.



Last Friday night, Marilyn Manson put on the very best show I have ever seen. Yes, he's a pretentious, egotistical artist like Maynard, but he seemed there, he was focused, and YOU COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT THE GODDAMN FUCK HE WAS SAYING!!!! I honestly thought for a moment that Tool would unseat Manson's short lived reign as "Best Show I've Ever Seen", but they didn't even come close. Hell, last Linkin Park show I was at was better than this Tool show.
Old 07-28-2009, 07:31 AM   #21
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

I saw em last night for the very first time and was....disappointed.



Lemme start out by saying that Tool is prolly my fave band ever. I have spend the last nine years memorizing the lyrics to just about song of theirs, so needless to say when I heard the opening notes of Jambi I was ready to go.



Adam, Danny, and Justin were great, they were focused, but still loose enough to allow the music breathing room and just let it overtake your senses completely. And they looked like they were having fun and engaged. However, I thought their instruments were turned up way too loud. I saw NIN in the same venue last year and I was right up against the barricade like I was last night and I thought the sound was perfect.



But like I said, I was disappointed, and that came down to one thing. One bright, glaring thing......Maynard. I have idolized Maynard. I think he's the best lyricist in music today and have spent hours analyzing his lyrics. But last night it was like he wasn't even there. He couldn't be bothered to take off his sunglasses or sing directly facing a paying audience. He'd either sing with his side to us or his back to us. But the absolute worst part was his vocals. For one, they were extremely mumbled and turned down way low. He alternated between a traditional mic and this megaphone type thingy and I couldn't hear shit between the two of them. But what I did hear was crap. I'm trying to sing along to Stinkfist and in some spots he's changing the words around to random gibberish. He even skipped an entire verse! And at the end of the night, he said "Thanks for coming out" and walked off while the other three guys riled up the audience and threw out drum sticks, guitar picks, water bottles, and generally seemed humbled and appreciative of the sold out arena's love for them.



This has led me to a terrible conclusion that I never thought I'd ever find myself thinking. Namely that Maynard is the weakest link in Tool. I think he's finally let the fame and accolades go to his head where he's thinking he's too big for Tool and he can act any way he wants to just because of who he is. 10,000 Days was nowhere near as deep or insighftul as Lateralus, even though the music on that record was probably the best on any Tool record. I would not be surprised if their next album takes a sharp decline in quality because of Maynard's ego.



Last Friday night, Marilyn Manson put on the very best show I have ever seen. Yes, he's a pretentious, egotistical artist like Maynard, but he seemed there, he was focused, and YOU COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT THE GODDAMN FUCK HE WAS SAYING!!!! I honestly thought for a moment that Tool would unseat Manson's short lived reign as "Best Show I've Ever Seen", but they didn't even come close. Hell, last Linkin Park show I was at was better than this Tool show.
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mikeyinatl
07-28-2009, 08:46 AM

Fourth Tool show in my life. Absolutely the worst.

Terrible mixing...which I'll blame partly on a very lame venue (although it did sound better in '07 at the same joint). The only thing worse than the acoustics was the f'd up job at getting traffic out of the parking lot.

I was sitting side stage ten rows up from mjk. He did not want to be seen (as usual). He did not want to be heard (which was new). He just plain did not want to be there. Granted, the music is powerful, but it doesn't need to drown out the vocals completely. And I think that is HIS choice. Maybe he doesn't do Mondays well? Or maybe it is time to find a new singer? Maybe they can hold a special Tool edition of American Idol?

The band was good, but not exactly "tight." The technical difficulties (and some artistic flubs) are inexcusable this many dates into a show that they perform exactly the same every night.

I have been to over 500 concerts in my life since the late 60s. In my old age, there are few bands around for whom I will drag my wrinkled old ass to see more than once. Tool was one of them. Maybe not anymore? Or could it be that I, like mjk, just don't do Mondays well?

Last edited by mikeyinatl; 07-28-2009 at 08:52 AM..
Old 07-28-2009, 08:46 AM   #22
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Fourth Tool show in my life. Absolutely the worst.

Terrible mixing...which I'll blame partly on a very lame venue (although it did sound better in '07 at the same joint). The only thing worse than the acoustics was the f'd up job at getting traffic out of the parking lot.

I was sitting side stage ten rows up from mjk. He did not want to be seen (as usual). He did not want to be heard (which was new). He just plain did not want to be there. Granted, the music is powerful, but it doesn't need to drown out the vocals completely. And I think that is HIS choice. Maybe he doesn't do Mondays well? Or maybe it is time to find a new singer? Maybe they can hold a special Tool edition of American Idol?

The band was good, but not exactly "tight." The technical difficulties (and some artistic flubs) are inexcusable this many dates into a show that they perform exactly the same every night.

I have been to over 500 concerts in my life since the late 60s. In my old age, there are few bands around for whom I will drag my wrinkled old ass to see more than once. Tool was one of them. Maybe not anymore? Or could it be that I, like mjk, just don't do Mondays well?

Last edited by mikeyinatl; 07-28-2009 at 08:52 AM..
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07-28-2009, 09:02 AM

Did anyone at all understand any of the new lost keys..... I may be mistaken but I know I heard some talk about extra terrestrials. I wonder if that was the "cover?" Wouldn't surprise me if that was the big surprise....maybe someone will be able to break it all down.
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Old 07-28-2009, 09:02 AM   #23
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Did anyone at all understand any of the new lost keys..... I may be mistaken but I know I heard some talk about extra terrestrials. I wonder if that was the "cover?" Wouldn't surprise me if that was the big surprise....maybe someone will be able to break it all down.
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unconditional1
07-28-2009, 09:18 AM

Just got back to Tampa, it was a great show. justin was into it the most. he was drinking 2 beers at once and chugged another right after. i got dannys drumstick, mjk was dressed in a black space uniform doing like a robot dance. and adam was plan old adam. Flood rocked the HOUSE!!!
Old 07-28-2009, 09:18 AM   #24
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Just got back to Tampa, it was a great show. justin was into it the most. he was drinking 2 beers at once and chugged another right after. i got dannys drumstick, mjk was dressed in a black space uniform doing like a robot dance. and adam was plan old adam. Flood rocked the HOUSE!!!
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Freshspence
07-28-2009, 09:21 AM

16th show. definitely towards bottom of list in terms of quality. on floor, slightly off center to Maynard/Adam side. about 10 people deep. i actually thought sound quality was good from where i was at, and i actually heard maynard better than past few shows. but acoustics obviously vary with location.

i am pissed about the set list. i avoided these forums since 7/17 to try out the 'surprise' factor. unfortunately i was only surprised to hear the same show i saw 7 times in 2006/2007. aenima was nice to hear again (last i heard it live was vegas april show in 2007 if my memory serves).

to me, its just a big waste of Tool's time and talent to not vary the setlists. they have such a great catalogue to pull from, and the talent to either do covers or re-work some songs to make it different. even the extended schism and stinkfist (while awesome) are getting old. i dont see how the boys arent bored doing the same thing night in and night out. even the interludes are f-ing identical every night. or at least not different enough that i think its fun for adam to doodle aroudn on his synth machine thingy.

finally, my thoughts on the reasons on unchanging setlists: 1) agree with above that maynard has checked out of tool. hopefully temporarily, but whatever the reason, it seems he's lost the drive. these shows now feel like he's doing it solely out of respect and owing it to Adam, Danny, and Justin. certainly not giving much to the fans. so im thinking these setlists were a comprimise, whereby he wants the safe songs which he's used to doing and dont challenge him too much. 2) they are too tied down to the visual aspects. i love the visuals, and always thought that put Tool over the top from a live concert perspective. but i go to concerts to hear live music. but now the visuals are dominating the timing, pacing, and order of the show. everything is in sync b/w the audio and visual, and leaving no room for flexibility. i understand they want us to see the full 'production' as they intended when they organize the show. but as a longtime fan, id vote for stripped down visuals, and have these brilliant musicians put their talents to work with some improvisation, covers, rarities, re-works, etc. just feels like a waste to have them methodically do the same thing every night. and honestly adam looks mostly bored the entire time. justin and danny seem to love whatever's going on.

and kanaduh, im with you on the poster. being on floor i didnt want to risk getting it messed up during show, so i waited and had same result. except i didnt pay $100 for a $25.....yet. but ill get my CLT one early thats for sure.
Old 07-28-2009, 09:21 AM   #25
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

16th show. definitely towards bottom of list in terms of quality. on floor, slightly off center to Maynard/Adam side. about 10 people deep. i actually thought sound quality was good from where i was at, and i actually heard maynard better than past few shows. but acoustics obviously vary with location.

i am pissed about the set list. i avoided these forums since 7/17 to try out the 'surprise' factor. unfortunately i was only surprised to hear the same show i saw 7 times in 2006/2007. aenima was nice to hear again (last i heard it live was vegas april show in 2007 if my memory serves).

to me, its just a big waste of Tool's time and talent to not vary the setlists. they have such a great catalogue to pull from, and the talent to either do covers or re-work some songs to make it different. even the extended schism and stinkfist (while awesome) are getting old. i dont see how the boys arent bored doing the same thing night in and night out. even the interludes are f-ing identical every night. or at least not different enough that i think its fun for adam to doodle aroudn on his synth machine thingy.

finally, my thoughts on the reasons on unchanging setlists: 1) agree with above that maynard has checked out of tool. hopefully temporarily, but whatever the reason, it seems he's lost the drive. these shows now feel like he's doing it solely out of respect and owing it to Adam, Danny, and Justin. certainly not giving much to the fans. so im thinking these setlists were a comprimise, whereby he wants the safe songs which he's used to doing and dont challenge him too much. 2) they are too tied down to the visual aspects. i love the visuals, and always thought that put Tool over the top from a live concert perspective. but i go to concerts to hear live music. but now the visuals are dominating the timing, pacing, and order of the show. everything is in sync b/w the audio and visual, and leaving no room for flexibility. i understand they want us to see the full 'production' as they intended when they organize the show. but as a longtime fan, id vote for stripped down visuals, and have these brilliant musicians put their talents to work with some improvisation, covers, rarities, re-works, etc. just feels like a waste to have them methodically do the same thing every night. and honestly adam looks mostly bored the entire time. justin and danny seem to love whatever's going on.

and kanaduh, im with you on the poster. being on floor i didnt want to risk getting it messed up during show, so i waited and had same result. except i didnt pay $100 for a $25.....yet. but ill get my CLT one early thats for sure.
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grimLoK
07-28-2009, 09:44 AM

6th tool show.
not the best but better than at least one, if not two i've seen in similar type venues. the best tool shows i've seen have been at outdoor venues. the sound mix comes though much clearer. in contrast to previous posters opinions, i think maynard intends for his vocals to be muddied and indecipherable at times in order, possibly, to evoke more of an emotional response to the music from the listener as opposed to a "mental" or "logical" response. notice on the 10,000 days album the vocals are mixed way down to almost blend with the instruments at times. i think they replicate this in the live sound mix. i personally don't mind it. tool still puts on a top notch, professional show.
there were a couple of minor mess-ups musically with the band but, as always, they recovered well, which shows their professional skill and showmanship. and it seems at a couple of shows, including this one, there are parts of various songs that originally maynard might sing at a higher octave but i'm guessing due to age and a lot of touring touring the past 15-20 years his voice has taken a beating and he chooses to go at it at a lower register. this is fine with me. i would rather him sing the part lower and hit the note than try to do something he might not be capable of and have his voice crack and sound terrible.
honestly i think the crowd here at gwinnet arena was great. the other shows i've been to at similar venues (pensacola 2002 and biloxi 2002) we had to deal with a bunch of moshers on the floor level which was not the case here. i still prefer "assigned seats" venues such as oak mountain ampitheater in pelham, al or the macfarlin auditorium in dallas. i did enjoy gwinnet arena though. the guys directing the traffic outside did a great job and the staff on the inside was awesome too. no problems.
the setlist was strong although not too much different from what i saw in '07 at oak mountain. i was happy with the changes (eliminating wings 1&2 and pushit, but adding flood and aenima). every time i've seen them it seems like they play at least one new song that i might not have heard live before; flood being that song in this case.
overall great show. the stage show (lasers, lighting, and backdrop art) keeps getting better. definitely adds to the atmosphere. maybe i'm just partial to my hometown and the outdoor venue ( the oak mountain ampitheater which is owned by verizon) but i think the two best shows i've seen were the october '01 show in the monsoon and the may '07 show. nothing beats an outdoor tool show.

Last edited by grimLoK; 07-28-2009 at 09:54 AM.. Reason: misspell
Old 07-28-2009, 09:44 AM   #26
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

6th tool show.
not the best but better than at least one, if not two i've seen in similar type venues. the best tool shows i've seen have been at outdoor venues. the sound mix comes though much clearer. in contrast to previous posters opinions, i think maynard intends for his vocals to be muddied and indecipherable at times in order, possibly, to evoke more of an emotional response to the music from the listener as opposed to a "mental" or "logical" response. notice on the 10,000 days album the vocals are mixed way down to almost blend with the instruments at times. i think they replicate this in the live sound mix. i personally don't mind it. tool still puts on a top notch, professional show.
there were a couple of minor mess-ups musically with the band but, as always, they recovered well, which shows their professional skill and showmanship. and it seems at a couple of shows, including this one, there are parts of various songs that originally maynard might sing at a higher octave but i'm guessing due to age and a lot of touring touring the past 15-20 years his voice has taken a beating and he chooses to go at it at a lower register. this is fine with me. i would rather him sing the part lower and hit the note than try to do something he might not be capable of and have his voice crack and sound terrible.
honestly i think the crowd here at gwinnet arena was great. the other shows i've been to at similar venues (pensacola 2002 and biloxi 2002) we had to deal with a bunch of moshers on the floor level which was not the case here. i still prefer "assigned seats" venues such as oak mountain ampitheater in pelham, al or the macfarlin auditorium in dallas. i did enjoy gwinnet arena though. the guys directing the traffic outside did a great job and the staff on the inside was awesome too. no problems.
the setlist was strong although not too much different from what i saw in '07 at oak mountain. i was happy with the changes (eliminating wings 1&2 and pushit, but adding flood and aenima). every time i've seen them it seems like they play at least one new song that i might not have heard live before; flood being that song in this case.
overall great show. the stage show (lasers, lighting, and backdrop art) keeps getting better. definitely adds to the atmosphere. maybe i'm just partial to my hometown and the outdoor venue ( the oak mountain ampitheater which is owned by verizon) but i think the two best shows i've seen were the october '01 show in the monsoon and the may '07 show. nothing beats an outdoor tool show.

Last edited by grimLoK; 07-28-2009 at 09:54 AM.. Reason: misspell
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thrdeye
07-28-2009, 10:39 AM

Well, this was show #6 for me over the course of 11 years. Not my favorite, but still great as usual.

I think the reason this show was not as enjoyable is because there wasn't that "easter egg" like there have been in the past. I really value the times I have gotten to see things like Opiate, Third Eye, Pushit (salival version), etc.
Overall, I really would like to hear a little more earlier stuff from Opiate and Undertow, but oh well. There are so many great songs and their catalog is so extensive now, that I'm sure it's hard to make a setlist. But wouldn't it be nice to just have "that one song" that they pulled outta their ass?

Also, I do agree that Maynard is somewhat out of it. He has always been aloof, but it sure seems like he had a lot more fun in 2002. That said, he behaved about the same as usual IMO, except that he didn't talk quite as much as he has in the past. I hope that we are all just over analyzing his performance. He did do the maynard shuffle during jambi, and that was fun. But there were two times that I really felt like he could have done better.

1 - At the beginning of aenema. He didn't do the breathing thing. Which for me is a big part of the song. It teases you a little because you know what is about to happen.

2 - The end of Vicarious. He pointed the microphone toward the crowd to sing the final "Vicariously, I...." lyrics, which are the most powerful part of that song IMO. I wanted to hear it.

As a vocalist, it is hard to show your passion for the lyrics and the music unless you are somewhat involved. I mean, just imagine him, at the very end of Vicarious, jumping off of his little podium and running out to the front of the stage to sing the final phrase. Woudl have been awesome.

I think what we all should do is take a step back and breathe a little, though. Folks like myself that have immersed themselves in this music over the past 15 years are going have an evolving perspective of what a good TOOL show is. As a whole, this was an excellent concert for those who only have become fans within the last few years.

Oh, the highlight of the evening was my friend getting me an early b-day gift - a signed tour poster.
Old 07-28-2009, 10:39 AM   #27
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Well, this was show #6 for me over the course of 11 years. Not my favorite, but still great as usual.

I think the reason this show was not as enjoyable is because there wasn't that "easter egg" like there have been in the past. I really value the times I have gotten to see things like Opiate, Third Eye, Pushit (salival version), etc.
Overall, I really would like to hear a little more earlier stuff from Opiate and Undertow, but oh well. There are so many great songs and their catalog is so extensive now, that I'm sure it's hard to make a setlist. But wouldn't it be nice to just have "that one song" that they pulled outta their ass?

Also, I do agree that Maynard is somewhat out of it. He has always been aloof, but it sure seems like he had a lot more fun in 2002. That said, he behaved about the same as usual IMO, except that he didn't talk quite as much as he has in the past. I hope that we are all just over analyzing his performance. He did do the maynard shuffle during jambi, and that was fun. But there were two times that I really felt like he could have done better.

1 - At the beginning of aenema. He didn't do the breathing thing. Which for me is a big part of the song. It teases you a little because you know what is about to happen.

2 - The end of Vicarious. He pointed the microphone toward the crowd to sing the final "Vicariously, I...." lyrics, which are the most powerful part of that song IMO. I wanted to hear it.

As a vocalist, it is hard to show your passion for the lyrics and the music unless you are somewhat involved. I mean, just imagine him, at the very end of Vicarious, jumping off of his little podium and running out to the front of the stage to sing the final phrase. Woudl have been awesome.

I think what we all should do is take a step back and breathe a little, though. Folks like myself that have immersed themselves in this music over the past 15 years are going have an evolving perspective of what a good TOOL show is. As a whole, this was an excellent concert for those who only have become fans within the last few years.

Oh, the highlight of the evening was my friend getting me an early b-day gift - a signed tour poster.
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vforvicarious
07-28-2009, 11:07 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by grimLoK View Post
6th tool show.
not the best but better than at least one, if not two i've seen in similar type venues. the best tool shows i've seen have been at outdoor venues. the sound mix comes though much clearer. in contrast to previous posters opinions, i think maynard intends for his vocals to be muddied and indecipherable at times in order, possibly, to evoke more of an emotional response to the music from the listener as opposed to a "mental" or "logical" response. notice on the 10,000 days album the vocals are mixed way down to almost blend with the instruments at times. i think they replicate this in the live sound mix. i personally don't mind it. tool still puts on a top notch, professional show.
I can appreciate this logic, but ultimately, it's bullshit. I paid to hear Adam play guitar, Danny play drums, Justin play bass, and Maynard sing. Three out of those four did their jobs incredibly well.

I'm all for provoking an emotional response, especially when it's a combo of incredible music and an incredible vocal delivery, which Maynard does quite well when he's not being a smug, pretentious twat like he was last night
Old 07-28-2009, 11:07 AM   #28
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Quote:
Originally Posted by grimLoK View Post
6th tool show.
not the best but better than at least one, if not two i've seen in similar type venues. the best tool shows i've seen have been at outdoor venues. the sound mix comes though much clearer. in contrast to previous posters opinions, i think maynard intends for his vocals to be muddied and indecipherable at times in order, possibly, to evoke more of an emotional response to the music from the listener as opposed to a "mental" or "logical" response. notice on the 10,000 days album the vocals are mixed way down to almost blend with the instruments at times. i think they replicate this in the live sound mix. i personally don't mind it. tool still puts on a top notch, professional show.
I can appreciate this logic, but ultimately, it's bullshit. I paid to hear Adam play guitar, Danny play drums, Justin play bass, and Maynard sing. Three out of those four did their jobs incredibly well.

I'm all for provoking an emotional response, especially when it's a combo of incredible music and an incredible vocal delivery, which Maynard does quite well when he's not being a smug, pretentious twat like he was last night
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dhelton's Avatar dhelton
07-28-2009, 11:33 AM

Just got back to Knoxville after the show last night. Like everybody else i was a little hesistant about the set list before the show. But I have to say, I thought it was an absolutely incredible performance. Jambi/Stinkfist/46&2 was complete delicious sensory overload scrambling the 12000 brains in attendance and opening them up for the rest of the set. Yes, arena sound sux, that's just the way it is, Tool was originally scheduled to play an ampitheatre in Alpharetta instead of the Gwinnett Arena but something happened so such is life. Sadly, from where i sat stage center in the back of the arena, Danny's drums sounded god-awful, everybody else was pretty good, Maynard was as clear and prominent as i've heard in 12 shows or so, guess it's just a matter of where you sit in these kinds of venues.

Most importantly,. all that is great about Tool, the unparallelled audio/video presentation (especially the monkey/eye thing during 46 & 2, hell yeah!), the spaced out sequences between songs, the contrast of maynards voice and phrasing with the onslaught of the band: to me all the elements were there full force, whatever glitches there were just served to bring me back to earth every once in a while. And it was beautiful to be in the back of the arena and see the enthusiam of the crowd.

I missed 10000 days tour regrettably so this was my first look at the lasers, 95 percent of the time thought they were spectacular, thought there was too much of them a couple of times toward the end of the show, maybe Junior was having a litte fun!

Thanks to the band and crew for putting this mini-tour together, i've been recovering from a near fatal car wreck for the last three months and this really made my summer. Maybe Tool will become a summer tour band like a lot of other successful bands out there, why should Widespread, DMB, and Phil Lesh have all the fun?
Old 07-28-2009, 11:33 AM   #29
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Just got back to Knoxville after the show last night. Like everybody else i was a little hesistant about the set list before the show. But I have to say, I thought it was an absolutely incredible performance. Jambi/Stinkfist/46&2 was complete delicious sensory overload scrambling the 12000 brains in attendance and opening them up for the rest of the set. Yes, arena sound sux, that's just the way it is, Tool was originally scheduled to play an ampitheatre in Alpharetta instead of the Gwinnett Arena but something happened so such is life. Sadly, from where i sat stage center in the back of the arena, Danny's drums sounded god-awful, everybody else was pretty good, Maynard was as clear and prominent as i've heard in 12 shows or so, guess it's just a matter of where you sit in these kinds of venues.

Most importantly,. all that is great about Tool, the unparallelled audio/video presentation (especially the monkey/eye thing during 46 & 2, hell yeah!), the spaced out sequences between songs, the contrast of maynards voice and phrasing with the onslaught of the band: to me all the elements were there full force, whatever glitches there were just served to bring me back to earth every once in a while. And it was beautiful to be in the back of the arena and see the enthusiam of the crowd.

I missed 10000 days tour regrettably so this was my first look at the lasers, 95 percent of the time thought they were spectacular, thought there was too much of them a couple of times toward the end of the show, maybe Junior was having a litte fun!

Thanks to the band and crew for putting this mini-tour together, i've been recovering from a near fatal car wreck for the last three months and this really made my summer. Maybe Tool will become a summer tour band like a lot of other successful bands out there, why should Widespread, DMB, and Phil Lesh have all the fun?
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kanaduh
07-28-2009, 12:18 PM

Actually I think that Junior has nothing to do with the lasers.

Junior does everything with stage lighting.
There is another tech that is dedicated to the lasers, another for the video screens, and another for the sound board.

(I think).
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Old 07-28-2009, 12:18 PM   #30
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Actually I think that Junior has nothing to do with the lasers.

Junior does everything with stage lighting.
There is another tech that is dedicated to the lasers, another for the video screens, and another for the sound board.

(I think).
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tmellody
07-28-2009, 12:29 PM

Duluth show: 7 out of 10: Here's why:

-1: Giant fuck up on Vicarious. How has no one mentioned this? They all were embarassingly off by the last part of the song. We would know b/c we recorded the show and checked after to make sure we had heard it right, and unfortunaly we did. One of the worst fuck ups I have even seen/heard at any live show. I guess odd time signitures cover a lot of mistakes.

-1: Maynard's vocals were lack luster. I'm not speaking of them being low in the mix, I'm talking about messing up verses, not singing cricital parts (Vicarious and Rosetta) and changing lyrics. He seemed to be completely disinterested in Rosetta. Some songs were definitely compromised by this. It's probably really sort of annoying for them I'm sure, but the fans love those parts of the songs and want to sing along with MJK. It's crucial for an optimal live show experience. It leaves me wondering if maybe there was something wrong with MJK's voice... maybe it was shot b/c of 2 consecutive shows in TX just 2 nights before.

The whole thing about MJK's vox being too low in the mix... I think it's by design to follow suit of what is on their records. Tool is never going to (hopefully) be that band that has in your face vox with a frontman... That's the last thing they ever want to be. So if you're reading this and you haven't seen a show yet, just know that Maynard is always in the background and his vox are low in the mix. Visuals and music are the focus, not a frontman.

-1: Setlist. Yes I'm going to beat a dead horse here. To me it seems like they are being lazy and didn't want to learn a new setlist for the mini-tour. Sort of let's do a tour that will make a lot of money, keep us from being too rusty and doesn't require much work... I sort of get that but at the same time, that is very annoying and disappointing. Especially b/c they had liberty to do whatever they wanted since there was no record to promote.

Tool is a mysterious band and lots of mystery surrounds them, but the biggest mystery about Tool that I can see is why the fuck don't they play Eulogy at their live shows? The crowd would go absolutely apeshit. they have so many songs that would be better than Rosetta or Jambi... Flood was freaking crazy amazing.

All that being said, I'm a huge fan. Even on their worst night, you will see an amazing show. My hubby and I spent in excess of $1200 to see them last night (travelled out of state). Not their best, not their worst, but damn fine entertainment for 90 minutes.
Old 07-28-2009, 12:29 PM   #31
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Duluth show: 7 out of 10: Here's why:

-1: Giant fuck up on Vicarious. How has no one mentioned this? They all were embarassingly off by the last part of the song. We would know b/c we recorded the show and checked after to make sure we had heard it right, and unfortunaly we did. One of the worst fuck ups I have even seen/heard at any live show. I guess odd time signitures cover a lot of mistakes.

-1: Maynard's vocals were lack luster. I'm not speaking of them being low in the mix, I'm talking about messing up verses, not singing cricital parts (Vicarious and Rosetta) and changing lyrics. He seemed to be completely disinterested in Rosetta. Some songs were definitely compromised by this. It's probably really sort of annoying for them I'm sure, but the fans love those parts of the songs and want to sing along with MJK. It's crucial for an optimal live show experience. It leaves me wondering if maybe there was something wrong with MJK's voice... maybe it was shot b/c of 2 consecutive shows in TX just 2 nights before.

The whole thing about MJK's vox being too low in the mix... I think it's by design to follow suit of what is on their records. Tool is never going to (hopefully) be that band that has in your face vox with a frontman... That's the last thing they ever want to be. So if you're reading this and you haven't seen a show yet, just know that Maynard is always in the background and his vox are low in the mix. Visuals and music are the focus, not a frontman.

-1: Setlist. Yes I'm going to beat a dead horse here. To me it seems like they are being lazy and didn't want to learn a new setlist for the mini-tour. Sort of let's do a tour that will make a lot of money, keep us from being too rusty and doesn't require much work... I sort of get that but at the same time, that is very annoying and disappointing. Especially b/c they had liberty to do whatever they wanted since there was no record to promote.

Tool is a mysterious band and lots of mystery surrounds them, but the biggest mystery about Tool that I can see is why the fuck don't they play Eulogy at their live shows? The crowd would go absolutely apeshit. they have so many songs that would be better than Rosetta or Jambi... Flood was freaking crazy amazing.

All that being said, I'm a huge fan. Even on their worst night, you will see an amazing show. My hubby and I spent in excess of $1200 to see them last night (travelled out of state). Not their best, not their worst, but damn fine entertainment for 90 minutes.
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mmike032
07-28-2009, 12:39 PM

My 2nd show although longtime fan. Seen them on the 10K tour at the same venue last go around. I enjoyed this show more than the last. Probally cause last tour I frequented this site and already knew what was going to happen.
This time I wanted to go in not knowing the setlist and have the element of surprise regardless if it was going to be the same setlist or not.
The new visuals/lasers were great IMO.
Flood and Anema were the highlights of the night for me
As others stated there were some techincal problems but doesnt make bit of difference to me.

Any Tool show is a good show IMO
Hopefully they'll continue to create music and tour in the future.
Old 07-28-2009, 12:39 PM   #32
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

My 2nd show although longtime fan. Seen them on the 10K tour at the same venue last go around. I enjoyed this show more than the last. Probally cause last tour I frequented this site and already knew what was going to happen.
This time I wanted to go in not knowing the setlist and have the element of surprise regardless if it was going to be the same setlist or not.
The new visuals/lasers were great IMO.
Flood and Anema were the highlights of the night for me
As others stated there were some techincal problems but doesnt make bit of difference to me.

Any Tool show is a good show IMO
Hopefully they'll continue to create music and tour in the future.
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boobah's Avatar boobah
07-28-2009, 12:50 PM

http://stashbox.org/583625/keychainChewtoy.jpg
I bought a keychain at the show and when I got home my Jack Russell terrier made a supposed indestructible chew toy in its image.

Last edited by boobah; 07-28-2009 at 01:12 PM..
Old 07-28-2009, 12:50 PM   #33
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

http://stashbox.org/583625/keychainChewtoy.jpg
I bought a keychain at the show and when I got home my Jack Russell terrier made a supposed indestructible chew toy in its image.

Last edited by boobah; 07-28-2009 at 01:12 PM..
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zombie
07-28-2009, 02:05 PM

Anyone else get blinded by the hags with flashlights? I was about to get kicked out over it but I really hate being blinded. The show was awesome, but it does feel like 2007. Anyone know what time the soundchecks are? I smell a cover in Charlotte!!! (I'm going)
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Old 07-28-2009, 02:05 PM   #34
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Anyone else get blinded by the hags with flashlights? I was about to get kicked out over it but I really hate being blinded. The show was awesome, but it does feel like 2007. Anyone know what time the soundchecks are? I smell a cover in Charlotte!!! (I'm going)
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lagimatt's Avatar lagimatt
07-28-2009, 02:14 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by boobah View Post
http://stashbox.org/583625/keychainChewtoy.jpg
I bought a keychain at the show and when I got home my Jack Russell terrier made a supposed indestructible chew toy in its image.
You could probably sell it on eBay for hundreds of dollars and then buy kanaduh a signed poster with some of the extra cash. ;-)
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Old 07-28-2009, 02:14 PM   #35
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Quote:
Originally Posted by boobah View Post
http://stashbox.org/583625/keychainChewtoy.jpg
I bought a keychain at the show and when I got home my Jack Russell terrier made a supposed indestructible chew toy in its image.
You could probably sell it on eBay for hundreds of dollars and then buy kanaduh a signed poster with some of the extra cash. ;-)
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Nicholus
07-28-2009, 02:27 PM

I was the guy in the front left with the Staw Cowboy hat =) Was a great show. Loved every bit of the actual show. Couldn't really hear his lyrics... but that's ok because the entire crowd sings good and makes up for it :-P Danny is my freakin hero, and possibly the best known drummer of our time.

The bouncer guys were really mean... Danny threw a drum stick right next to us, it hit the gate thing infront of the stage and fell, the guy next to us reached over the gate to get it and the bouncer pushed him back into the audience. Then said "hold on a second" to the kid... thenbouncer folded his arms and stood there. After a few seconds he reached down, picked up the drum stick and handed it to someone else. W T F felt bad for the kid. Another thing they did was throw water at people that were trying to snap a pic with their cell phones in an attempt to damage them. Douche bags man.
Old 07-28-2009, 02:27 PM   #36
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

I was the guy in the front left with the Staw Cowboy hat =) Was a great show. Loved every bit of the actual show. Couldn't really hear his lyrics... but that's ok because the entire crowd sings good and makes up for it :-P Danny is my freakin hero, and possibly the best known drummer of our time.

The bouncer guys were really mean... Danny threw a drum stick right next to us, it hit the gate thing infront of the stage and fell, the guy next to us reached over the gate to get it and the bouncer pushed him back into the audience. Then said "hold on a second" to the kid... thenbouncer folded his arms and stood there. After a few seconds he reached down, picked up the drum stick and handed it to someone else. W T F felt bad for the kid. Another thing they did was throw water at people that were trying to snap a pic with their cell phones in an attempt to damage them. Douche bags man.
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Toology55
07-28-2009, 02:47 PM

I have to agree that this wasn't Maynard's best, but hey, he is 45 now. Not sure why he stands back next to Danny Carey while rocking back and forth the whole time, given he is a Frontman. Danny Carey is an amazing drummer at 48, Adam and Justin were good too.

I wish they had played Eulogy, Prison Sex or Undertow. I saw them in 1997 in Nashville at Lollapalooza (along with Snoop Dogg, Korn and The Prodigy), they were better (and younger), Maynard's voice was great back then, I guess combination of age + overuse did it.

Good show overall, I bought the tickets (sec 107 next to stage) on Craigslist 15 min before the show start since I wasn't sure I could make it and raced up and was still early, I wish I had stopped at Walgreens to pickup some hearos to reduce the decibels a bit, couldn't hear crap afterwards and I like enjoy my hearing.
Old 07-28-2009, 02:47 PM   #37
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

I have to agree that this wasn't Maynard's best, but hey, he is 45 now. Not sure why he stands back next to Danny Carey while rocking back and forth the whole time, given he is a Frontman. Danny Carey is an amazing drummer at 48, Adam and Justin were good too.

I wish they had played Eulogy, Prison Sex or Undertow. I saw them in 1997 in Nashville at Lollapalooza (along with Snoop Dogg, Korn and The Prodigy), they were better (and younger), Maynard's voice was great back then, I guess combination of age + overuse did it.

Good show overall, I bought the tickets (sec 107 next to stage) on Craigslist 15 min before the show start since I wasn't sure I could make it and raced up and was still early, I wish I had stopped at Walgreens to pickup some hearos to reduce the decibels a bit, couldn't hear crap afterwards and I like enjoy my hearing.
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Emericana's Avatar Emericana
07-28-2009, 02:51 PM

So I ended up going to this show, even though in the Denver thread (saw the show last weekend in Denver and it was horrible) I said I would not... man am I happy i did. This show was SOOOOOO much better than Denver.

Differences between the two shows (other than the addition of Aenema) was a new intro to lost keys (which I thought was real fuckin cool), and a AWESOME visual before the start of lateralus.

Went with my girl and that made all the difference. Got drunk too which made for a great time. As always, flood was fucking epic and the best song of the night.

Maynards vocals were turned down too low. Only complaint other than setlist and the 2009 show being shorter than the 06/07 shows.

The band was flawless last night. Was cool to see the talkbox solo of jambi played with a guitar. Lateralus drum duel was fucking awesome. way better than the dude from the black keys in denver. fun show. not my fave i have been too (see signature for shows I have been too), but right up there.
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Old 07-28-2009, 02:51 PM   #38
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

So I ended up going to this show, even though in the Denver thread (saw the show last weekend in Denver and it was horrible) I said I would not... man am I happy i did. This show was SOOOOOO much better than Denver.

Differences between the two shows (other than the addition of Aenema) was a new intro to lost keys (which I thought was real fuckin cool), and a AWESOME visual before the start of lateralus.

Went with my girl and that made all the difference. Got drunk too which made for a great time. As always, flood was fucking epic and the best song of the night.

Maynards vocals were turned down too low. Only complaint other than setlist and the 2009 show being shorter than the 06/07 shows.

The band was flawless last night. Was cool to see the talkbox solo of jambi played with a guitar. Lateralus drum duel was fucking awesome. way better than the dude from the black keys in denver. fun show. not my fave i have been too (see signature for shows I have been too), but right up there.
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mondegreen
07-28-2009, 04:19 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Toology55 View Post
I have to agree that this wasn't Maynard's best, but hey, he is 45 now. Not sure why he stands back next to Danny Carey while rocking back and forth the whole time, given he is a Frontman. Danny Carey is an amazing drummer at 48, Adam and Justin were good too.
Maynard positions himself like that to try to get the sound right. The band doesn't want Danny's monster drumset blowing away Maynard's mic.

I've read several people saying that Maynard has always been a bit of a dick, and I've been around long enough to know that. Regardless of how pretentious he acts, he has always taken the task of delivering a solid performance very seriously. In eight years of seeing Tool play live and collecting various live CDs and DVDs, last night was the first time that Maynard really looked like he did not care about the music. I think that is what has people so upset about the show.
Old 07-28-2009, 04:19 PM   #39
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Quote:
Originally Posted by Toology55 View Post
I have to agree that this wasn't Maynard's best, but hey, he is 45 now. Not sure why he stands back next to Danny Carey while rocking back and forth the whole time, given he is a Frontman. Danny Carey is an amazing drummer at 48, Adam and Justin were good too.
Maynard positions himself like that to try to get the sound right. The band doesn't want Danny's monster drumset blowing away Maynard's mic.

I've read several people saying that Maynard has always been a bit of a dick, and I've been around long enough to know that. Regardless of how pretentious he acts, he has always taken the task of delivering a solid performance very seriously. In eight years of seeing Tool play live and collecting various live CDs and DVDs, last night was the first time that Maynard really looked like he did not care about the music. I think that is what has people so upset about the show.
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kanaduh
07-28-2009, 04:24 PM

hmm.

i'm slightly confused to be honest with most of these posts.

compared to every other show since 2006, I don't see how maynard was any different last night?
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Old 07-28-2009, 04:24 PM   #40
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Re: 07.27.09 - Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

hmm.

i'm slightly confused to be honest with most of these posts.

compared to every other show since 2006, I don't see how maynard was any different last night?
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