My only complaint was that we got one less song than we did at the Oakland show in May. Later in the tour they replaced The Patient with Right in Two. I was hoping they would extend the arena shows by an extra song or two. But getting one less song than Oakland was a surprise. Right in Two would've been a great song to play after what went down at Street Scene.
I did enjoy the jams between songs. The intro to Sober was pretty sweet. It was my 25th Tool show but I doubt it will go down as a memoriable one. Unlike the 2002 Colorado Springs show when they opened with Cold & Ugly for the first time since 1998. They came out on fire that night after a lackluster show in Orem, UT the night before. They're still better than any band on the road and when you least expect it they will give you a nice surprise. So check your expectations at the door and you won't be let down.
we started off about 50 feet back from the stage, but the minute the concert started we shifted forward about 30 feet over the course of about 3 seconds... usually, i dont mind pushing/moshpits, but this was a little more extreme than normal (and i've been to some pretty crazy concerts before). of course it doesn't help that i only weigh about 160 and couldn't really fight back very well. i was hoping it was just going to last the first song or so but about halfway through the pot we gave up and ended up working our way back so we could watch the show without having such difficulty breathing.
that said, it was my first tool concert and i thought it was pretty damn sweet. i too was hoping for a longer setlist though... i have been reading reviews from their previous concerts and was hoping this one would have a few more songs because it was supposed to be the start of their full US tour. however, i still thought it was pretty sick to see most of my favorite songs from my favorite band live. the highlight for me was lateralus, but i also thought the extended part in schism was pretty sweet.
i didn't see that meteor but my friend did... and yeah, we ran into the same wind problems going on 152. probably the craziest drive i've ever been on... between the crazy wind gusts and the pitch black freeway i was definitely gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than usual.
Was Maynard checking the time on his watch during the show??? Show still kicked ass. I liked the setlist from Oakland better...but I'll pipe down abd take it like a man. Thanks "Dumb Fucks" who thought spending a lot of money to mosh was a cool thing to do. They should've played "Hooker W/ A Penis" for ya.
Re: 2006/08/06 - Fresno, CA - Selland Arena, my 24th show
This was my 24th Tool show, and as usual, they kicked ass! Overall I enjoyed the aural experience, though the acoustics of an arena always leave something to be desired.
The evening began as we rolled into the parking lot, cracked open a beer, lit some cigars and then saw King Buzzo (of the Melvins) walking around the parking lot. Very cool to see him around, and it brings me back to the days when they opened for Tool in ’98. We entered the doors and found our seats just in time for the scheduled start – 8pm. Apparently confused with some future shows, I was expecting Isis any minute. Then I looked at the stage and realized it was Tool’s setup (can’t mistake Danny’s kit!) which made sense since they were playing the same funky “I’m an evil mutherfucker” bit that I heard at Coachella right before Tool took the stage. We were near the front of the seats, about half way back in the arena. We saw a few folks on the floor break through the security and run into the crowd.
The 4 screen setup and relatively plain stage is not as visually stimulating as the late-Lateralus tour visuals. But this matters little to me since Tool shows for me are 90% about the sound, the songs and the groove I find myself in – the other 10% is watching the band master their instruments.
Stinkfist is a great opener, and the arena surged with excitement as Tool eschewed the evening of technical excellence.
At Coachella The Pot was my favorite song of the day, and this time it was almost as fun, though the reverb in the arena was distracting me a bit.
46&2 just fucking kicks ass, and it’s a powerful song to behold in person. I will never tire of hearing this song!
Jambi – what a great in-your-face start to this song – I think Adam altered his talk box part somewhat from the album version.
Schism is a technically impressive song that I don’t enjoy as much as many folks, but it’s true Tool through and through.
Lost Keys – now some interesting things start to happen for me at this show – a song I hadn’t yet heard live! The first thing I noticed was that the long note/feedback at the start of the song is in fact Justin messing with his bass at his amp and not Adam as I had assumed. Rosetta Stoned kicked ass and is a different sort of groove than any other Tool song, to me.
Instrumental bit (before Sober) – nobody seems to be commenting on this piece, which I thought was incredible. It featured some great Carey solo work, and at one point I was sure it was turning into Third Eye, for a minute or two, before it morphed and then ended with the start of Sober. Does this piece have a name? What else do others think about it?
Sober is a great tune, and the one that got me hooked on Tool (back when KNAC ruled the heavy air-waves in LA!). I’ve heard it at almost every Tool show and still enjoy it.
Lateralus live grabs me and takes me to my own world. It’s emotional and powerful and I love to experience this song. It was my favorite one this night.
Vicarious – I realized that Justin and Danny were exactly in line with each other with Danny's kit directly above Justin's head in my line of sight. It was awesome to watch one, then the other and then both at the same time. I also noticed that the bell-like "ting-ting-ting-ting etc." bit you hear in Vicarious (near the begining and again later in the song) is Danny pounding on something that is usually behind his back that has pedals/keys using his fists.
Aenima – what can I say, it’s been a great closer at so many shows.
It was cool to see the guys take their respite right on the stage to keep the community tight. I would love to hear some other songs, especially 10,000 Days and Right in Two, Pushit and Opiate would be great too! Hopefully the upcoming shows I’ve got tickets to will hold some new tunes and set changes!
One thing I have to say is that in 24 Tool shows, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected in terms of mood, ambience and feel of the show. Lots of folks say “they don’t play like the did…” or “this was better/worse…” and speculate about why. All I can say is that you don’t know what you get until you try, which is why I keep trying more Tool shows!
If any of you guys saw S.O.A.D. at SaveMart Center, this show was alot better even if it was a subpar Tool show.
The '02 show at Selland was better for sure. Meshuggah opened, better visuals for Tool's set, they played longer, they opened with COLD & UGLY (that moment kicked so much ass), and Thomas Hakke from Meshuggah came out during Triad and jammed on the roto-toms and did a solo with Danny, which was orgasmic. But despite all this I have no complaints from last night. It's still TOOL and they still know how to put on a show.
But there was ONE thing I thought was better about this show than the 02 show: No divided sections for the crowd with Nazi event staff guys everywhere. There were CHAIRS on the entire floor for the '02 show which killed it, and they even had the floor divided into a front and rear half. They treated it like it was a fucking country concert. If you were in the rear half you couldn't get to the front because there was a line of event staff bouncers. I personally like open floors. If you want to sit then get arena level seats. The Fresno State amphitheater show in '98 was AWESOME. At least this time and in '98 I could move freely and not have an event staff guy up my ass for standing in an aisle for 10 seconds.
Aenema was the high point of the show. The whole floor was jumping up and down and the sound was awesome.
My friend and I got there at around 3pm. We walked around while some very nice people held our spot. Doors opened after 7 although we were told they would open at 6:30. So we stood there for fucking 2 hours, although the show was supposed to start at 8. I was soooo anxious. Not to mention my friend was fucked up on e and drunk as well, and he was being a fucking pain in the ass!!!
So once 9 o'clock came around, the band finally showed up. The lights went out, i could see the visuals, i could see the guys coming out...all of a sudden, people were pushing from all different directions to get to the front, stepping on me, elbowing me, kicking me, pushing me down. All i could smell is fucking b.o. and shit. It became really fucking hot i could bearly breathe. My friend kept saying relax just relax. I tried, i tried just letting the crowd lead me, but fuck, im only 5'1 and weigh 100 pounds and i kept being crushed and elbowed and i tripped and fell a couple times, but hey, that’s a concert right? i even bit some guy cuz he was chocking me with his arm and hes like, hey man! or something…i was not enjoying it. So when Stinkfist ended and the crowd calmed down a bit right before The Pot i tried pushing my way back and it was sooo hard, i had to yell, lemme through! lemme through! People were kind enough to make way for me.
Around the middle of the crowd, some fuck hit my nose and i bled some. I had to hold my nose and tilt my head back on my way to the bathroom. It fuckn sucked.
When i came outta the bathroom i saw this chick who is also not of great stature and she asked, are you okay? i said yeah im fine. she said, i couldnt handle it either, and she gave me a drink of her water and left.
I didnt want to miss anymore of it so i went to where adam was and pried my way towards the barricade, but only made it to second row in time for 46&2. Everything was good in my opinion, except Lost Keys and Rosetta Stoned kinda sucked. The last song Aenema was sooooooo amazing! Great song to end that show. When ever Maynard said, Peace, right before Aenema started, I thought wtf?? It cant be over already?! Fuuuuuuuck!! It was way too short. Also, I cant believe how Maynard stood back there near Danny the whole time…that was really lame. I thought, this aint A Perfect Circle, why the fuck is he back there? It was truly annoying. I was sooo disappointed about that. Adam was just playing, not really into it. Justin was humping his base the whole time, and Danny was the best I thought, he was rockin out the whole time.
It was still awesome though, despite the fact that i lost my goddamn glasses and couldnt see too good.
It was all good though. My friend got the SETLIST!!! Lucky son of a bitch.
no compalints here. i take it for what it is...my favorite band, playing my favorite music, live...enough said.
Couldn't agree more with you. I'm seeing lots of negative posts about the show. Wouldn't that be cool/great if Tool or any other band played our "dream setlist"? Of course, everyone has their idea what a "Dream Setlist" should be and there is no way Tool or any other band would ever make everyone happy. NO way.
Tool is my favorite band, I love all their music and I'm just happy I got to see them live playing any of that music.
I was the closest person in the entire arena to Justin Chancellor. It was an amazing experience and a great show. This was my first Tool concert and it was a mezmerizing experience.
Right before the encore (Vicarious and Aenima), I laughed my ass off. Maynard and Adam just layed on the ground... Maynard would put a foot up, then Adam would copy him. They looked so rediculous, it was hilarious. The entire band just looked at the audience like "Okay, we just gave you music, now YOU entertain US" Hahaha.
The entire experience was breathtaking... but the parts that struck me as the best were the double time extention of Schism, the first huge riff of Lateralus, and the entire encore. It was EASILY the best concert I've ever seen. I'm definately catching them in Marysville in September.
I was one of the guys with a Parabola shirt on. I played "pin the tool on maynard," and ALMOST got it. Sitting in line just ahead of the KRZR set-up, I was drinking 24oz Miller High Life's. One of the people that worked at the convention center told me that I couldn't have beer cans on the property, so I went back to my truck and replaced the can with a water bottle to hold the beer. I got there pretty close to 4pm, so there were only a few people... maybe 75 or so? With three or four lines forming, I was only about 25 places back in line. Those dudes from Redding and I all helped each other out. I held their spots when they went to check on a better entrance to approach, they held mine when I made my multiple runs to the portapotty because of the beer I was drinking. Man, I had a good time. Can't wait to see them in Bakersfield. Too bad I can't be there with the same people I met at this show.
Re: 2006/08/06 - Fresno, CA - Selland Arena, my 24th show
Quote:
Originally Posted by _J_A_Y_
Instrumental bit (before Sober) – nobody seems to be commenting on this piece, which I thought was incredible. It featured some great Carey solo work, and at one point I was sure it was turning into Third Eye, for a minute or two, before it morphed and then ended with the start of Sober. Does this piece have a name? What else do others think about it?
I totally thought the same thing... i was like damn they are going to bust out third eye but alas schism... it sort of sounded like a fast merkaba or something... i enjoyed it a lot as well as rosetta stoned and lost keys... i hadnt seen those songs live either.
I have seen TOOL 5 times since '94, and I think the show in Fresno is one of the best I have ever seen! It was like sitting there listening/watching a greatest hits show, with alot of kick ass stuff from 10,000 days! I will be making the trip to Vancouver BC to see the show on the 22nd and I hope it's as kick ass as Fresno was!
I am not wanting the guys heads on a platter who pulled people out who needed to be pulled out......
I was dancing minding my own...ON THE EXTREME LEFT of the stage not in the center. I wasn't ever in the center...I wasn't ever in the pit. Not my gig. Oh and BTW...I have a really nice bruise from some punk who moshed into me...somehow after hundreds of concerts of I don't recall moshing into anyone who didn't know they were getting bumped, who didn't know it was a total joke, whom I was looking right in the eye, and I have aplogized hundreds of times for merely bumping or touching with my arms someone behind me or in front of me when I have accidently touched them when dancing. And I get booted for moshing....
***shakes head
Pulling people out who need to get pulled out is great. Hell I don't even know who I am responding to...No me importa....I got home yesterday...couldn't sleep...didn't sleep the night before...went to work for 14 hours, took an hour off and now I mananged to get some wireless at my next 8 hours of work before my next 14 hours of work...
I am doing Bako...I think I need someone... to keep the secrurity away from me so I can dance...any takers? ;-) LOL!
i will bet if there werent so many cameras (i saw lots a flashes) and camcorders, they would have played longer. i saw three or four people on the floor get kicked out for having camcorders. if you bring one, be smart, conceal it in the seats...
Maynard had his back to the audience alot towards the end of the show.
i felt the bands perfermance was spot on. however, i feel that the show should have been longer. no right in two, intension, or wings pt.1/pt.2
what kind of a band doesnt play songs off their new record.
it was worth the 170 mile drive from san francisco to see tool.
i feel let down, i really wanted to hear wings for marie
i cant see them in oakland or for the next year because i have a job in china starting sept 1.
Unless tool wants to fly me out to one of their concerts...
edit: the lateralus (35 dollar, boxoffice tickets) show i went to, they were on stage for roughly 160-170 minutes, this one (65 dollar, ticketmaster tickets), they were on stage for 95-100 minutes
anyone try to eat at the denny's on exit 159 in madera? my girlfriend and i waited 25 minutes for service then left. i saw like 15 others leave cause they were not attended too.
__________________ something witty
Last edited by sprucemoose3311; 08-08-2006 at 02:48 PM..
Well this was the first Tool show I have been to and I realy enjoyed it!
I would have liked to see more of them, it was short, I wanted to hear him speak more I wanted to feel closer to them. It seemed like they didnt want to be there.
The whole crowd was feeling them! We were all hanging on to every word!
Dont get me wrong, I love them I love their music! I needed more time.
This was my third tool show this tour and musically it was the best. As expected, the setlist was the same as the other shows and somewhat short. But nobody should be complaining about it. The boys played phenomenally well. The past two shows I saw only had a couple songs with a new part (Extended Stinkfist, etc). Last night almost every song last night had a new section where they just tore it up. Stinkfist was extended. 46 and 2 got sooo heavy in the middle, Danny went off. Sober had an unreal opening with wailing feedback for almost 5 minutes. At one point Justin had his bass upside down with its head on the stage floor picking up extra vibrations. Maynard let it all hang out vocally in Vicarious. I've never heard him sing so loud and with that much passion. Lateralus was my highlight... just an amazingly powerful and emotional song.
Whoever says this show sucked should have given their ticket to someone more deserving. Tool came to Fresno of all fucking places. You guys should be thrilled. And if you had read any of the reviews you would have known the approximate setlist and length of the show. Compared to the last two shows I saw this crowd was a little lackluster. There should have been a deafening roar during the intermission. Instead it sounded more like a high school pep rally.
And for the people slamming Maynard for singing in the dark and not facing the crowd give this a try. Maybe he doesn't want to be famous, maybe he thinks the spotlight should be on his amazing band members so that all the focus of the crowd isn't on him, or maybe he is just a prick, I don't know what he thinks and neither do you. What I do know is that peoples perception of him and tool's music are a reflection of themselves.
I was one of the guys with a Parabola shirt on. I played "pin the tool on maynard," and ALMOST got it. Sitting in line just ahead of the KRZR set-up, I was drinking 24oz Miller High Life's. One of the people that worked at the convention center told me that I couldn't have beer cans on the property, so I went back to my truck and replaced the can with a water bottle to hold the beer. I got there pretty close to 4pm, so there were only a few people... maybe 75 or so? With three or four lines forming, I was only about 25 places back in line. Those dudes from Redding and I all helped each other out. I held their spots when they went to check on a better entrance to approach, they held mine when I made my multiple runs to the portapotty because of the beer I was drinking. Man, I had a good time. Can't wait to see them in Bakersfield. Too bad I can't be there with the same people I met at this show.
I'm from Redding! Perhaps it was me and my pals your talking about? What do you look like?
[QUOTE=SQRL226]Was Maynard checking the time on his watch during the show???
YES!!! I saw that too. I swear! This is what I was talking about in my previous post. Please don't get me wrong everyone, I love this band and I'm so grateful for the music they have given me (all of us) to enjoy throughout these years, but it's clear the passion is lacking compared to the past concerts we have seen.
do any of you guys remember the song that danny and justin did together. Maynard liked walked off the stage. Did it sound like third eye's intro?
I remember that they played something that sounded like Third Eye for a bit, then they started Sober after that. see my review (above) for my comments on this.
Hey man, I have a dark tan and shaved head. Which dude are ya? I drove my grey 2500 quad cab diesel dodge 4x4. I met you guys at the gas station.
Haha! I was the guy that came late. I only talked to you for a minute. I met my buddies in line at the show, they were the ones who met you at the gas station.
i thought the band had great energy, they all looked like they were really into the performance. i didnt mind that maynard had his back to us alot at the end, in fact im glad he didnt just turn around completely like he has in the past when there are so many cameras going off. Maynard's voice was amazing, and my girlfreind said she has never heard a singing voice as strong as his (nor have I). I thought the performance was great but short.
also, whats up with everyone throwing their shirts on stage at Adam, was it just me (and my view) or did he hide behind his synthesizer for a while?
Haha! I was the guy that came late. I only talked to you for a minute. I met my buddies in line at the show, they were the ones who met you at the gas station.
HAH! Whats up man? Why did you guys leave so early? I never got to see you off. Suckers... :)
HAH! Whats up man? Why did you guys leave so early? I never got to see you off. Suckers... :)
Pretty neat to be able to connect like this.
All the guys that I met up with (the ones that you met at the gas station) kinda wussed out once the concert actually started... They told me that they ended up way towards the back of the mixing pit. So, after it was all over, they got out pretty quick. I was all the way at the front, so it took forever for me to get outta that place...
Was Maynard checking the time on his watch during the show???
YES!!! I saw that too. I swear! This is what I was talking about in my previous post. Please don't get me wrong everyone, . . . it's clear the passion is lacking compared to the past concerts we have seen.
Once they get on a real tour schedule(and have more rehearsal time) the setlist will hopeully expand to include longer shows and more from their discography, my 2 cents. If the next few shows have better setlists then Utah may become a possibility.
Bottomline was that I was in the mood for a show and I didn't get one.
I attended the show and got what I came for; to scream at Maynard and tell him that he is a fucking farmer who is more interested in grapes than music. hehehe.. Anyone hear me? Hmmm, well it was a total trip because as I was yelling these damning words (floor,right side) Mr. Keenen (as pablo calls him) slowly turned his head toward my direction as he broke into the POT. Heavy coincidence or conection. The funny thing is I am working with plants myself at a local nursery in Ca. As for the show, well it was short and consited of frontside songs as opposed to flipside ones. Basically the same set as Oakland but better, which was ok for me seeing as I was so loaded off canibis brownies for Oakland that I really wonder if that wasn't some sort of lucid dream??? And for all you who followed the band fom San Diego to Fresno expecting something different....you must have been high ; ) ps- see you in Bakersfield
Yeah man, I'll be there too. Not holding my breath though for any changes in the setlist. I'll also be trying for Marysville and the hopeless fucking hole we call LA.
But there was ONE thing I thought was better about this show than the 02 show: No divided sections for the crowd with Nazi event staff guys everywhere. There were CHAIRS on the entire floor for the '02 show which killed it, and they even had the floor divided into a front and rear half. They treated it like it was a fucking country concert. If you were in the rear half you couldn't get to the front because there was a line of event staff bouncers.
Yeah this year they had an open floor, but of course there always has to be those idiots who fuck it up for everyone else by moshing and hurting people. GROW UP! I didn't mind the seats on the floor because at least I felt assured I was going to enjoy the show and not get my a$$ kicked by some idiot trying to start a mosh pit.
I was disappointed they didn't play more from the new album. Really wanted to hear 10,000 Days.
no compalints here. i take it for what it is...my favorite band, playing my favorite music, live...enough said.
that's what i'm talking about! I drove all the way from Mt. Shasta, CA only because it was TOOL! If I was Maynard, I would want to get the hell out of Fresno ASAP too! I'm also going to try for Marysville.
that's what i'm talking about! I drove all the way from Mt. Shasta, CA only because it was TOOL! If I was Maynard, I would want to get the hell out of Fresno ASAP too! I'm also going to try for Marysville.
With regards to all of the complaining going on about the venue and the town. Tool is evidently not playing their upcoming arena tour. Most of the spring and summer tour were merely a warm-up for the real gig with ISIS.
Fresno was remarkably chosen out a million cities throughout the states before leaving to Japan. The boys have our hats off for even considering Fresno. I could have been leaning over the toilet puking for the whole show, and it would have still topped the Shasta show...
Last edited by fuckno, ca; 08-14-2006 at 06:34 AM..
