concert reviews firsthand, immediate, from the heart

11/03/2001

Review written by: Kabir Akhtar (kabir@toolshed.down.net)


This was this reviewer's 16th Tool show


The second time I saw Tool, shortly after Lollapalooza 1993, was in a
venue which probably holds 900 or so people.  At the Shoreline show, a
security guard told me that there were some 22,000 people in attendance.  
Obviously, a seriously different vibe was about to cascade throughout the
venue.

We missed Tricky.  Oops.

Everyone who went knows that the parking situation was really atrocious.  
We sat in line for a long time, and literally were led around in a circle
or two before we were able to put the car somewhere (for $10) and find our
way in.

The show was pretty solid, if a little uninspired.  Perhaps it's the
end-of-tour fatigue showing, perhaps it's the apathetic crowd, perhaps
it's just the cold, but some of the ferocity / freshness is certainly
missing.

Much of the show is covered in other reviews below, so I'll just offer my
few thoughts here. I was really into "Triad", even more so into the
projections happening during the song, which were the most
complete-looking projections during the show.  That spiral during
"Lateralus" was pretty neat, though.

There was a nice long jam or three during the show, each showing hints of
being a "Merkaba" of its own, though the soundscape-pause in the middle of
"Schism" where the Osseus Labyrint folks came out waddling around the
stage was really cool.

Few have mentioned the downturns in the show, notably Adam losing a string
or something at the end-solo in "Undertow" ... but it was neat to hear the
song end without any guitar parts.  After the final break in "Opiate"
("just do everything I tell you to do"), someone missed a beat on the way
back in (I don't dare say it was Danny, do I?).

Maybe the best way to sum it up is with this little tale: late in the
show, following "Reflection", a guy waddled up the row and stood next to
me.  He and his friend had security eject some people in our row, because
they were sitting in "his seats."  He asked me who the band was.  I just
looked at him, and told him he'd missed half of the show.  He proudly went
on to tell me that he "usually does."  It was very sad to see him try to
start a mosh pit around us.  I've heard that the venues will get smaller
for future Tool tours, and I certainly hope so; not only because it makes
the concert experience that much more intimate and personal, but because
the arena-rock tagalongs who are clearly only there for the chance to wear
their 1989 outfits while they pound another six-pack really dilute the
quality of the crowd.

"Tool rocks," to be sure.  "T0000000L!!!"'s fanbase, on the other hand, is
certainly picking up some less savvy individuals who are unfortunately
more interested in pointing their fingers up their asses than in spiraling
out ... hopefully that trend won't keep going.











Review written by: jack the ripper (winsafe@emporium.on.ca)
Review posted on: 11/03/01 13:53:00 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  I WILL SLASH ALL OF YOU TONIGHT!
TOOL WILL PLAY 4 DEGREES
I'LL HAVE MY WAY WITH YOU THEN.
RIP
THE MAN








Review written by: Driz00 (subtlemail@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/03/01 21:51:39 ET


This was this reviewer's 8th Tool show

  A big Fuck You to Sacramento!

Next year I'll be at the Shoreline show (guess I might have 
to if they decide not to come back)
I don't think I heard all of Lateralus either.  Was that one 
cut short as well?  (Feel connnected, witness the beauty...)

In Aenema maynard sang "I sure could use a vacation from 
this bullshit 2 ring circus..."
I took it as "I sure could use a vacation from this bullshit 
touring circus..." 
Sounds so similar, you make the call...

We didn't get the "positive" speech at all... replaced 
by "Well there you have it"... "Thanks for all the shoes"

Wasn't loud enough in the nosebleeds.

Lateralus cut short as well???  (I dont recall the feel 
connected.. weep like a widow.. parts)

Okay, reaching DEEP for something positive to say.  Hard to 
do because 3rd song in the energy level took a dive.
Schism sounded AMAZING live...   and to think thats the one 
I least looked forward to.

Okay Sacramento recall last time Tool was here... (2nd 
night) to when Maynard was scolded us for throwing stuff 
onstage....  remember?   He sat down and read off the 
contents of some kids wallet (how much money, name, 
birthdate, address).   Remember how he took 10 minutes 
out of the show, and remember how pissed he seemed 
about it??

I guess we haven't learned a lesson, have we?

Your pathetic Sacramento.













Review written by: jaymz (jihadr@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 02:52:47 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  WOW! WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW..
i JUST got back
i am fucking happy as hell
that was awesome.. energy, loud music, tool! what more 
could i ask for.. 
could someone please post the playlist?








Review written by: Erik Pemberton (ENiGMA7479@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 03:13:22 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  (also posted to alt.music.tool)

The Grudge
- ions
Stinkfist (extended)
Undertow
Pushit (_Aenima_ version)
Parabol
Parabola
soundscapy stuff
Schism (OL)
Reflection
Disposition
Triad (OL)
Eon Blue Apocalypse
The Patient
Opiate
Lateralus

Great show, great performance, great energy, great crowd (for the most
part). Didn't match the intimacy that I had back at the Berkeley show a
few months back, but then again... I think the capacity at Shoreline is
like 10x that of the Berkeley Community Center, so I'm not complaining.
I hope somebody taped this, since that weird soundscape stuff fucking
ruled, and the drum circle vibe they had going on "Triad" made me
drool. Literally. After that song, Maynard said something about some
guy that was the runner-up in the Make-A-Wish Vermont chapter. Anyone
have any idea who that was?

-- 
Erik
[np: ringing in my ears]
http://members.aol.com/ENiGMA7479/
http://www.livejournal.com/users/midgetporn/
http://panzram.iuma.com/








Review written by: heather (undine@kjsl.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 03:22:50 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  completely awesome. i wish they pulled equally from everything
though, as opposed to playing mainly from lateralus. but hey, you
can't have everything. just to see them was enough for me.









Review written by: Phil (Toolmews@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 03:26:56 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  It was a brilliant show to say the least.  I would have 
enjoyed a more intimate setting than Shoreline,( missed 
Berkley) but what can you do.  Wonderful that there wasn't a 
mosh pit or any attempt otherwise.  It was kind of funny to 
see all the little dumbasses that were expecting to pit.  they 
had to just stand there and enjoy the music, imagine that!  
Pushit was amazing.  Videos were interesting.  All in all, 
made for a great show.









Review written by: Ursula (uwishucould@send.me.crap)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 03:32:19 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  No other musician can put on a show that would please me 
as well as a Tori show, but Tool did it tonight.

The Shoreline crowd was respectful.  I have been reading the 
reviews and did not know what to expect with Tricky or Tool.  
Tricky seemed to have rearranged a few songs to make 
them sound more hardcore, perhaps to adapt to the 
expectations the general attendee would have.  It was a 
refreshing musical change from his albums.  Justin came out 
and played on at least one song.  Tricky announced him and 
said that Justin had respect.  I didn't recognize Tricky 
playing anything off of Maxinquaye.  Most of his set was 
from Blowback, as one might expect.  It lasted about 45 
minutes.  He seemed to be smoking onstage.

Right before Tool came out, there were sounds of Buddhist 
monks.  During Tool's set, Maynard moved his body, 
shaping energy with it.  I could see that he could feel our 
energy and feelings about the songs and melded them 
through his body and voice with his feelings.  All of his 
motions had energy and awareness, but were never 
contrived.  His movements expressed passion.  At first,  
Maynard wore a long shirt and pants, then he took off his 
shirt and then later his pants and just wore something like 
bikini.  I was up in section 201, so I couldn't see the band 
well.  I saw Maynard most because he was on an elevated 
mini-stage.  The set lasted over 2 hours.  I was surprised at 
how much time they gave us because I am used to Tori 
giving about 90-110 minutes, even with a band.

The Grudge was a nice opener because it let us let things go 
so we could be ready for the changes about to happen 
throughout the show.

Before Lateralus, Maynard told us how he wants us to take 
the feelings we have from this experience and use it to 
create something positive.  Prior to Opiate, he told 
said, "well there it is" and thanked us for having them and 
mentioned how it was always a pleasure.  Because there isn't 
a setlist database for Tool that I know of like Sped Erstad's 
Tori database, I didn't know what to expect in terms of a 
setlist.  I knew we would get songs from Lateralus, but was 
incredibly surprised to hear Opiate.  I also enjoyed Undertow 
and Stinkfist.  My favorites, however, were Parabol and 
Parabola.

The visuals were interesting especially because there was a 
balanced combination of feminine and masculine visions.  At 
some points, there were images of a naked woman with a 
naked man layered over so the androgynous aspect of the 
Self was represented (yay!)
The visuals for The Patient were powerful; there were two 
women walking around a woman who had no bottom half; it 
was just her top half and they were holding her hands and 
rotating her.
During many songs we saw mandalas, but we saw many 
beautiful motions of mandalas during Parabola.  (I could 
even venture to say that Tool's visuals were better than Pink 
Floyd's visuals I saw at my first ever concert in 1994, but I'll 
just say they were as good.)

Lateralus reminded me of Tori Amos' Waitress, as she 
performed it in 1998 and 1999.  Besides the obvious point 
that they performed it in closing, the "spiral out, keep 
going" part correlated with the "I believe in her goodness, I 
believe in her godness" in Waitress.  It was like their gift to 
us to take with us, to inspire us to keep creating.  The songs 
help us to remember we are godlike and to live with, as I 
hear Joseph Campbell's words repeat in my mind, "joyful 
participation in the sorrows of the world."

p.s. (aka random facts) the T-shirts were $30-$40, even 
Tricky's.  They only took Amex or cash.  They had a hat and 
a laminate also for sale.  I didn't notice any jewelry-type 
things.  Maynard threw his extra water bottles to the crowd at 
the end.  During Triad, someone played drums with the 
band; Maynard announced his name (I don't remember it, 
sorry) and said something about him winning a contest with 
the Make a Wish Foundation Vermont Chapter.  There were 
some cool acrobats also.  At the end, Maynard put his hands 
up in peace signs toward us.  Overall, he had a really sweet 
presence.  I don't know what all this bitching in the reviews 
about his attitude has been.  It's probably projection, but I 
don't know because I wasn't there.  During Undertow, the 
moving tendril visuals reminded me of a dancing god.

Thanks to Kabir for keeping up this site so I could watch it 
for a few years and access information to lead me toward 
seeing this energizing show!
  












Review written by: Chris Mosqueda (Orange Man) (cmosqueda@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 03:50:49 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd? Tool show

  This concert was another blast.  At first i thought it was just going to be another version of the Berkeley show cause they 
played all the same songs.  This show had some cool new things to keep me interested though.

1. Those bending people from the Schism music video came out during schism and were walking around.

2. Those same two later climbed up ropes and dide some crazy acrobatics during triad (featuring someone from tricky)

SETLIST

The Grudge
Stinkfist
Undertow

Maynard says welcome or hello to the audience

Parabol/-a (combo)
Pushit (Aenema version)
Schism (freaky bending people walk/crawl out...)

Voice of God (this was some crazy sounds that mixed into what my friend called "alien helicopter jam"  
Disposition/reflection
Bending people climb up ropes goes into intermission with guy spining..then triad starts
Triad (feat member of tricky)
Eon Blue Apocalpse
the Patient

Maynard says stuff (i think something like "well that wraps it up")
Opiate

Maynard's speech ("take this feeling and in the following weeks create something positive" I KNOW I WILL)
Lateralus

End of show...the band throws out stuff to the audience and thing hugs....:( how sweet...

Maynard, Adam, Justin and Danny....thank you all again for a great night.  You guys rock and are TOTALLY awesome.  
if you haven't seen these guys perform yet....GO....any means necessary it's well worth it.








Review written by: Gavyn (????)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 04:08:52 ET


This was this reviewer's 2 Tool show

  sence this is my 2nd show i'll compair it to my 1st 
my first show was in berkly hell fucking yea my second one 
was in shoreline and again hell fucking yea
the first thing i liked better about my first show is that i had 
better seats... that's always an upside to every thing and the 
sound was a little better because it was more closed in but 
hey what can i say Tool is Tool and who gives a shit

i don't get why people where dissing Tricky saying they 
where rap that's bull they where a pretty great band no one 
booed them we cherred.....but we cherred louder when they 
got off the stage heh what a big surprise
i was disappointed the didn't play aenama(i can't spell) or 
ticks and leeches but shit like i said Tool is Tool 
just seeing them for the second time in one year is fucking 
awsome 
as i looked around the crowd i say people singing dancing 
and hanging on to some women and getting high i felt a 
kind of peace
the music at these concerts just grabs you and sucks you in 
like a black whole but yet when it's over ypu still can't get 
over the fact of what just happened and it leaves your for a 
craving of more and you still have the feeling or a certian 
longing for more like i do and will 
Tool your great you mean alot to me i hope you keep 
making great music
rock on









Review written by: Darren (puppydogpee@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 04:14:40 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Well, it was a great concert.
Tricky was sort of annoying... very repetitve and long. I think 
the woman who sang on the one song ought to sing more. 
However, watching a large middle aged man dancing in the 
aisle was enormously entertaining.
So, after 50 minutes of that, the lights came on and we 
waited in anticipation of Tool.
So, the lights went out, and on the screen a colorful version 
of the eyes on the actual lateralus disk appeared, and a 
single fluttering eye in the center
Then they went into the Grudge, which I felt was the song 
they performed most weakly, but it was sill good.
Stinkfist was next, and was even neater because of the 
added lyrics
Undertow was filled with naked men and women, shaking 
side to side, appenages flopping wildly.
Well, I don't feel like describing every songs videos, so I'll 
just say there were lots of geometric images, lots of nudity 
in a non-pornographic manner, going into toilets, men 
without arms or legs, or heads in some instance,s and 
maggots with faces.
The acrobats were incredible! They came out during Schism 
and Triad, and I think everyone was fixated on them until 
Triad started building up, and then it was split between the 
band and them. They looked like they were painted silver, 
and were also nude.
The songs performed best I felt were eaither Pushit, 
Reflection, or Opiate. 
The corwd was very nice. One beachball or something landed 
on stage, but maynard sort of batted it away with his wild 
arm movements. I heard no boo's during the long long 
outro of reflection. Nearly everyone was standing the entire 
time (mainly, because they wouldnt be able to see because 
the people in front were standing, and never sat, well at 
least me anyways, I would have prefered to sit).
Maynard said few words, and what he aid was already 
mentioned (except he didn't say hello or welcome, he said 
Good Evening).
So all in all, the concert was great, but not a spiritual ecstacy 
that some have described it to be. It ranks right up there 
with NIN and Manson.








Review written by: Clint Keaton (ammonline@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 04:32:39 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  this show could not have been better for me.  i thought nine 
inch nails put on the best show that i have ever seen.  they 
still have, but the conditions of this show it's a tough call.  i 
was second rwo with no one in front of me, and because of 
this it didn't seem as if i was at a concert, it seemed as if 
tool was on my tv screen, playing for me in the privacy of my 
home/mind.  but there they were, right there.  awesome, 
literally.  i was pleased to hear undertow, triad, and the 
patient, all of which i did not see at my first show.  tool is so 
clear and tight sounding.  justin came out a played a song 
with tricky.  the two silver dancers (ol) from th schism video 
were fucking wierd.  everyone seemed awe struck when they 
first came out during schism.  i would have liked to post the 
setlist since adam jones threw it to me after the show.  but it 
was already posted, and we all know the rules.  the guy 
behind me got danny's drumstick.  but i got the setlist.  
sweeeeeeet.  he crumpled it up and threw it out to me, 
sooooo tiiieeeght!  anyways, enough of my jabbering, that is 
all.








Review written by: Andee (Bigmancrumbs@cs.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 04:34:28 ET


This was this reviewer's 7th Tool show

  Most importantly, the set list:

The Grudge
(-) ions
Stinkfist
Undertow
Pushit
Schism
Disposition
Reflection

Intermission

Triad
Eon Blue Apocalypse
The Patient 
Opiate
Lateralus

   I enjoyed tonights show much more than last night in 
Sacramento.  The crowd wasn't half as naive and gave the 
band respect when it was playing softer songs such as 
Disposition and The Patient.  The Patient was so amazing 
live that words can't explain it.  While I was sad to not hear 
Aenime, Opiate was played wonderfully enough that I soon 
forgot all about it.  It's a shame Tool's California trek is 
over, and I'm sad that it may very well be a few years before 
I see them again.  I've now seen Tool seven times, but it 
feels like I've never seen them at all.  How very sad indeed.








Review written by: alee (milosh4@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 04:39:16 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  i don't think tool gets better than this. they played with a grace and elegance and 
power that was praticularly supernatural tonight. i'm going to attempt the setlist now:
the grudge
(-)ions
stinkfist (extended intro, extended bridge, extra lyrics)
undertow
parabol
parabola
a haunting ambient jam that settled from fright to calm
pushit (extended intro, long bridge, aenima version)
schism (long, gentle break in middle)
disposition
reflection (guitar outro was loaded with lovely overtones)
--break w/ osseus labyrint--
triad (oh shit!!! must have been three times album length, immense power, they 
jammed the fuck out of it, solos, percussion galore w/ tricky member)
eon blue apocalypse (just gorgeous)
the patient (made my night)
opiate
lateralus
an unbelievable show. maynard's guitar work added a phenomenal effect. to think i 
almost didn't go because i hate the massive shoreline amphitheatre. everything was 
twisted and massaged into it's perfect groove tonight. this is what music is supposed 
to be. i just wish more people would dance. there's gotta be a compromise between 
the pit and standing. minor gripes for an excellent show. thanks tool










Review written by: Carl (me@carlinniss.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 04:46:04 ET


This was this reviewer's 666 Tool show

  no set list, already did that. well, i enjoyed a beautiful prime 
rib dinner at the house of prime rib in sf. for all those non 
veggie head types, please check it out. off to the shoreline 
to see tool at 4th row. well i've been to a lot of tool shows, 
but this one was really special. the crowd was really mellow 
and respectful of others, and the vibe was incredible.

kabir i wish i had known you were going, i would have loved 
to meet you. perhaps since you live close enough to go to 
the shoreline, we can meet sometime. love to meet the man 
behind this site. 

there is nothing like a tool show. i am left tired, with a sore 
throat and a full, happy soul. 

good night. 









Review written by: chris (spiraloutkeepgoing@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 05:06:13 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  well just got back from the show...fucken beauty. im 
surprised no one here has said anything about it, but adam 
was having some trouble with his guitar early on. during the 
solo in undertow his sound just stopped..but it made for one 
of the most memorable moments in the show. while he was 
fixing it, maynard fucken screamed at the top of his lungs, it 
was beautiful.
opiate was a special treat. it completely stole the show. it 
had the energy of triad, the crowd attention of lateralus, and 
the same fucken beauty its had since they wrote it ten years 
ago.
after seeing tool for the first time in berkeley, no show can 
ever compare to that. but this show was just about as good. 
the thing that made my experience less enjoyable, though, 
was all the jackasses in the crowd who randomly scream 
out "MAYNARD" or "TOOL" in the middle of a god damn 
song. no shit..we're at a damn tool concert. these are the 
same type of people who only came so they could blurt out i 
know the pieces fit.
all in all, the show was amazing. it cant hold the same 
meaning as berkeley, but it was still a musical masterpiece.
thank you, good night.








Review written by: Josh (kidkotch@pacbell.net)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 05:24:30 ET


This was this reviewer's 13? Tool show

  I have seen Tool many times including Chicago this year and the two Berkeley shows. Needless to say I was 
disapointed when I first heard they would be playing at Shoreline and not a smaller venue. I never thought 
that I would say this about a show at Shoreline but, it was great, I mean truly special. The sound was great 
even down near the front which is something this venue usually has touble with. Plus there was something in 
the air with the boys tonight. The group hug at the end of the show said a lot about the state of this band and 
this evening. All I can say is it was magical and inspired. If I could just botttle the feeling I would........ 
The new images and the contortions and acrobatics of osseus labrint are great. . There is so much to take in 
that the music and visuals just take over. One visual that is truly amazing is Danny. Even if you took away the 
sounds he creates he would be an artist somewhere along the lines of a martial arts master. Just watch the 
way he moves as he drums, especially the way he shifts between beats and you will see what I mean. 
I have never been so lost in the moment at a concert as I have been with Tool and particularly this show. You 
are just sucked in. It is truly art and they have really taken it to a new level. I have not seen another band 
that is in their league and I have seen a ton. The earlier shows this year seemed a little more straight forward 
where as tonight had some great changes and interludes that added a great feel. Even Opiate which I had 
been somewhat tired of (seen it too many times) had a new level of intensity. Anyway, I have said it all before 
so I will just say this:

 THANK YOU TOOL!--- YOU ARE TRULY INSPIRATIONAL!








Review written by: trevor (trev46n2@pacbell.net)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 05:27:35 ET


This was this reviewer's 17 Tool show

  the grudge
stinkfist(new breakdown and elvis lyrics)
undertow
maynard says"good evening"
parabol
parabola
pushit(aenima style)
schism(with osseous labirynth and extended middle section 
also with maynard on guitar)
short jam
disposition(maynard on guitar)
reflection(maynard on guitar)
intermission with osseuos labirynth
triad (with another drummer and maynard on guitar plus 
osseuos labirynth)
eon blue apocalypse
the patient
maynard says"so there you have it,its always fun".
opiate 
maynard says"thank you for sharing this moment with 
us,always a blessing and never a chore and then he gave 
the take this feeling and create something positive with it 
speech"
lateralus

well i was wrong about maynards voice being fucked up.he 
was perfect tonight as was the rest of the band.i enjoyed the 
patient and triad a lot.not as many meat heads as last night 
but still way too many.i like how the small venues filter 
kooks out.anyways tool continues to be tooll;something 
everyone should witness.
trevor








Review written by: Dan  (GetBack1011)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 06:11:04 ET


This was this reviewer's 5th Tool show

  I was very pleased after seeing this performance.  I had just 
seen Tool in Sacramento the night before.  The Shoreline 
show was SO much better.  Most notably, Maynard was so 
much more animated this time around.  Usually my eyes 
wander from screen to screen to each band member, staring 
in awe.  This time I found, during several songs, that I could 
not switch my attention to anything other than Maynard's 
movements.  I swear this man should be a dance teacher on 
the side, he's got the best moves ever.  This was the fourth 
time I had seen them open with The Grudge, I love it every 
time.  The flow of both the song and the visuals are a 
perfect way to set the mood for the evening.  It was no 
surprise when Stinkfist came next, but of course I didn't 
mind, the extended version is really good, building up until 
they explode with the line, "I'll keep digging."  Not bad at 
all.  When they played Undertow I was ecstatic.  I was really 
not expecting them to go back to that song after they 
played it in Berkeley.  It was fun hearing it, even though the 
guitar was absent at the very. very end.  Parabol/Parabola, 
beautifully done.  I can't decide which way I like it better, the 
slow build up with the two songs combined or the surprise 
when they skip Parabol and just do Parabola alone.  Tough 
call.  It was good to hear the album version of Pushit 
because they played the Salival style Pushit the night before
(thank god Maynard finished it this time, it was amazing.)  I 
was waiting for Schism to come because my poor, 
unsuspecting family was standing next to me watching Tool 
live for their first time.  My younger sister who is a fan of the 
Schism video was delighted to see O.L. full out, on stage, 
heads swinging.  Those two are unbelievable, I really like 
their presence on this tour.  One of the reasons why this 
show was my best Tool experience.  The Schism video will 
always remind me of their performance.  
Disposition/Reflection arrived and once again, I wasn't 
surprised.  But that's ok, the water droplets displayed on the 
screens and the sounds Tool used to introduce Disposition 
was really good.  Immediately following Schism I almost felt 
like I wanted to hear something like Prison Sex or Forty Six 
& 2, but the visuals set the mood just right for Disposition.  
  I had just seen them play Triad in Sacramento, but I 
enjoyed it so much more at Shoreline.  That is such a great 
way for the band to take their places back on stage.  Don't 
get me wrong, I like that song a lot when it's in my CD 
player, but it's a thousand times better live.  It's so much 
more intense.  The best part of the evening for me came 
shortly after Triad.  During Eon Blue Apocalypse I was in 
shock.  Prior to the show I had hoped quietly to myself that 
they would perform The Patient.  After not hearing it in 
Sacramento, I was pretty nervous and decided to stop 
hoping so I wouldn't be disappointed if they didn't get 
around to playing it.  Words are not capable of describing 
the feeling inside me as they began playing The Patient.  
After seeing Tool in August, I was seething with a childish 
jealousy knowing Los Angeles was able to hear The Patient 
during the tour with King Crimson.  So for me, that was the 
best part of the night.
  When Maynard tried to wrap up the evening with his "so 
this is it" phrase, I was once again sent sailing when Opiate 
started.  At this point I concluded that anyone who went to 
only the Sacramento show and refused Shoreline because of 
the way it is set up, really missed out(my poor friends!).  
The whole band gave the enormous Shoreline audience 
everything they could.  Lateralus closed the evening.  Even 
though this was the fourth time I had seen them close their 
set with this song, I recall thinking that there's no other way 
to do it.  Lateralus is the perfect ending for any absolutely 
amazing concert.  And I would not want it any other way.
  








Review written by: Master Reviewer (diveeqo@redshift.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 06:47:35 ET


This was this reviewer's 10th Tool show

  
Much better crowd than Sac. Of course Bay Area crowds are a bit more sophisticated and have the sense to 
enjoy the slow parts of the show instead of screaming "play Sober!" The moshers were pretty bored. This is
not the same Tool of years past with so much raw energy and anger. This is an older, wiser, laid back, Zen 
Tool with a sense of inner peace and oneness with the universe. Every show I've seen on this tour made me 
want to frolic around and dance like a hippie flower child. Not bang my head and bust someone in the chops
like years past. Older songs like "Undertow" and "Opiate" were not done with the same venom and righteous
indignation that marked the Tool of my youth. It's a natural progression. Fast forward 10 years and Tool will
be as mellow as prog icons King Crimson and Yes. Rush 1981 is not Rush 1991. Not even close.
Ah, finally "The Patient". Exquisite. Thank you gentlemen.










Review written by: Sabu (bbothen@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 11:49:13 ET


This was this reviewer's 12th Tool show

  I dont want to see contortionists, Cirque De Soliel acrobats, 
Maynard playing a guitar, hear every friggin song from 
Lateralus, Maynard with his own Hollywood stage, 45 minute 
noise "intermissions", and the whole visual experience. 

Yeah you're creative, now play some music.













Review written by: Louise (louise@thefragile.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 13:00:15 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  The music was good, but if you were somewhere in the back 
of the lawn, or trapped in the middle, you had nothing to 
stare at but the screens.  At least that was how it was for 
me; my taller friend had to update me every ten minutes or 
so.  I saw A Perfect Circle at San Jose earlier this year, and 
this crowd was a lot more aggressive (and hostile) than the 
Perfect Circle crowd.  A lot of confederate flags, big middle 
aged men.  I guess that's what you can expect at a tool 
concert.  Less than a couple of mosh pits formed, but then 
died down.  Yes, people did scream "Maynard," "Tool," 
and "USA" at random intervals.  It seemed kind of dumb.  
My friends and I noted that there were more white trash than 
white "goths" than at the Perfect Circe, Nin, or Vast concerts.  
I felt pretty intimidated.  Not a bad show, but I'm getting a 
seat ticket next time.  
XOXO,
Louise "Hi Vered!"








Review written by: Hermit (hermit420@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 13:31:43 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  All righty.
Here's the scoop, made it in with a camera and a recorder.  
For everyone's info, not posting in response specifically, but 
generally to Erik Pemberton's post : I GOT IT TAPED!!! The 
whole thing. I am listening to it now and the quality is 
AWESOME for the recorder I was using.  As for the runner up 
thing, at arco that was the drummer from tricky, and on my 
tape he said,"That was the runner up in the make-a-wish 
foundation for the mach chapter", I assume it was refferring 
to the speed of drumming being slightly less than mach, 
meaning he didn't get his wish...  The whole drumming thing 
was great and turned out nice on the recording.  Perhaps I'll 
put some on to the net for those of us that went... Later.  
There is a lot of innaccurate info in these posts, people 
getting confused, and whatnot, but I was in the very center 
of the lawn, down on the railing, I pretty much saw, took 
pictures of and recorded all!  The first 3 or 4 songs were 
somewhat violent because of the croud in the lawn, Tool did 
a fantastic job though.  There were people pushing people 
down hill and they were piling at the bottom so nobody had 
room to put their feet, and breathing became very difficult, 
tension was verrry high.  Then the croud loosened up and it 
became nice.  The view of the moon while hearing maynard 
sing reflections... nice..  I think I am getting to the point 
that I just want to hear what he has to fucking say.  No more 
metaphor and veils.  I would enjoy a concert of 2 songs and 
1 1/2 hours of the band talking to the crowd about shit that 
interests them and random shit.  All in all though they are 
not gods, they are the reality of the heros from all of those 
Ancient Greek and roman stories you've heard, Ever 
becoming masters of the great tool- the human mind. I 
won't thank tool because they won't see it here...









Review written by: Dan (vdubbcab64@mindspring.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 13:32:24 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  I'm sorry but the Shoreline sucks!!!!    I'm never going to 
Shoreline again unless I have seats. I couldn't see the band 
at all, the sound was off. Maynards voice was a little louder 
than the rest of the band but it wasn't that bad(just not as 
good as small indoor shows with good acoustics).  the 
screens were just playing video. I was hoping that they would 
show Maynard on the screens because the people on the 
lawn couldn't see shit. It would have been nice to see him. 
I'm sorry but I loved seeing them at the Warfield. I guess 
maybe I'm just getting older and these things just aren't as 
exciting as they used to be so all of the bad stuff just 
shines.  Mainly the point of this post is that Shoreline sucks 
and I want the small venues back. 








Review written by: Adam (scored0nu@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 14:20:54 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd? Tool show

  How incredible.  This is what I was expecting yesterday in 
Sacramento.  It was like a totally different experience.  
Getting to hear Opiate and The Patient were both amazing.  
This was the best show I have ever seem by them and by 
anyone period.  Heres to TOOL thanks for a great night. 









Review written by: Vicki (tokeepmyself@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 15:25:14 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  I don't remember the setlist. I wasn't even wasting the time 
to write it down, somebody else surely will. I know they 
played Opiate and The Patient (which I hadn't heard live 
before). Maynard had more emotion in his voice tonight (as 
compared to the Sacramento show) which he added to the 
songs, yet he sounded drained, tired. They added some 
music and verse onto some of the songs. It seemed to be a 
unique show. Or maybe it was the mary jane that I was 
smoking. Who knows. 








Review written by: Stoked TOOL FAN A.K.A Anthony (ninsatanikdude@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 15:55:57 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  OOOOOOOOOOOOO fuckin man
that concert had to be the best concert i have ever seen. 
Note i have not been to any other TOOL concert but from the 
previous reviews i read and my own experience it was the  
best show i have ever witnessed in my entire life time and 
for sure i will keep these memories and harness the feelin 
and the rush i felt as i walked onto the lawn (shitty i no but 
for all u suckers i was in the front ha haaa) i felt the rush of 
adrealine rush to me. I gotta admit the longing for them to 
come on stage when tricky was on (and tricky was sooooo 
shitty) was at its maximum high.....i swear i couldnt wait 
until i hear the amazing voice of the GOD OF ALL GODS 
MAYNARDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

i must say the emotion behind his voice when singing 
OPIATE and especially UNDERTOW and SCHISM was so 
moving and intense i could jus feel the rush now!

it was so amazing because it was my first and not last time 
seeing my supreme idol(s)
id have to say honestly if it wasent for my placing on the 
lawn i would have been very upset but hey it all worked out 
great and i no one thing im doin next time.....im gittin seats 
shit!

You have to also admire the short mess ups that adam 
made and how well he flowed into the music and i definetly 
enjoyed the extra words and such added onto every song jus 
outlining the whole feel of the event....its like he knew his 
most die hard fans were here and wanted to give em a go 
for their money and i swear it was worth all the money inthe 
world and i would sell my fuckin soul to see em again
(better seats thought) AND THANKS TO THE GUY WITH THE 
BINOCULARS BEHIND ME!!!!!!!

~ROCK ON~









Review written by: Tim Thurston (toolrules27@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 16:51:21 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  FIRST OFF, IDIOTS, HOW THE HELL DO YOU MOSH TO 
REFLECTION/TRIAD, SERIOUSLY PEOPLE, ARE YOU DUMB???

Ok, this show was fucking amazing, even though during 
UNDERTOW(which only real TooL fans sang too, thank you) 
ADAM'S GUITAR BROKE so they finished it without guitars. I 
dont remember the setlist, but I was sad that the salival 
version of Pushit was not played, oh well, I will get over it.

The drunk/stoned guy that feel on my moms lap gets a big 
shoutout, It must be fun to pay 50 bucks to see a band and 
than get carted off to the hospital, without even hearing one 
fucking song!!!

Trickey, you think for 45 minutes a person is up there they 
would change their song, I don't think he did, it sounded 
like the same fucking song for 45 minutes, borinnnggggg!!!!

I heard about the labrinth hanging from the ceiling, but I 
never imagined that they would be twirling, dancing, and 
hugging while they were up there.

The crowd was generally good, except for the lady behind 
me, I think her whole vocabulary, which she didn't hesitate 
to us over and over is "shit, fuck, tool, maynard" I think for 
the 2 hours that is all she yelled!!!

For any people wondering if they should try to catch a TooL 
show, I don't know where the hesitation would be, go see 
one!!! They put on the greatest shows out of any band 
performing today, possibly even ever, they dont miss a note.

Finally, it was great that the kid from Make A Wish 
Foundation got to play his drums with TooL on the stage for 
like 10 minutes, that was a great thing for TooL to do, way 
to go guys, good to show your hearts to the sick and needy, 
I am really proud :)








Review written by: otonimo (otonimo@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 17:08:46 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  Hey you!  Read reviews already posted for your show to see 
if somebody already posted the setlist. 









Review written by: Honky (fo0n@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 17:47:27 ET


This was this reviewer's 2rd Tool show

  Stinkfist extended version was out of control. if anyone got 
those lyrics, please hit me up! It was great to hear the 
Aenema version of pushit. The patient was great. As well as 
the head bobbing animals. 








Review written by: Bill Kays (AIC89@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 18:07:11 ET


This was this reviewer's 5th Tool show

  What a great show!!!

This totally makes up for the performance Firday night at 
Arco.  Maynard was WAY into this show.  The crowd last night 
at Shoreline was awsome, especially compared to the shoe 
throwing Sacramento crowd.  A great setlist, UNDERTOW 
sums the entire show up pretty much.  Adam even broke a 
string at the end of Undertow and it was still the best song 
of the night!!
I thought this show was even better than the August 
Berkeley show.  More visuals, addition of The Patient, Triad, 
and all that great free-jam time, capacity shoreline crowd.  

Thanks for a great night!!!








Review written by: ToolFan (wes655@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 18:35:20 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  this show was so tight the setlist was as follows

grudge
prison sex
hooker with a penis
stinkfist
pushit
opiate
sober
disposition
reflection
intermission
the patient
H.
eulogy
aenema
lateralus
third eye

oh my fucking god i was never in my wildest dreams 
expecting such a long and incredible set, but tool must have 
been in the mood for playing a lot tonight.  every song took 
the audience by surprise, especially those from aenema that 
had not previously been played this tour.  but drefinitely the 
best show by tool to date on any of theirs tours, hope other 
shows are lucky enough to receive similar treatment.
peace









Review written by: Jay Feldman (jfeldman@socrates.berkeley.edu)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 19:16:21 ET


This was this reviewer's 15th Tool show

  	It is very interesting how people at the same show can have 
drastically different experiences (just read all of the reviews 
above).  This was my 6th show of this tour, and it was very different 
from the previous shows, which were all small venues.  Although many 
people found the sound to be fine/good, I was near the front, stage 
right, and it was not so good there, but tolerable.  Some have said 
that Maynard's voice was right on last night, but I felt that it 
seemed a bit tired at times, this being his 5th night in a row 
singing.  But I do hold MJK to the high standards he has earned.  In 
spite of those slight disappointments, Tool's presence, performance 
and energy were overwhelming as usual.  
	The contortionists, osseuos labirynth, were truly amazing.  They 
fold in half like cardboard and (especially the woman) writhe into 
inhuman positions.  For most of Triad (which I was so pleased to hear 
for the first time live!) I couldn't tear my eyes from their twisting, 
dancing, silver, naked, fit bodies dangling in front of the video 
screens.  Eventually I focused my attention the amazing technique of 
Danney Carey and another drummer (from Trickey?) and then split my 
time between those two centers of attention.
	The Lateralus-heavy set was great, but I do hope that someday they 
return to a more album-balanced performance.  It's amazing that in 
just a few months they have added many new, small snippets of video 
that help to enhance the ever evolving live Tool experience.  I can't 
wait for show #16, whenever that may be...









Review written by: meggie (forgottynn@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 19:28:36 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  Tool was amazing. This show was just as good [if not better] as the one in berkeley. 
The whole setup [two screens, those cool glowing pentogram things] was incrediable. 
The sound was amazing too, espeicially for shoreline. My friend and i seat hopped 
around  [our original seats were directly behind someone intent on shrouding  the 
entire section in a giant cloud of weed smoke. People can do whatever they want, but 
it got kind of hard to see the stage through the haze, so we left] Thanks to all the 
people who didnt report us and a BIG thanks to the people who let us keep the seats 
next to them even though they had sold them to someone else. Tricky was ok [I 
didnt really like them that much, but at least i kept it to myself. The moron behind us 
kept screaming for Tool to come out, even though Justin was ON THE STAGE. 
Seriously, though; one of the joys of shoreline is that if someone you dont like is 
playing, you can simply go buy some garlic fries or something and not bother the rest 
of us with your whining]. The highlight of the night was hearing the Patient, undertow 
not far behind. Oh, and I loved the naked people hanging from strings. The lights 
they shone on them with all those trippy colors playing on the screen in the 
background made it look like something out of a dream. The whole night was 
awesome, anyone  harboring even  the merest thought of going to a tool concert, 
should DEFINETLY go see them. It was beautifull. Kazren, we should make








Review written by: Dave (zugnoni@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 19:58:55 ET


This was this reviewer's 5th Tool show

  My fifth Tool show ever, fourth this year, and may have been 
my best ever.  I'm split between this and August 11 in 
Berkeley when they played Eulogy.  As much as I dislike 
Shoreline, the show last night was great.  I was in the back 
of the seat sections, and I found myself watching the 
screens more than the band, so for the people on the grass, 
it couldn't have been bad at all watching the screens, 
although I don't know how the sound was up there.  At the 
end of Undertow, the guitar went out and Maynard eventually 
let out an extra screem to fill in.  Good stuff.  The segue 
(sp?) between Schism and Disposition was unbelievalbe, 
much more built up and intense than any other segues.  
The Patient live was awesome.  Since it was where it was on 
the setlist, it had an effect of uplifting everybody to be 
happy about what theyve just seen and anxious for the last 
two songs.  I felt so fulfilled and inspired by the end of this 
show.  Trust me people: Watch the screens.  It makes the 
moment more trance-like and body-numbing.  Oh yeah, 
Tricky was awesome, I didn't get to see them at Sacramento 
because the line took so long.  I'm thinking that in the 
future, Tool is gonna be getting way more into the segue-
jamming type stuff that they've been playing a bit lately.  
Some people may not be happy about that, but I think it's 
great how they are changing.  They just seem way into the 
segues and they progress nice and slow that it really plays 
with your mind.  I can't wait to see what they'll come up with 
next.








Review written by: Vince (zetiotle@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 20:11:10 ET


This was this reviewer's 11th Tool show

  I woke up saturday..with the idea of a whole new day.. a 
whole new experience of seeing TOOl. I had to.I was so 
traumitized by the "sacto. experience" If you need to be 
updated please read my review from the sact. circus show. 
This review is strictly for the shoreline show.  I never been so 
satisfied in my life! undertow, opiate, the patient!  especially 
being outside under the moon, the light from the stars. 
Thank you  TOOL.  Maynard tottally conversed with the 
audience..Hearing speak about positive energy flow gave 
me tingles. I have to admit. I was really please with the 
people. Thank you!  During the show..I looked around to 
see how people were responding to the show and it was 
really intersting..THERE WERE NO MOSH PITS AT ALL! The 
expression on peoples faces can show they were in this 
moment having some interpretation or some kinda 
exchange of the art that was in the air.  Lot of good 
energy..The crowd new it..I knew it...Fucking Maynard knew it!
Side note: Before the breakdown, I told my friend Matt " i 
wish they would play the patient". So during the 
breakdown...I was in a deep meditation with my band. It was 
intense and very uplifting..And as I started to come too.. I 
heard the begining of the patient...I instantly huged my 
band!  I was so inspired! Thank you TOOL, Kent, Matt, 
Myriam, Chris, Shorline crowd and to the moment.

vince












Review written by: Amasia (TOOLGyrL81@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/04/01 21:38:51 ET


This was this reviewer's 6th Tool show

  Well i was a bit disappointed, this being my 6th show and all 
i have def. seen better performances by them, the set list 
was cool
of all songs why did they have to biff on schism?
i was sad to see maynard couldnt change his lil speech 
up....but the meaning is truely acceptable( re: " turn this 
into something positive in comming weeks...")
I had heard it both nights at the berkeley shows
Regaurdless of the glitches and the fact that maynard 
actually uses  an echo to do his longer bouts :(
its was an acceptable show
i made the mistake (pre show) of making an absolute 
statement-" tool never messes up they are perfect"
good lesson----no absoultes-----nobody not even tool is 
perfect
the contortionists were cool......for some reason they 
seemed cooler at coachella, This show did turn me back on 
to Tricky--whom i had first seen the same time i had first 
seen tool--lollapallooza 97
Tool is still my fav band----i just see them more as mortals
Danny is still the drum God









Review written by: nick grizzle (cheezeus@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 01:33:49 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  afuckingmazing. the show in sacto was not nearly half as good as this one. the patient... need i say more... i 
never thought that i would live to see that played live... it was truly a life changing experience, not to sound 
cliche, but i have a new outlook on things now... osseus labyrint was incredible, never before and probably 
never again will i ever even be able to imagine anything like that, or the amazing show tool put on. 








Review written by: Nate Pottker (n8dp@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 02:12:48 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  five years wait and three failed attempts to see them later...
it was beautiful.
thank you to everyone involved.
l
                   o
     v
                                                e









Review written by: matt (mmasarik@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 05:46:01 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  the first show i saw was in boise, id, for the aenima tour. the 
show there was excellent while it lasted. the show was cut 
short by the  band because people in the crowd were a) 
throwing stuff on stage, b) displaying 'hate' not 'anger' in 
the mosh pit. i was truely disappointed in the crowd, and 
(while i wanted to hear/see more show) i understood why the 
band stopped and thought it was the best choice. then 
everyone was mad [boo hoo], that the show was over and 
spent much time yelling for them to come back..... what do 
you expect?

saturday i arrived in san jose for the show, hoping that it 
wouldn't be spoiled by jackasses. i think tool has a pretty 
diverse fanbase at this point, and people expect different 
things out of shows which sometimes = lame band/fan 
interaction. this was not the case at this show. i thought 
everyone was into the show, and extremely respectful. i 
think that the band could feel this and for lack of a better 
word, created the good "vibes" felt throughout the show. 

i had a seat in the 200 section, bet left it to go into the 
grass seating. from here i could see all the screens. i had 
hoped to be able to see the band members on the screen, 
because it really does it for me to see their expressions and 
body language while performing. but not once. and after 
realizing what it gave instead, it was better.  the maynard 
performed infront of a screen, that was small and at the 
bottom. then there were two larger screens on top and the 
one starting at the grass. these screens provided a constant
perspective, meaning that they were like literal physical 
layers. they provided a consistent interaction. (i'm trying my 
best with the description here).  ie -- during one song the 
same backdrop oscillated up and down on all the screens. 
the one behind maynard had a small amplitude oscillation. 
the ones above it had just a touch larger oscillation, and the 
biggest screen in front of the lawn had an ever larger one.
to top it off you didn't have closeups on the stage being 
periodically displayed. this effect mimiced the space!!! it 
visually defined the dimension of space  between the band 
and crowd. { pretty sure this effect existed and was not just 
seen be me}. 

well, i don't think i can really do the show itself justice trying 
to describe it. one reason is that i would have to break it 
down into music, special effects, etc... but that is just what it 
wasn't. it was one cohesive vision. it is probably pretty easy 
to master one aspect of a concert for a performance. but 
this band presents one "whole" peice of concert. to master 
all aspects of the multimedia (this word intended to be 
taken in an even more general sence), is different. i think it 
takes true integerity, and feeling. and that is exactly how 
this show felt, it felt so in tune with itself that its power 
bordered on being scary. 

it seems often that people hint at maynard being 
unappreciative toward them as a fan...... {as a side note at 
this show i thought maynard was funny, sweet, and sincere}
well, look at what they are giving you. they are completely 
opening themselves up for display.  its like they give you a 
device to examine yourself with, and then provide a 
environment to do it in. this is an experience that i think is 
rare and priceless. {and then people wonder why they didn't 
like the shoe thrown at them ???}

just before the last song, maynard said something about;
"whether you had a good night, bad, or indifferent it didn't 
really matter. the important thing is that you take the 
feelings from it and do something positive. "  this, 
statement was perfect. my feelings were good, bad, and 
indifferent during the course of the evening. the 
introspective nature forced me at some times to places i felt 
unsure and uneasy. 

unlike 'almost' any other show i have been to, when the 
show was over i was satisfied.  usually i always want to hear 
one more song.... in this case i was full, they couldn't have 
done anything better.  leaving the venue, i didn't hear 
anyone say anything about the show. nobody said i wanted 
to hear this, or wow, what a good show, or really anything in 
general. i, like i think everyone else were to stunned to say 
anything at all.

i started walking toward the san jose airport ( i had to spend 
the night there so i thought i would walk until i got bored 
{and settled down}, lessen the taxi fee.....}  i had 
headphones with me, and normally if i have music, i listen 
to it. but at this time i couldn't, i just had to walk and that 
was it. 

now it is late sunday night, and i am not listening to music 
while i write this {not normal for me}. that is actually why i 
wrote this review. i needed to react to this show before i can 
move on from it.  i would like to thank the band for an 
experience that was truely beyond words. i am moved. 

p.s. - kabir , i'm glad you got to see this show.  i hope you 
write a review, i would like to hear what you thought (also, 
thanks for maintaining this site.). if anyone else has 
comments about what i wrote, or on the show in general, my 
address is posted..









Review written by: Ashley (ToolChick6669@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 11:26:51 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  This show was amazing! Tricky wasn't a very good band, but 
Justin came out on stage and played with them.  When 
Tricky left the stage you could feel the vibe in the air.  They 
started playing this one soung over the sound system...it 
got everyone really ansy and anxious.  Then the lights went 
out.  People went crazy!  I mean they were screaming and 
going wild!!! I was too!  They started by playing The Grudge, 
which was great.  Followed by a newer version of Stinkfist 
with added lyrics.  After stinkfist Maynard had the manners 
enough to say good evening, which prompted the crowd to 
begin chanting his name.  I dont remember the exact order, 
but they played: The Patient, Schicsm, Parabol/Parabola, 
Pushit, Lateralus, Undertow, Opiate, Reflection...If anybody 
who attended this show has the exact setlist, please email it 
to me!  I wanna make a tape of it.  I know they closed with 
Lateralus, and Opiate.  They all had a group hug/kiss (from 
what a majority of people are saying) at the end that made 
the whole crowd feel connected to them on a very unique 
level.  After all the rumours that they hated eachother and 
that this was the end...the four of them stood up there and 
in front of 19,000 adoring, loyal fans....hugged.  It made 
some people cry, others hug....but after a few seconds the 
whole crowd was chanting "TOOL, TOOL, TOOL".  They threw 
some things out into the crowd and Maynard said his 
goodbyes to us.  It was a beatiful show that assured us the 
mysterious story of TOOL isnt over yet.








Review written by: Amberly Lane (amberlylane666@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 12:51:33 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  I missed Tricky. Seems that was a good thing. 

Tool was fan-fucking-tastic! Despite not being able to see 
much, the sound and graphics were exquisite!

I think they need to play the Cow Palace, in SF or some 
other more flatter place, *if* they actually come back. Heard 
terrible things about the Arco Arena show..didn't seem like 
anything lame like that happened at Shoreline. Audience 
was diverse and positive.

The milieu was powerfully erotic. The hanging duo was 
creative, to say the least.








Review written by: enrique guerrero (sic_a_phant@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 13:51:40 ET


This was this reviewer's 6th Tool show

  Once again it brought me to tears. the crowd was great! the set was glorious! It was my third show in four days 
and i would say the best. San Diego was just not up to Irvine or Shoreline but still good. Irvine was an all time 
set list. That show was unreal!!! But Shoreline was magical. After the seven hour drive up from that shit hole 
L.A.(born and raised)I had a feeling it was going to be just to much for me to handle, and it was. The moment 
is still so strong with me I can close my eyes and hear TOOL. Highlights of the show...I would say by far it was 
the best Reflection I've seen this tour because that Tricky guy did not sing and it was just soooooooo glorious, 
and then the Triad that followed with that Tricky(that guy rocks)drummer was hypnotic. So i'm totally broke 
can't pay my bills, what am i going to do?...get a job start saving money and get front row seats for every 
TOOL show with in a 12 hour drive radius. TOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! 









Review written by: danny (indifference21@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 14:24:24 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  no need to post the setlist cause plenty of people did that. 
my two friends and i had no idea how good our seats were 
cause we hadnt been to shoreline...so we screamed with 
excitement literally when we get down there and realize we 
are in the second row. there were only two seats in front of 
us then the stage, and the two guys who had those seats 
were only there for half the show...(came in during tools set 
and left before it was over) and they sat down the WHOLE 
TIME!!! ..idiots. well i wont go into to much about the WHOLE 
show cause everyone else already did that. just give a few 
minor things. during undertow adam broke a string and 
made due the best he could until he had to play his solo 
melodic line that he needed the string for ...which he 
seemed pissed about having to change guitars but oh well. 
hehe. the guy who came out to play the extra set of drums 
during triad wasnt a member of tricky OR an actually winner 
of the make a wish foundation. that was danny carey's drum 
tech. the two people from the schism video were rather a trip 
to see. being that close you could see how amazingly built 
and strong both of them were and the stuff they were doing 
was amazing...but kinda eerie at the same time. funny 
moment during lateralus....in the beginning when the song 
is building adam was looking back to danny and almost 
came in with the loud break early...but danny shook his 
head and mouthed no...and they both started laughing. it 
was amusing. one of the most amazing things i have ever 
seen ...and i know i'll probably NEVER be that close to band 
of that size again (ofcourse size meaning how good and how 
popular they are). i just wish that ALL my concert 
experiences could be from that close. as always keep 
rocking and i'lll be there when they come back.

danny--








Review written by: Darren  (tmbh36@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 15:44:16 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Hey you!  Read reviews already posted for your show to see if somebody already 
posted the setlist. 

The November 3rd show at Mountain View was all I dreamed it would be.  I had been 
waiting since the first time I heard "Stinkfist," back in high school.  Finally, I got the 
chance to see TOOL, and I must say I was in ecstasy.  My two friends and I almost 
had to steal a car to get down there, but we found a ride there just in time.  On the 
way back, we put our faith in our fellow fans to give us a ride.  We wrote "need a ride 
to san fran" on a plastic tray and hoped for the best.  Our efforts were rewarded with 
a cramped ride in a Mustang, that these two Canadians had rented.  Was it wise to go 
to the show with no way back?  No.  Did it matter to us if we ever got back? No.  After 
that show, I could have died and had no problem with it.  Life is all downhill, now that 
I have seen TOOL!  Thanks again to the Canadians, if they ever read this.








Review written by: Matt (kornboy12@juno.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 15:44:18 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  The show was awsome.  Not quite as good as the shows in 
Berkley on Aug. 10th and 11th.  Tricky was nothing near 
King Crimson.  The hanging dancers was a cool touch 
though.  I'm just glad nothing happened at this show like 
what happened at the Sac show.  Maynard seemed very 
happy and before Lateralus he said "Well there you have it.  
Always a pleasure.  Never a chore."  I really hope they tour 
the states again soon.








Review written by: chris (christ@ironmaiden.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 15:47:28 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  Yes.  Two shows in two nights.  For a TOOL fan(atic), it 
doesn't get much better than that.  Unless of course, you 
happened to be at the ARCO show.  Two Mountain View 
shows would have been better.  

Mountain View exceeded my expectations immeasurably, 
especially when compared with the previous night's 
performance.  Not that TOOl was bad (IMHO they've rarely 
sounded better - though Berkeley was mind-blowing), but 
the crowd was.  Shoreline's crowd, however, more than made 
up for sweaty nut-Sac.  I was almost relieved when (now 
don't crucify me for blasphemy) they DIDN'T play Aenima, 
which they did in Sac.  Though given that they sang it AND 
changed up the lyrics (two-ring circus ot touring circus - you 
decide) one couldn't help but believe that they were singing 
it to and for Sacramento.  It was the joke that nobody got, 
at least nobody I saw.

The visuals for Shoreline were stunning, the sound quality 
surpassed my expectations, and the ability to just stand and 
let the music fill every cell in your body without getting 
covered in somebody else's sweat renewed my faith in TOOL 
fans.  And one can't help but laugh at the girls in the halter 
tops puking on the fence while trying to get down the stairs.  
It was a strangely perfect ending to such a revelatory night. 

Thanks, guys.








Review written by: Hauck (Hauck@smashing-pumpkins.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 16:33:46 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Wow.  That show was amazing!  My friends and I actually 
had seats, too, so it was just great.  But anyway, when they 
started playing "Opiate" I was so happy.  I can't even 
describe it.  I felt exactly the way I felt when I went to go 
see Nine Inch Nails a while back and they played "Reptile," 
(anybody who went to that show at the Cow Palace knows 
what I mean) because it's really great to get something that 
you didn't think would be on the setlist.  Yeah, uh, 'cause 
like, Maynard was all "There it is," or whatever it is he says, 
and I was just pissed, because I didn't think that they would 
play it, but they went right into "Opiate" then. Yep.  It was 
the second time in my life that I have had an orgasm from 
music, and I burstinto tears three times... it was great.  I 
was really, really sick (still am) but I went anyway, and I 
have no regrets... even if it did just make it worse.  Next 
time those guys come around I'm bringing everybody I 
know.  It was bad ass.








Review written by: Phase (jesseptic@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 17:57:29 ET


This was this reviewer's 8th Tool show

  Late to Mountain View and the long line for security so we 
missed the first part of that Tricky Kid's set. But what we saw 
was really good. We walked in and this bass player was on 
stage . Good to see Justin Communicating out of Tool.
Biggest venue Show we've seen yet. 7 in Europe. 1st in usa.

Tight Stinkfist jam      into
Undertow  great call
some cool intro effects to DISPOSE/REFLECT
SONG OF THE NIGHT Creepy TRIAD JAM a first for us and 
worth the entire effort to attend this concert

thepatient was great to hear too

New visuals for some songs
Revised visuals for others
huge screens

Sound could have been cranked up a few notches or 
audience could be quieter 

good night overall moon stars november outside tool
were still reeling from the impact
JJ









Review written by: naked guy (hotbod@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 19:40:03 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  This concert was not loud enough, and Tool seemed like they
didnt want to be their.  Tricky was sorry.  I felt like i was at
a Bellarmine high school reunion, I was the only non white 
person their.  Tool should  spend more time on sound 
engineering than on filming naked men and hiring weird 
circus acts to try and scare people.  the video was the best 
part of the show, i like the finger in the eyeball asian thing.
anyway THE SHORLINE Sucks almost as much as TOOL, by 
the way when they Played with Snoop Dogg they were much 
better and louder.  Im not using any intellegience here 
because none is needed.

TTTTOOOOOLLLLL       RRRRUUUUUULLLLLLZZZZZ

forever live the MAYNARD one, dungens and dransonz rule,
anybody got tickets to the Oprah show?

emnail me at www.hkfiance.com









Review written by: pollywog (fanfukintastic@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 20:05:10 ET


This was this reviewer's 12th Tool show

  surgeons are standing by to surgeon your being back 
together after this show....
cuz i'm split wide open...
all of me








Review written by: Lon Reeder (SactoLon@cs.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 20:08:37 ET


This was this reviewer's 2st? Tool show

  Ok, I would of post a review for the Sac show on its review 
page but  they already stopped doing post for the Sac 
show...

I am from Sacramento and would like to say sorry to 
everyone in Tool...

Alright, first off the show was going to be one of the best 
Tool shows that I have ever seen...Had perfect seats...Was 
able to see the hole band and the crowed just perfect....Was 
blazing a fatty when....Out of nowhere came a flying shoe 
that hit Maynard in the mouth! Now, I have been to alot of 
shoes at Arco and have never seen anything like that 
before....

I have a few questions to some of the fucking idiots that 
fucked up the show....

1.) What the fuck was up with all the god dawm 
glowsticks???? 

It wasent a fucking Rave!!!!

2.) Did anyone catch the idiot that threw the shoe at 
Maynard??? 

If you did please email me at SactoLon@cs.com, tell me you 
beat the shit out of him cause I was about to go down on 
the floor and find his ass!

I would like to end this with a big fuck you to all the idiots 
that fuck up the show and Sacramentos rap. 

Thanks shit heads








Review written by: Anthony (SonofSabbath@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 20:48:36 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  This was my first tool show and may i say it was the best live 
show i've seen so far..........the visuals were outstanding the 
music was far better than my 
expectations.............................i'd say if you have the 
means to see them tour get out and do it.......you will not 
regret it..............








Review written by: Nick (nvogel4@home.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 21:12:07 ET


This was this reviewer's 14th Tool show

  Just wanted to say thanks for the pathetic fans in my 
hometown Sacramento, and an even bgger thanks for the 
awesome fans in Mountain View.  Tool never fails to amaze 
me even after so many shows and a fan since 93.








Review written by: Tyler (stupidkidsbugme)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 22:14:54 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Oh my...are they human? If Adam hadn't broken a string on 
undertow, I would have thought they were not really people. 
Its like God gave TOOL all the tallent and everyone else got 
jipped. They don't make music, they make and artistic 
organism that you can listen to. No other music can move 
me like TOOL can. The Show was simply amazing. I tried to 
get seats but they sold out. THE GRASS SUCKED ANUS. 
There was no way I was going to see TOOL from where I 
was. I decided to sneak in to where the seets were. I was 
kinda hard...me and my friend heald out tickets and covered 
the part where It said "grass." We rushed the ticket guys 
when there was a big line, so they wern't checking tickets 
very well. We sat down anywhere we could and these people 
came up to us and said that we were in their seats but that 
they had 2 extra....WHOO HOOO! TOOL was flawless. I 
really wanted to hear ticks and leaches, H., third eye, and 
aenima, but oh well...you can't complane. TOOL is better 
than most of its fans will ever know. They are probably 
better than I know and I have been studying their work 
musicly for years. If you live in san jose and you want to 
reminise, talk or even Jam, email me. TOOL IS AMAZING








Review written by: Cancerous1 (Cancerous1@aol.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 22:34:36 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  This was my first Tool concert, after several years of waiting 
and patiently listening to their music.  I was very excited 
about going to see Tool, I could hardly sleep the night 
before.
However, to be quite honest, I wasn't very impressed with 
the show.  I like Tool's premise:  to allow their music to 
become more important than the individual bandmembers 
making the music.  However, by displaying videos 
throughout each song, they managed to completely distract 
me from the music.  I found myself questioning what these 
(at times stupid & repetitive) images had to do with each 
song.  I understood what they were getting at during the 
majority of the songs (I felt the images during "The Patient" 
were by far the best & most appropriately matched with the 
premise of the song), but I've been a fan since Undertow, 
so it was easy for me to pick out most of the themes and 
how the images were representing them.
It's not bad enough that the images were distracting, but I 
was far enough back in the seats (Section 202, Row K) that I 
couldn't see the band.  I could see Maynard's outline (which 
I know was intended).  What I did like, was that I could 
clearly see Danny while he was drumming.  It's unusual to 
have such a clear view of any professional drummer, 
because they're usually cramped into the back of the stage.  
I was impressed by his drumming, and I might have 
appreciated the other musicians more if I could focus on 
their music.  I felt that Schism was their weakest song, 
probably because Maynard's delivery was lacking (looked as 
if he was consentrating on playing guitar too much).  I liked 
the lyrics of "Suspicious Minds" (- Elvis Presley) injected into 
the middle of Stinkfist, I've liked that song for a while now.  
The end of "Reflection" was waaaaay overdone, I was so 
sick, and so bored, I was hoping the entire crowd would start 
booing.  Repitition is not ingenious, its boring.  They played 
a spacey jam that seems like a possible "sound snippet" for 
their next album.  Opiate kicked some major ass.






Review written by: MT (mthermond@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/05/01 23:06:49 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  I really liked the show. Tool is amazing. However Shoreline 
sucks. You can barely see the stage from anywhere. I also 
wished they would have played more stuff from thier older 
albums. But Opiate was fuckin awesome. Oh well, Tool still 
rules. I'm definatly gonna see them again.








Review written by: Rachel (iamtheonlyrabbit@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/06/01 04:02:02 ET


This was this reviewer's 6th? Tool show

  sorry guys, but i need to cheat. i apparently "missed the 
window" to post for the san antonio show and i just have to 
put in my 2 cents. what an incredible two weeks i had! tool in 
s.a. and houston during week one and tori in austin and 
houston during week two. i am on a super emotional 
high!!! : )

well, i don't really have anything negative to say about the 
band's performance. in fact, it was completely amazing as 
usual and as expected. i am bummed, however, at how 
resentful and pissy maynard has become. i totally 
understand that a sensitive and anal person like him can 
become totally overwhelmed by this "fame" thing, but 
witnessing his behavior at the shows, in web cast interviews, 
and stories i have heard by people who have been around 
him, i agree with them that he is turning into a 
megalomaniac. and it is particularly  painful to me since i 
have been COMPLETELY in love with him since the very first 
time i heard his voice back in 93. oh! the good 'ol 
days....back when NO ONE knew who tool were and tool fans 
sought each other out at parties (or where ever) and 
huddled together in the corner gushing and slobbering over 
this bad ass band called tool. nope! those days are 
definitely over...

instead, we are corralled together like cattle in these 
ridiculously over built, over lit, and over priced arenas. $4 for 
WATER! well, i knew we were in for a night of pure 4th 
amendment violation when we arrived to the venue 30 
minutes before the ticket said the show would start and 
ended up missing ALL of tricky due to the nazi style security, 
or should i say, the nazi-bozo-the-clown security. after 
waiting in line for 45 MINUTES with my husband and other 
male friends, i was ordered to leave my line and go stand at 
the end of the"girls line"(another hour wait). i was furious 
and damn near got my ass arrested by protesting this 
chickenshit outfit and refusing. needless to say, in the now 
days of martial law, i was forced to leave, work my thru 
the "boy" lines and slip into the front of the girls and get in.

so, my husband and i are separated from our family of 
friends to be isolated off near a fucking UT-FRAT KEG PARTY 
in the seats. we took our "third eye" openers while standing 
in line and i was on the verge of total open-mindedness 
when the funky/creepy pre-show music was playing. i was set 
to dissolve into the show that was about to unfold. and when 
tool came on and everyone stood up, the fucking keg party 
in front of us got going. these two frat boy has-beens (about 
15 year has-beens) were hooting and yelling and sloshing 
their $6 shit beer everywhere. as the show went on, so did 
the spectacle in front of me. now, i know you're saying, can't 
you just ignore them? well, i tried, real hard, but my 
heightened senses were taking in everything around me. so 
the fucking jack ass in front of me thought that he was the 
long lost member of tool and for two hours was facing ME 
with his leg up on his chair and busting out the  air guitar to 
ME and mouthing to every song, regardless if he knew the 
words or not, to ME. occasionally he would grab his tubby 
buddy, who thought he was shaking his booty to the new 
britney spears album, and they would do the 'ol touchdown 
high five, caveman shit. and during the beautiful quite 
sections of the show, that fucking moronicus inbredicus was 
BOOING!!! booing at a tool show???? now i have seen/heard 
everything!

well, despite the assholes ALL AROUND US, and the glaring 
lights from the concessions area, by the way try to compete 
with the artist on stage as to who has the better lighting, i 
managed to sink into my "trip" and lose myself in the music 
and become one with the band. i was singing and dancing 
and clasping my heart (out of shear heart attack) and 
CRYING to the absolutely BEAUTIFUL show that i was able to 
partake in. as an artist myself, i always have and continue 
to be in utter awe of the art work. their show is the ultimate 
multimedia experience and i am forever impressed with their 
artistic concepts, from the music, the lyrics, the lighting, the 
video, and now the contortionist. :)

WOW!!!!! there is no other band out there that has ever 
come close or will ever come close to this beauty and 
perfection.  and for all of you pissers and moaners out 
there, you ogt tool fans, who keep bitching about them 
playing old stuff.....get a clue will you? they are a band who 
evolves, grows, branches out, and not in your cheesy fucking 
metallica way either. you want hard, fast, consistency, 
moshing material, go listen to slayer (woo-hoo SLAYER!). 
what really warms my heart and is a true gauge as to how 
GOOD a band really is, is the fact that i love EVERY SINGLE 
song on the new album and would prefer, and insist if i had 
my way, that they play every single song off the new album 
in concert. and i can't wait to see if they will break the 
band/concert mold in the future and quite throwing the dogs 
(old fans, new fans) the bones of old songs and radio 
popular songs. this is not a kiss concert, this is a total 
experience for all of the senses, a story if you will. and if 
prison sex or opiate don't quite fit in the story at that time, 
then it wasn't meant to be.

anyway, it was an emotional show. i love danny, adam, 
justin, and i still really love maynard. they have been an 
integral part of my life for 9 years now. and i really hope 
that maynard comes around and gets off of this 
ego/power/nos foratu (sp?) trip and comes back down to 
earth. he sings about putting your feet on the ground and 
living in the moment and appreciating this moment, well 
maynard, you too are apart of this moment. i understand 
completely the desire to shake off these fucking ticks and 
leeches a.k.a. beer slinging, falling down drunk, one song 
knowing dipshits, but there are a LOT of honest, caring, 
loving, sincere, heartfelt fans out there that want to continue 
to share the moment. and we will be there when you guys go 
back to playing at smaller , more intimate venues, where we 
can all connect again, and let the single riding beautiful vibe 
flow from danny to adam to justin to maynard to this guy 
thru that girl thru me thru to my neighbor and so on. how i 
long for those days to come  back!

well, i must  publish this book and go to bed. leaving the 
venue was just as nightmarish as getting in the venue, as to 
be expected. i don't want to say that i'll never go to another 
tool show, but i don't know if i can tolerate the arena shit 
any longer. one other thing that really disturbed me was that 
these so called security people, with pig cops over seeing, 
were totally violating the 4th amendment of unreasonable 
search and seizure. they were practically giving body cavity 
searches and the kids today either don't know any better or 
just don't care that they are being violated! they are being 
brainwashed and primed for a future in the new world 
order. "you must be searched to see your favorite band". 
wake up kids! THINK FOR YOURSELF! QUESTION 
AUTHORITY!!!!!! words to live by.

ok. lots of love to all of my fellow toolphile!

peace and tori and tool
rachel the rabbit :)
                         









Review written by: Archon (aaantichrist@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/06/01 04:39:56 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  I am actually reviewing the night before at Arco Arena in Sacramento, but it wasn't 
listed anymore.  I had  seen the first Berkeley show in August and was very excited to 
see them again.  I'll keep the bitching to a minimum, but I will say that the line out 
the door made me miss Tricky (that and my wait for dinner).  Anyway I had sort of a 
sour mood to overcome with what I mentioned and all.  After an hour in line and 
Maynard not singint the last verse to 46&2, Pushit or Parabola, I was getting pissed, 
but then the Perfromance artists came out and all looked up from there.  Needless to 
say the music was spot on the whole night, as it has been every time I've seen 
them(except for the lyrics I mentioned) and everything came together as I found 
myself almost hypnotized by the dual drumming of Traid to open up the encore.  All 
in all a wonderfull experience that I can barely wait to repeat.  Enjoy any that you get 
a chance to see, but I'm sure you won't have to take my word for it.









Review written by: snowrider (snowrider004@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/06/01 13:07:23 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  AMAZING!!! I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said before, but TOOL gets 
better each time I see them. I know a lot of folks, including myself hate Shoreline, 
but if you have seats up front, like we did for this show, then it can be a positive 
experience. 

The set design was killer, I love that Maynard has his own screen to sing in front of. 
And the visuals????? Come on!!! To go to a live show and see visuals like that is 
definitely worth the price of admission, and the fact that you need to soak it all in 
there because you're not going to see it anywhere else is incredible. OL was great, 
saw them at Coachella two years ago and was definitely blown away, I mean, I had 
never seen anything like that before anywhere and when these two figures showed up 
over the stage at Coachella, I couldn't believe it. So seeing them here was cool, the 
lighting setup during their performance was right on the money.

Having been a TOOL fan since '92, the songs make more sense after listening to 
them for a bit. This show was a culmination of being educated and blown away! The 
setlist for this show has already been posted but I do need to point out some 
highlights. 

I've been following the setlists from show to show so I wasn't really surprised they 
played what they played but hearing Undertow 3rd song in was great. The new album 
is great, as is all their albums, and I think it's a great thing when you can see the 
band play the current material live, right after it's released. This has been the case 
for me having seen the band right after Undertow was released, then AEnima, so 
hearing the Lateralus songs live on this night made for a great evening. Parabol/a 
was definitely a highlight as was Disposition>Reflection>Triad, extended and heavy!!!
Pushit, Opiate, Patient and Lateralus closer all just amazing!

This was the only show on the tour I was able to see and was happy to have seen the 
show we saw. I'll never forget it and remember it as I have remembered Lollapalooza 
'92, Santa Barbara Bowl '98 and Coachella '99!










Review written by: Ryan (flxmstr@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/06/01 17:45:43 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  As I walked up to the venue gates, there were signs 
reading “NO MOSHING OR CROWD SURFING – FROM TOOL”.  
I think they had seen enough of that shit the night before in 
Sacramento.  I knew there was no pit here and that the 
band would step up the level of their performance.  I knew I 
was in for a killer show.  

This was by far the best TOOL show I’ve been lucky enough 
to be part of so far.  TOOL never fails to dazzle me with 
their artistic creativity.  Experiencing them live is 100 times 
better than just listening to their CDs.  Their shows push the 
boundaries by overloading your senses of sound, sight, and 
touch.  They are incredibly amazing musicians, as well as 
artists.  I’m so glad that I ended up getting such great 
seats!!!  I feel sorry for the poor bastards at the end of the 
rows who didn’t get to see Maynard since the PA speakers 
were in the way of his mini stage.  

The energy that erupted when Danny hit the first few beats 
of The Grudge was amazing.  Maynard was really into the 
show tonight, as were the rest of the guys.  Being a 
drummer myself, most of my enjoyment came from 
watching Danny tear it up.  He is such an incredible 
drummer, so fast, crisp, and heavy.  With all the odd time 
signatures and other fucked up beats, he always leaves me 
wondering “how the fuck does he play that shit?”  Listen to 
the part of Lateralus where Maynard sings the “witness the 
beauty” part or any of his drum solos and you’ll hear what 
I’m talking about.  

When they started with Undertow, I nearly shit myself.  Later 
when Justin hit the first four notes of Opiate, I did shit 
myself.  It’s great when you go into a concert hoping they’ll 
play your favorites, and then actually getting to hear them.  
I don’t understand why some people bitch so much cause 
they don’t play certain songs.  Shit, it would be great if TOOL 
played ALL their songs at every show.  Obviously they can’t 
do that.  I just wish I would have been introduced to TOOL 
when they first got started, it would have been sweet to have 
been able to see them play all of their songs live at least 
once.

This show was a completely different experience from the 
Sacramento show when I was in the pit.  Although I was able 
to let a lot of aggression out at the first show, I felt a lot 
more positive emotions come out at Shoreline.  I was able 
to slip into the moment and feel connected with everyone 
there.  The crowd was great, no one bitched when they 
started playing the slower songs like Disposition, Reflection, 
and The Patient.  Maynard seemed to be much happier with 
this show.  After they played Opiate, he said “always a 
pleasure, never a chore” and gave his “positive feelings” 
speech.  He really went nuts during the Lateralus, writhing 
and twisting like a maniac.  Bad ass show, well worth the 
1700 mile road trip from Seattle.

Thanks to TOOL, see you in Portland and Tacoma………….









Review written by: sandm (sandmharder@earthlink.net)
Review posted on: 11/06/01 21:28:56 ET


This was this reviewer's 14th Tool show

  I just want to thank tool for their contribution to my life and 
society. That sounds cheesy but I read these reviews and 
there is a lot of negetivity out there. Let go and view the 
shows that tool does for us for what they are...what you 
make them. Fuck the crowd, Fuck the sound , Fuck parking 
and Fuck that drunk guy screaming "Fuckin Tool" Tune out 
and Tune in. I have never been disappointed by this band 
and I know I never will. Triad blew my mind like that thing 
they did in '97. Such a trip. They put me back in my right 
place and gave me renewed perspective. i wouldnt even post 
this right now but its no less indulgent than the rest of the 
reviews. So fuck it .. till next time we meet. 









Review written by: fernando lopez (NL3NL3@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/07/01 16:27:07 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  well let me first start of by saying that tool is definately 
becomming a trend, theres to many litlle kids that dont 
know where tool is comming from and what there about but 
none the less they still listen to them for the one reason 
that they think they would be cool to have a tool shirt 
because the other "cool" kids have a tool shirt, this shits 
becomming like a metallica trend or even worse a korn trend 
and im not about to let this happen im so sick an tired of 
little kids wearing a tool shirt comming up to me just cause 
im wearing  a tool shirt and asking me if i like the song 
sober but pronouncing it sah-bir or pronouncing aenima ah-
ey-nima i mean for gods sakes there weraing a tool shirt 
and have not a clue of how to pronounce the the god 
forsaken names and it gets worse when i ask this kids a 
couple question to see where there knowledge is on tool that 
cant give me a proper answer they no not meanings they no 
not pronounciations they no not tool but they do know that if 
they were that tool shirt and claim they like them there 
might be a chance that they will be accepted in to "the cool 
kid croud" or something like that, tool is my and will always 
be my favroite band and i will not let a bunch of no life loser 
kid nerds looking to make something of themselves by 
making tool a trend fuck up tool for everyone else for the ral 
fans the ones that were there before schism hit the radio 
and way before thatso from this day on i will personally do 
my best to stop all the loser kids from making tool a trend, 
for those of you who are big tool fans who dont agree just 
picture this freshman kids at highschool that have no taste 
in clothes whatsoever they looke like beaners with a beaner 
fro there dirty litlle bugers that have no freinds no life 
wearing a tool shirt one day and a dragonball z shirt the 
other day and have tool spelled all over there back backs 
with white out for everyone to see did i mention these kids 
are pathetic no one in there right mind would hang out with 
them and by weraing a tool shirt they discrace the name to 
all others that view with there eyes the letters t.o.o.l written 
on the backpacks of a bunch of loser kids who do not know 
anything about tool . with that said i would like to say that 
tool was awesome at the cox arena on halloween night
althought the people in san diego dont know ho to get 
around ther own back yard and got us so lost that we got 
there at 9 just in time to hear the ending of the first song 
being "the grudge" fallowed by sober and so on i came from 
all the way in l.a california from a small town called 
inglewood right next to redondo and hathorne and all the 
other cities that make l.a, l.a a 5 hour drive but it was all 
worth it to be there that night oh by the way have a good 
day and keep your eys out for the perfect imposters and get 
rid of them thay dont belong out in the streets with our kids 
teaching our kids that trends and fashion are everything so 
wont someone please think of the children. thank you and 
good night








Review written by: Chris Thomas (AgentOrange60@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 11/08/01 23:57:41 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

     

     To the true tool fans:

    First I would like to say that the two shows that i caught 
were by far the best i have ever witnessed. The first one of 
this tour that i caught was the arco arena show in sacto, as 
far as performance goes, the band was unbeleivable. Their 
stage pressense is like non i have ever seen. However the 
crowd always seems to screw everything up, because of their 
lack of respect, their impaired iq, or their general drunken 
blunders. In hoping that tool reads their possitive reviews, i 
would like to state right now, that everything you do, whether 
it be musically, inspirationally, or through your art, means a 
great deal to those of us who consider "tool" to be more 
than just a band. The messages and thoughts that are 
brought forth through maynards lyrics, are both educating 
and inspiring. However the single greatest thing about "tool" 
is that its not just about the frontman, with tool its 
everything that is brought before you. The visuals, and the 
mind altering effects of adam jones, danny carey, and justin 
chancelor, are what make tool complete.  
 
     The second show that i caught was the following day in 
mountain view. This show was by far the single greatest 
event that i have ever witnessed, as far as concerts go. This 
show was by far a thousand times better than the sacto 
show. It all started with "the grudge" which is a great opener. 
From there the set just gets better, especially since most of 
it was lateralus bassed material, which to me is one of the 
greatest follow up albums of all times. I have to admit at 
first i was fairly questionable on the difference in styles. 
Then I began to think about how I am simply a tool 
junkie, "who are you and who am I to say what tool should 
sound like" this question that i asked myself, along with 
seeing and hearing the lateralus album performed, made 
me shut up quickly, and start to accept the soft chaotic 
perfection that is lateralus. So this is a message to those of 
you that think that your criticsms matter is ask you to "spiral 
out" and try to understand and accept change, in place of 
justifying and construing opinions about that which none of 
us understand.  

   To understand "Tool" is impossible, but to learn and 
expand your threshold of reality, this is possible, and Thus 
is done through understanding Not through oposing!

 if you would like to discuss more TooL related ideas and 
topics please contact me at AgentOrange60@hotmail.com

   
    -=Chris=-










Review written by: tyler (sugarcoated@disinfo.com)
Review posted on: 11/09/01 01:30:18 ET


This was this reviewer's 5th Tool show

  Well...
 
I think maynard said ten words.   The people in front of me 
said tricky sucked.  

I think after the first ten seconds the whole crowd 
disappeared, i was all elbows, knees and neck.

I really was esepecially enraptured while D.C found his 
groove in the middle of pushit, you know, where him and 
aloke fenced at the wiltern.  

During triad i think at some point i saw a triangle and the 
people chanting maynard forgot their own names. Wow!

I love tricky.

The boards hung up i recognized, the one to the left was 
less familiar to me, it was something resembling the 
strucure of DNA but had the irregular shape of a conch shell. 
there were numbers, digits, forming a box around it.  Blue 
background, Pink glowing forms.  

"The mediocre are winning" came to mind as i glance out 
among the dispersing mass of lumpy radiation.

That moment in the grudge  still trancends the whole show 
for me.........And sinkin' deeper--------*.

Hits me like a hammer in the temple.

Thanks to security for throwing out my walkman,and all my 
tapes.  They said I might throw them at the band.  What a 
fucking JoKE!  My ride back to L.a from san jose was blissful.
I had the back row threeseater.  hellhound.

I say to the band.

"please do a secret show at the troubadour and e-mail me
with the date. I'll bring cheesesteaks."

Natura Non FAcit Saltum










Review written by: Esbee (saldivarboten@earthlink.net)
Review posted on: 11/09/01 02:29:53 ET


This was this reviewer's 6 Tool show

  Incredible experience.  Better than ever expected.  Great 
connection with audience.  Better than the Berkeley show, 
although Berkeley was a smaller venue.  Mtn. View was big, 
but still intimate.  Overall, I feel this was the best 
performance I have seen.









Review written by: Cameron Keith (krapperjon@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 11/09/01 15:36:45 ET


This was this reviewer's 10th Tool show

  Evidently it's too late to post my review of the Sacramento 
show, but there isn't much to say about it that hasn't already 
been said. Given that, before I review the Shoreline show, 
I'd like to put in my 2 cents on Sacto -- first of all, a giant 
suck this 8====D to those bastards that feel they have to 
give the "tough love" treatment to a "favorite" band. 
Another note - I took my parents to see the Tool show as a 
reward for giving up drinking. My stepdad is a big Tool fan, 
but had never seen them. My mom -- well, I don't know that 
she'd ever seen a real rock show before. I think Huey Lewis 
and the News was the closest she ever came. Anyway, the 
look on her face midway through The Grudge -- open-
mouthed, wide-eyed -- and the way she just exploded into 
applause throughout the show...it really made up for 
perhaps the only lackluster Tool show I've ever seen. She 
had a great time for me, and folks, this is a woman pushing 
fifty.

On to Shoreline -- did anybody happen to see the notice 
posted outside that mentioned something to the effect that 
your ticket in was your legal consent to be recorded? I'd 
never seen that notice before at Shoreline (and I'd just been 
there the week before for Jane's Addiction), so I'm betting 
that Tool was in recording mode that night. Much love to 
Kabir, but I have to say that I thought the Shoreline show 
was the best I'd seen them since '98, even better than the 
first Berkeley show this year (I didn't see the second one). 
While my view was compromised by three large guys in front 
of me with big, bad hair, nonetheless, the performance was 
explosive, worthy of a live recording. Tool really had their 
shit together, so it was nice to be rewarded after a 
disappointing show the previous night.

Opiate was a nice surprise, but the highlight for me was The 
Patient, which I'd missed in Berkeley and Sacramento and 
had been waiting to see live since I'd first heard it. It did not 
disappoint -- the performance was mezmerising. I was also 
pleased that they played Parabol with Parabola, which they 
didn't do the previous night in Sacto. This is easily the best 
show I'd ever seen at Shoreline, a venue that I utterly 
loathe, so most likely, unless there's no other option to see 
Tool next time around, it will be the last show I see there. 
Might as well go out on a great note, eh? Frankly, I'm 
looking forward to Tool's return to smaller venues -- I keep 
praying they'll play the Greek Theatre or the Bill Graham 
Civic, but I'll take anything over the arena circuit. I know 
that nothing will eradicate fucking morons entirely, but 
filtering out the arena hags is a good start. I'm also looking 
forward to a more varied setlist next time around. It's great 
to hear just about everything from the new album, but now 
that it's been said and done, I'd really love to see them do 
Intolerance and Bottom and No Quarter again sometime. 
I'm also hoping for the more traditional stage show; it'd be 
nice to see the boys in full view again, rather than a 
silhouetted rumor of them. The visuals are amazing, of 
course, but I still think the band is more fun to watch. Adam 
may be a "shoegazer", but there's nothing quite like 
watching a group of artists perform their craft -- it's more 
interesting than watching bad musicians "rock out" on stage.

See you all the next time around, no matter what the venue. 
Where there's Tool, there's me, guaranteed. Peace (to 
everyone that isn't a fucking idiot).