A Review of the Fall 1996 Tour

Date: October 28


Subject: Review of TOOL concert in SF on Oct. 28 From: Tim.Wharton@ix.netcom.com (dirtypix@ix.netcom.com) Well, after winding my way through the scuzzy, homeless filled streets of downtown San Francisco, I finally got to the Warfield. The place was hella fucking small and intimate. I sat in the first row of the second deck, and I felt as if I was almost on top of Maynard and the boys. Anyways, The Cows came on at about 8:00, and they fucking sucked!!! The lead singer came out wearing a silver shower cap on his head, and then proceeded to blare away on a trumpet (bugel, perhaps). He ruined that bands performance; a couple of the songs actually had decent rythyms to them, but he would drown them out with his incessant blaring. At about 9:15, TOOL came out, and this rumbling-feedback type of sound ensued for a couple of minutes. Maynard was covered in blue paint or something, and he was wearing boxers and sandals. They proceeded to burst into an awesome version of Third Eye. They followed that up with Forty-Six and Two, and then Eulogy. (BTW, after Third Eye, Maynard said "That was our new single.") H. came next I believe (in retrospect, the whole show seems like a blur, so the order might be a little mixed up). Maynard really impressed me with his ability to hold a note without faltering from it. It was also amazing how the band was able to recreate some of the noises from Aenima. They then played Swamp Song, which made my whole evening! They also played Sweat, Opiate, Hooker, Jimmy, and Sober. After Opiate, Maynard said something like "This is our last song. Don't get pissed. That was supposed to be our last song." They then played Aenema. Maynard started to walk off stage, but then he went over and talked to Adam, and the rest of the band. Then he said "We've got a surprise for you tonight. Adam just finished up the video to Stinkfist. We won't lie and say you're the first to see this. You're the second." They then played the video on the screens behind them, and played a crunching version of Stinkfist. Everyone in the whole place was mesmerized by the video. The mosh pit stopped for the only time during the whole show. To sum it up, I'd have to say that Maynard is perhaps one of the most unappreciate vocalists I have ever heard. His vocal range is almost unparalled in rock music. Tool, like all truly great bands, is better in live performances then in a studio!!!