| concert reviews firsthand, immediate, from the heart |
 |
|
06/26/2001
[all times Central Time; t.d.n is hosted in the midwest] |
Review written by: yoless (yoless@gmx.net) Review posted on: 06/26/01 21:27:03WOW!!!!!!!!! that was amazing i saw tool at rock am ring, but there they just played the festivalset i just returned after 3 hours on the road... the auditorim sucked they clapped between parabol and parabola and behaved very crudely... nevertheless it was REALLY great best concert i ve ever seen maybe more later...too tired...
Review written by: Daniel van Os (athotmeel@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/27/01 02:37:20
I've been quite busy lately. Playing baseball games, training a softball team, buying a new telescope. Also my girlfriend moved in, she started a job in my hometown, I had to prepare for an exam coming up next Thursday. So, it wasn't until Monday that I began to realize: Hey! I'll be seeing Tool again tomorrow! Probably the fact that this was the third show I was going to see for this tour the anticipation started a litlle later. (overstimulation numbs me?) But when it started, it was there 100%. Tuesday, the day of the concert, I went to work and did nothing except chatting a little on the toolband page and constantly monitoring the webcam of the Philipshalle while the stage was being build. At 14.30 I left and picked up my girlfriend. From Almelo in The Netherlands were I live, it's about 170km to the Philipshalle, a distance we covered in little less than 2 hours, including some searching but fortunatly no 'Stau'. We parked our car, stepped out and heard Tool play Parabola as a soundcheck. Since we were both quite hungry we decided to go find some food. There was some Greek restaurant nearby, which became infested with Tool fans, including us. My girlfriend ordered some chicken while I decided to have a Bivteki. Later that night my girlfriend said she was happy the chicken was well fried. But ever since she said that I was feeling intense pain in my stomach and kept burping up bivteki. Ah well, after a walk in the park we entered the Halle, made sure the webcam caught us before going to the stage to wait for Cortizone. They haven't received a lot of good comments in the reviews posted here, but I must say they played at least two great songs. Ofcourse I had to categorize them, I was thinking along the lines of a Britisch version of Far, Quicksand and Handsome with maybe some Filter. But then Motorpsycho came to mind. Yep, a British Motorpsycho, without the brilliant moments of Motorpsycho. They played for little over half an hour and 35 minutes later Tool came on stage. The setlist was almost similar to the show I saw in Tilburg with Eulogy instead of 46&2. I was afraid that there would be a lot of Old Fashion Hardrockers screaming stupid stuff like in Tilburg, but eventhough a lot of Germans do dress like OFHRs, it seemed to be a much more Toolfitting audience than in Tilburg. We were standing just in front of the mixingtable for a change and the sound was great, though it took a bit of The Grudge before Maynard's voice was adjusted well. Eventhough I do apologize to all Germans for thinking they would all be OFHRs, there were two Scheisseheads who came standing in front of us during the Schism break and kept talking and laughing (let's call them Uwe und Dieter, but they could have been Heinz and Thomas as well). We kindly suggested they should go to a bar if they wanted to talk so we could listen to Tool, but they just kept talking. We stepped in front of them and they started to make all kinds of jokes. Yet after ignoring them, Uwe und Dieter decided to call it quits and we could enjoy the last part of the show. To compensate, Maynard wasn't very talkative. He just thanked Cortizone for opening for them in Europe and said the usual about creating something positive with the feeling we had tonight. But considering the battle my stomach was having with the Bivteki and the hurts it caused, it's gonna be very hard to make something positive out of it. Maynard was holding the guitar on several songs and it was plugged in. The moments when he picked it up and put it away seemed so structured that he must be using it for something, but I haven't been able to figure out what. As far as I'm concerned I'll give Tool back to you guys in the U.S. They'll be playing two more shows in Europe but I won't be able to go. Those of you who can, or those that will see them in the US or Australasia: enjoy! Just killing time, until we meet again! (or: Meat again, in a Bivteki-way of speaking) Daniel Setlist: - The Grudge (slow start, but kickin at the end) - Stinkfist (kickin all the way) - Eulogy (the visuals during the first 'explosion' wow!) - Prison Sex - Schism - Pushit (Was that the Ticks & Leeches intro?) - Disposition - Refection (Adam repeating the final riff 2453 times) Schism video - Sober - Parabol - Parabola - Ĉnema (Maynard sang: Fret for your Mohawk) - Opiate - Lateralus (Wow! 100% Phat!)
Review written by: Carsten (carmoxx@webdas.de) Review posted on: 06/27/01 04:48:48
Yeap... hmm... the setlist was already posted... so there is just to say: What does the world needs religion for??? There's TOOL!!! ...not from this world...not from this...
Review written by: Ro (rmeulen@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/27/01 05:57:39
pffff, still very impressed and overwhelmed by this epic. It was in fact the first time I've seen TOOL. Boy, was I nervous.. and not just me. We drove about 300 km to see this show (I live at the north of Holland) and it was darn HOT ... but we managed to survive this sun-shower in order to get blown away by TOOL's ! Setlist as shown above shows that SCHISM was played live aswell as being played in the 'break' (they showed the video), which was a bit confusing maybe. And whaz with all the strange noise-parts eh.. lotsa samples. pretty cool though (the reflection ending from Adam was long but worh it). Some one stated above that the crowd sucked, but I was surprised by the focus of this same crowd. Hardly no pit, and everybody was like, really LISTENING to what the band had to offer... it was cool. it was damn cool. nuff said. gonna check them again next friday at the Rock-Werchter festival....
Review written by: Daniel Rausch (Promotheus@t-online.de) Review posted on: 06/27/01 06:00:42
O.K! I`ve started to drive to Düsseldorf at 16:00h. We needed the whole 4 hours to Düsseldorf but it was better than Berlin.I´ve only seen 4 Songs from Cortizone but they were really cool.I have the Album from Cortizone and they did a really great live show!BUT THEN!after 20 building up the stage,TOOL was playing!It was unbelievable.The first song they played was "THE GRUDGE"and this song kicked!I`ve seen TOOL the first time and I was really surprised how the got this sound on stage!"GENIUS"!Maynard´s Voice was so perfect, that I was really hypnotised the whole show!Congratulations to Mr.Drum"ola"-Carrey!Oh Man!The Drumming was unbelievable heavy and strong!Songs like "ĈNIMA" and" Parabola" were so exciting to hear that I only looked on the stage and I was one of the luckiest boys this cool evening!I`ll never forget this great show! P.S:Sorry for my englisch!!!could be better!!!!SEE U NEXT TIME!!!!
Review written by: Thijs (thijsjeurissen@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/27/01 07:03:29
this time i checcked first, and Daniël was so friendly to post the setlist, so i can spare myself the time for the setlist this time. Well, what can i say, at the last moment my girlfriend got 2 tickets (i love her for it!!) for this concert. So for the rnd time this tour i would see TOOL. Good, cause just a festival (pinkpop) didn't still my hunger for TOOL. SO we booked a hotel, ik took a day off from work and off we went. After a 2,5 hour traintrip for me and 3,5 hours for my girlfriend we arrived in Düsseldorf, and after eating something we arrived at the hall around 18.30. Well, i didn't see too much of cortizone, but i didn't like it so much, but that wasn't their fault, it's the sadness of being supportact: i was just waiting for Tool. Few minutes after 9 Tool came on stage, and from the begionning on the sound was absolutely perfect!! I was very thrilled that Eulogy and Opiate were on the playlist... AMAZING!!!! And Pushit still has the same magic as ever. The cool thing about a headline is that the set is more balanced. The slower parts (disposition,reflection) of the show were absolutely making the shows magic complete. Only comment i have on the show is that Schism didn't sound to good somehow, but hey, even Tool are just human beings (allthough, seeing them play makes me doubt it sometimes). Absolutely the best band in the world at the moment. In conclusion: if you have the change to see them somewhere somehow, makes sure you don't miss it. Just one warning: it's addicting!!!!
Review written by: Austin (amalone@gmx.de) Review posted on: 06/27/01 07:42:15
What can I say? Tool was absolutely wonderful. The last show I saw them was Lalapaloozá (sp?) '97 in St. Louis. So, by far my favorite band, this was almost a religious experience for me... I took the setlist down but I believe it's already been covered. I must say the music and graphics were amazing, and to top it all off I ended up somehow backstage and got to meet the entire band. I am now the proud owner of a ticket stub signed by the entire band and got to see an AMAZING concert and truly meet my heros. I have to say that all of the members of Tool are absolutely cool. They didn't give anyone any bullshit like you might expect from the greatest band on earth. It was just very nice to chat and meet them as people, as opposed to the distant rock-stars they are when you sit at home and listen to the album. Now I have a new respect for these people who have already given me so much. I have to give a shout-out to my friends at home and all over the world: Nate & Chad, my OGT's (since when is driving on the wrong side of the road and possession of a controlled substance a 15k dollar crime???) Ralf and Connie, fellow concert goers, friends. Camilla, the graphics person for Tool, probably one of the most interesting people I have ever had the pleasure of talking too. and finally, TOOL.
Review written by: [wallie] (wallie_inc@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/27/01 10:40:07
10.30 AM: Leaving Ghent (B) for Düsseldorf: very sunny day, hot weather... very nice feeling cruising the 250 miles to Germany 03.00 PM: Arriving at Philipshalle. Dropped of car and wnet shopping for some food. Other "long-distance travellers" arriving as well... nice little detail: female german toolies are "jummie". Security starts preparing entranceconstruction. Funny guys: they all look like they wanna be Arnold Swartsie' s brother... 05.00-06.00: Soundcheck still going on... ĉnema, bit of reflection and... eulogy. Delays on ticket reservations... Met some funny Dutch toolies. 07.00 PM: Doors opening. Still no reservationtickets available 07.45 PM: Finally got in. Nice big venue, a pity it's flat, but the wooden floor feels very comfortable... 08.10 PM: Corizone starts their set. Much better than what i heard and saw in Paris, but still not my cup of tea. They did their best though 09.10 PM: Final headlining gig in Europe. Very powerfull set... Same as usual, except 46&2 replaced by Eulogy (great!!). Maynard not much of a talker once again, but with a very, very strong voice today... holding long notes, taking/giving no time to breathe... I can feel every beat going deep into my bones, every sigh, every string... Sound is very nice ballanced. Intro Pushit. Muscles starting to scream... adrenalin is pumping. Adam leads us into disposition and reflection (hey, is that maynard playing the high *phiews* on his guitar?) Magic moment with Adam finishing the song on his own. Germans ruining it by clapping hands *sigh* Schism Video starts... german next to me getting really confused: "what the hell am i looking at??? they have technical problems? is it over?" Sucker :-) Second chapter starts... Maynard changed leather outfit for black underwear. Perhaps his whites were still in the laundry??? ;-) Parabola fades out. Opiate kicks in. We missed this song in Paris... i'm very glad to hear it again after all these years. Maynard once again very powerfull and mindblowing... Now, correct me if i'm wrong, but is this the place were we could here a large sample of adam's pigs making funny noises? Wake me up if i'm dreaming... Maynard opens Ĉnema... girl in front of me goes nuts... i told you german female toolies are adorable? Lateralus finishing this wonderfull gig... once again tired but extremely satisfied. 11.30 PM: Parking lot hell: no cars moving, people starting carparties everywhere 04.00 AM: Finally back in Ghent. It's an extremely hot night. Stumbling upstairs to bed. 05.00 AM: A giant storm breaks loose. The sound of thunderstrikes guides me into my dreamzone. 3 more nights and TOOL is playing in Belgium... only 3 more nights [wallie]
Review written by: bRAiNpAiN (brainpain@gmx.net) Review posted on: 06/27/01 12:30:44
ok, where to start? 19:00 we started in cologne, 50 km away from d-dorf. we arrived at 19:50. we met a friend, drank a beer and walked in at 20:20. we heard a few songs from cortizone (not sooo bad!). and then 21:10 tool came up and started with "the grudge". great music, great light show, great videos... last time i saw tool was February 1997, this was and still is the best concert i´ve ever been to. the gig last nite was close to that concert but did not reach the intensity. i hope it won´t last four years ´till i can see tool again... big hug to my family. (u know who u r) bRAiNpAiN p.s. merchandising was extremly expensive and i think it´s not okay expecting the fans to pay 50 marks for t-shirt and 70 marks for a longsleeve
Review written by: Patrick (pwinsheimer@aol.com) Review posted on: 06/27/01 12:44:23
Finally i have the time to write a review about my 8th Tool show of this tour (Tilburg, Zürich, Rock am Ring, Pinkpop, Paris, Hurricane, Berlin) and my 13th Tool show all in all (Hamburg in 93´, Strassburg, Mulhouse - both France -and Frankfurt in 94´, Stuttgart in 97´). I just have to say that it is wonderful to see this band grow (i´m sure that they will keep on growing and get bigger and bigger), speaking of their concerts from playing to 30 people as an opening band till playing to up to 8000 as a headliner. The shows of this tour had variations, not only the sizes of the venues were different, but also the setlists and the moods that the amazing four seemed to be in (which surely also depended on the mood the audience was in). Maybe the only show that wasn´t worth goin´so far (i live in Düsseldorf) was Paris, but that wasn´t Tools fault (i just mention dumb little french Papa Roach kids and not even professional pocket thieves). I would not want to miss any of the others, maybe outstanding were those in Zürich and this one, a few very good reviews are already written about it (sorry i´m late). I stood a few meters before the soundboard and it was a very cool place. No pushin there and enough place even to have a good view on stage. From this perspective i saw the stage and anything that happened there as a whole. It was great to hear Eulogy once again, the visuals for the song were those used for 46 on other shows, with additions. It was the longest Tool show i ever saw, they played for for 2 hours and 10 min. I heard folks saythings like "that´s by far the best thing i´ve ever seen..." and saw m standing there with open mouths once again, as at other shows before. Now i don´t know what to ad anymore, that wasn´t already posted here before. By the way i managed to get to the after show party again, and this time i had my vinyl version of Aenima with me and got it signed by all band members, and this time especially Danny and also Justin were talkin´to everybody. Very nice guys, just normal people like you and me. As for me this was the last time to see Tool on this tour, i already hope that they will come back again soon. You can call me an addict, if you want to. I call Tool the greatest Rock band ever. Stop. Patrick
Review written by: Andreas (cyst666@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/28/01 03:15:47
ah... fantastic gig! but why has nobody mentioned that (-) ions (between 'grudge and stinkfist) has been played live for the first time? it has been fun to see maynard dropping his hair dryer he uses for his wigs dropping in a basket full of water... ;-)
Review written by: Jason M. Putman (j_bone72@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/28/01 05:06:58
This was my first Tool show and I must say, it was kick-ass! Wasn't sure about the venue, but it was nice that it was so small. Made it much easier to get to the front and see Maynard since he was in the background most of the time. I drove three hours to see them, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! The setlist was good, except for the "neverending" riff played at the end of one song. What was that all about? I was a little disappointed that they didn't play 46 & 2 but all in all, it was a very satisfying experience! The beats and riffs were on time and clean. Perfect! Maynard sounded great! It's beyond me how he can hold a note for so long. The Germans were a little less radical than I'd hoped (too much clapping and not enough moshing), but were into it nonetheless......great show!! -Jason
Review written by: Michiel (jansen254@wish.net) Review posted on: 06/28/01 16:30:43
OK then finally my personal review, I've read most of the previous reviews and all I have to say is WOW. But i will say more. I saw TOOL in Paris and it was the first one since the undertow tour..... (long time ago) So that's why i thought at first the show was the best. the same night after a 5 hour drive back i got back on the net in search for some tickets. Dusseldorf was sold out but they changed the stage so tickets were available (i went crazy) there was a minor problem, mail was lazy so i didn't got the tickets. phoning back and forth to germany the guy from the ticketservice said he would put the tickets in the bar/restaurant on the other side of the street..... and they were there. we had a good german meal there and went to the Halle, and got there just in time. In paris we only heared the last two songs of Papa "they suck" Roach and in dusseldorf we even didn't see Cortizone. The dusseldorf show was from the first minute beter then paris, musical but also the addience. everything was great and it was so cool they played eulegy on only this night (little haha) my only comment goes out to the people saying they heard the cd. this is LIVE every number sounds different then the studio versionm even paris songs differs from the dusseldorf. aenima was so much better in ddorf the whole band went crazy.... It was the best. I hope they come back in the winter cuase i know they can do another tour and sell out every night. a month touring is to little for Europe.
Review written by: Jason (westy73@yahoo.com) Review posted on: 07/01/01 02:14:16
Well contrary to what everyone else writes in reviews on this website, I thought the concert was one of the most boring concerts I have ever been to. For me personally part of the concert experience comes from the interaction between band and audience. However most the time Maynard thought that the screen might be more interesting to sing to than the actual audience. The thing is, the band members have absolutely no personalities - something which they know because why else would you have screens with all these abstract images making up most of the show? It was like watching one continuous vidoe clip. I don't deny that TOOL are one of the best bands musically in the world at the moment but how people can write that this show was the best concert they have ever seen is way beyond me. I would say that this concert is for die hard TOOL fans only who like to look at four guys standing there playing music but not doing much else with lots of pretty colours going on around them.