| concert reviews firsthand, immediate, from the heart |
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04/19/2002
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Review written by: RANDY (RLEVASSEUR@COGECO.NET) Review posted on: 04/18/02 11:31:51 ETThis was this reviewer's 1 Tool show
MY BUM HURTS. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Review written by: andrew (mrmofo3hours@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 08:00:02 ET
Set list: The Grudge Stinkfist (Extended) little (-) ions Intolerance Parabola Schism Sober ? (Intro to next song [fucking cool sounds]) H Disposition Reflection --Parabola Video-- Triad Aenema Lateralus The best fucking time of my life. It was loud, big and naked.
Review written by: Aidan (lanks67@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 09:17:39 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
An amazing night! The guys above seems to have the setlist accuratley, so.... First off, the Melvins were pretty damn cool. Hadn't them much before but they came up with some crazy sounds. Tool was incredible. My favourites for the evening were definatly Intolerence ("you lie, cheat and steal" part was wicked), Disposition and Reflection. Triad and H. Tool's musicianship was flawless and Maynard's voice was incredible. Some really cool visuals. Overall this was a fucking cool experience and a night I will never forget.
Review written by: erased (kim@reap.org.nz) Review posted on: 04/19/02 09:30:33 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
Fucking amazing, that was the best thing I've ever done! They even played my favourite song h. But I'm somewhat concerned for the naked man, hanging upside down doesn't apparently do wonders for your 'bits'. peace.
Review written by: Vladimir (blah@blah.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 09:38:52 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
Fuck yes, amazing as expected amazing voice crowd was a bit violent, heh. but it's all good Intolerance was wicked, and The Grudge best $72 I ever fucken spent
Review written by: owl_bundy (rock_superstar40@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 10:21:25 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show
Well apart from being 99% satisfied, I can surely say I got a few mates really involving themselves in Tool for their first time. And what a night to do it. The Melvins came on first and produced a lot of..... noise? Na The Melvins were very different and had us rocking along for a while there. I'm sure if the sound was improved (through the six massive speakers) the singer would be half decent. Then you know what? Tool strolled on stage,.. big bloody cheer!. The setlist posted initially sounds correct, but who exactly was worrying about the setlist tho? I mean COME ON GUYS. few points about that setlist..... - Sober came before Schism - I don't remember Tool playing the full version or any part of 'Triad' at all. During the jam with the Melvins drummer, there were several 'teases' or ' clips' of songs throughout. I heard hints of 'Third Eye' and 'Hooker With a penis' and maybe 'The Patient' - That sound heard before 'H' was Eon Blue Apocalypse (?) - Intolerance, Lateralus, Aenima were highlights of the night as far as songs go. - It was frustrating to hear a voice as beautiful as Maynard's to be droned out by the absolute crap sound speakers or whatever the fuck you want to call them. These such speakers made Maynard and Buzz sound as though they were chipmunks on weed. Just hand me the mic / - Danny Carey is the best drummer in the world and no questions asked. - Justin's bass was forceful and really tight, love the do. - There will forever be a debate about whether those 'mindblowing acrobats from cunnamulla' (swinging people) are real or not real. - Adam is Pink Floyd all over again. That Parabola video is so mindblowing, how he thinks of these things. His guitar playing was kept simple but very effective in songs such as 'H', 'Lateralus' 'Disposition' which incidentally happen to be the songs with those clean, slow guitar breaks or whatever. you know? - My advice for the people who caught Danny's 'drumsticks' is to sell them on an internet auction, because Danny threw you brand spankin new ones straight out of a packet, I saw him slip his proper drumsticks in his pocket when your attention was focussed on the visuals! - I'm sure it'll all sink in.....t h i s surreal moment of eternal pleasure...... m i n d b l o w i n g - good- day
Review written by: Russian (Russian@rock2.co.uk) Review posted on: 04/19/02 17:06:05 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show
The Grudge Stinkfist (Extended Live) (-) ions (perhaps) Intolerance Parabola Sober Schism Eon Blue. H. Disposition Reflection //Parabola Video/Drinks Break Triad Aenema Lateralus is i think how it went down, hearing Intolerance was unexpected but very cool none the less, and H was extremely good, definately one of the best tool songs. And when aenema came on, maynard started SCREECHING the EH EH EH EH EH at the start of it, and i thought they might do Ticks n Leeches, but when the guitars came in, he started singing it proper. im resourceful and already have the parabola vid, so when it came on i went and got a huge drink, and cooled off a bit from the sweaty mosh. The accoustics were utter shite, but who cares, its tool. And seeing Ossyus Labirint during triad was cool. One of the best gigs i have ever seen, woulda been cool if they cranked Prison Sex or Third eye though.
Review written by: Fearless Retch (fearlessretch@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 17:55:37 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
ok, well, i saw tool last year at christchurch, and i gotta say, it was a hell of a lot better, things that disapoointed me bout the wellington show was: they played almost the exact same setlist as the show i saw 8 months ago, with all the good songs taken out (pushit, prison sex, 46&2)(although the songs they did play instead were cool(h., intolerence and triad) the main thing that gets me is that they could have such a geat line up, ok i know they have to promote the new album, but they could of done that well while still having a lot of other awesome songs, and having buzz from the melvins they could have played you lied, an awesome peach cover found on the salivial cd. but think about it, instead of disposition, reflection and triad (25 mins worth of music, they could have played eulogy, jimmy, my third eye, jerk off, opiate, crawl away or undertow or any of their other excellent earlier stuff like 4 degrees and flood (which they actually played at the christchurch show this time around) yeah so im kinda bitter bout the setlist as someone who has seen them before the crowd was insane as well, i started at the front where a rather large abnoxious woman ended up pushing me off the bar, then near the end of the concert i was heading further and further back and the crowd that wasnt even in hte moshpit were pushing people about yeah so i came away from that concert really dissapointed, although im sure all you 1st timers will be happy with it, not knowing it could be so much better...
Review written by: fearless retch (fearlessretch@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 17:57:23 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
goodluck auckland i hope you get a better concert than we did
Review written by: Andrew (mrmofo3hours@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 18:38:49 ET
I have confirmed the set list with other mates that also wrote the lot down and they did play Schism before Sober. The question I have for the others... How many joints/beers had you smoked/drank? They played Triad, you remeber those bits when those lovely naked people were hanging upside down from the rafters? That sounded a lot like Triad to me...
Review written by: Mulletude (ihavemulletude@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 18:54:42 ET
This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show
Just a few mentions that others haven't : I dont see how the thing they played before H. qualifies as Eon Blue Apocalypse. It contained no recognisable riff from that song. I'm pretty sure it was improvised - maybe this makes it Merkaba? Started with lots of crazy noise, Adam made noise with a small keyboard , Danny triggering samples and then bringing in Tom rythms. For a while it was sounding like the beginning Third Eye - vid screens had a creepy three eyed creature in a box. Anyways, it soon ended so wasnt - but it was great . I was also at the CHCH concert last year, but was not as dissapointed as 'fearless retch' seems to be. It was worth the money just to hear Triad - and yes that WAS Triad, note for note perfect. With Dale from the Melvins bashing away on the Rototoms on Maynard's little stage. Maynard was behind the small screen (silhouette) playing guitar - and playing it mighty well I might add, you know the middle eastern doudak-type sounds at the beginning, yeh those. Meanwhile dangling from above Osseus Labrynt. Sound at this venue is terrible, but all in all I am a happy camper. Very happy to see Tool again so soon !
Review written by: sidey & stening (sideyman@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 20:38:01 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
everythings been said. great to have a different show to chch last year. highlights had to be H and Anemia and everything else. yea.
Review written by: Luke (lmbsohf@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 22:11:34 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
For a year Ive had to take shit from my friends about not going to Auckland to see Tool, now I give full justification for them doing it. Last night was the greatist show/ experiance of my life. Anybody, for any reason that did not see them should be ashamed. Tool outdid themelves, so many new and diffeent ideas coming through into their live performances. My highlights of the night were the triad and of corse watching Maynard, he puts on a good show. The first setlist was correct, schism was after parabola and sober was after schism. Also anybody with a recoring of the concert, could you please e-mail me about sharing your treasure. Video or Audio, A live tool concert has too much information to take in at once so I'm sure there are little things that I have missed so a recording will be helpful.
Review written by: the man in orange (kittyfrog@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/19/02 23:23:14 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
Well it seems that a higher experiance has been had by all. Why is it that everyones first time is always the best? Why can't we get better accoustics? WOW triad is an experiance in itself, release me from my captivation and take me on higher, I embrace my desire to feel the rhythm, to feel connected
Review written by: TP (tpilott@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/20/02 00:46:33 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
Saw Tool at Christchurch last year and I definitely enjoyed this show just as much this time round. It's a pity still not to have heard Eulogy, but hey, that's life.. any of Tool's songs are mind-blowing live. The best surprise of the night was Intolerance which hadn't been one of my favourites on CD, but is amazing live. Oh yeah, I'm glad I was fairly far back for Triad and the upside-down dangling people, it made a really great sight when you couldn't see the, er, details. Gravity is not the upside-down naked man's friend...
Review written by: Ninja Panda (smack_layer@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/20/02 00:52:37 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
Well I must say that this show wasn't as good as the one last year for a few reasons... First off The Melvins (who in my opinion (nice word) stank) and took up valueable TOOL time, which means the show that TOOL played was shorter.... However the show was better cause the crowd was better and not so full of shoving smelly munters. The setlist I don't remember so well but yes they did play triad, and the played merkeba but really short, and they teased a Third Eye and a Salival version of Pushit.... sniff I wanna see them live..... I guess my bad luck was I saw the show in welly which didn't get tool last time so the setlist was similar, but still awesome.... I just wished they had played some older school stuff.... like 4 Degrees and Pushit and Eulogy..... Maynard said piss all, but the crowd ate it up..... TOOL always kick ass live and no matter how little the play its always worth the money.... I recommed anyone to go see them 100% It was better than any big day out.... However I wish they had played some older classics..... Maybe I am just fussy....... Oh and the Melvins let it down for me... oh well shit happens... Maybe TOOL see something I don't...... Better and Worse than last years show in a kinda tiwsted and weird sense if you get what i mean But as usual always worth it 100%
Review written by: Pineal (jesus_i_was_evil@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/20/02 11:30:20 ET
This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show
Stop your FUCKING whiingeing....oh tool didnt play this, i didnt think it was that good........What you saw in that city last night was a show.....no for you... but EVERYONE there....and that show was designed to open your mind and see beyond this pretense. All i can say myslef to describe this show is .... religious...and very
Review written by: Kieran (onlooker@paradise.net.nz) Review posted on: 04/20/02 20:00:44 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
My second Tool show after Auckland last year and firmly set its self as my second best international show after that monumnetal 'every song other than 3rd eye you could want' set. I dont know where those unpleased with the sound were but from my position (just in front of the sound desk) it was absolutly mint. Better than any prior experiance I have had at Queens Warf. The Melvins blew me away even if i only saw 1/2 the set, Anti-Vermin seed was massive and when that final riff finally fell it was so good. The crowd was nice and far less packed than last years sardine can filled Auckland show. Tool came on and as always every note , every arrangment, every visual was perfectly sculpted and tightened to the point at which the label of best contemporary live act can not be avoided. Yeah Maynard did that same qoute as last year, yeah they played a more Lateralus based set but it was still perfect. The hanging performers were choice and an utterly Tool touch. At the end of Triad a guy next to me , said "that song alone was worth the $72!!" I wish I was my freind who did the chch, welly , AK trifecter.
Review written by: Sparkster (mr_sleepless@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/21/02 04:46:19 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
I went to see Tool at Auckland last year so typically, I were comparing the two. Both were amazing, and It was good to hear a variation of the setlist. My mate met the drum technician and got a pair of Danny Carey Drumsticks and he got the setlist from Christchruch. It made me even more excited as they seemed to be playing songs they havnt played live in New Zealand before. The Melvins were Great, Buzz has got a great voice but the sound wasnt too clear while they played. It was over run with very washy distortion, by the time Tool openned with The Grudge everything sounded alot better and alot clearer. One thing I noticed about this concert was the large amount of Improv/merkabas between songs. Before tool came on there were weird sonnds comming from the speakers (doh, where else) It had some guy speaking german and some scary woman saying "im a witch" or something similar, these were just a few parts of all the crazy sounds before they came on stage. The Whistling digerdoo sound was alot longer at this concert. Im refering to the sounds made when the circle eye first appears on the two large screens and everyone goes wild. The Queens wharf events Centre is larger then the Northshore events centre, so they had two screens up and they were spaced out alot more. At the second Half Manyard said "thank you" twice, for being supportive and especially enthusiastic (Which us New Zealanders really can be) It felt good hearing him say that. I was paranoid about some little fuck throwing shoes on the stage and then stopping the song. (as its happened with some america concerts) But all the douche bags must have been in quiet form tonight. Dont get me wrong, there was dumb fucks outside that were almost too drunk to stand. Odessious Labrinth was great, an excellent way to get the second half underway. Triad was was great indeed. I think the variations they do with songs make it special. They had the extra words in Stinkfist as well. During Lateralus Justin faced the crowd with a huge grin on his face, he was obviously happy, Maynard seemed so into the music and it showed. They Hugged and looked so happy walking off the stage. Justin was even clapping and they got the applause they deserved. IF YOU HAVE A BOOTLEG CONTACT ME
Review written by: Carlos the Elder (kegfb) Review posted on: 04/21/02 04:52:06 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show
All I have to say is that Sober definitley came before Schism, Because I left the pit to get a drink during sober (In the desperate hope that they'd play Prison sex after it) And there was an amusing sigh at the bar when Schism started. Sound was fucking terrible as always. Does anybody know of a way that I can officially ban all good bands from playing at the Queens Warf Event Center???? And to the Aucklander Fuck, we met after sound check (You took a photo of Maynard when he got out of his car) NEVER COME BACK TO WELLINGTON EVER AGAIN YOU ARE NOT WELCOME .....and you know why. A bit of manners can go along way, Selective hearing can be dangerous, So if you ever come back please show a little more respect DO UNTO OTHERS........
Review written by: Sky_Dog (james.c@paradise.net.nz) Review posted on: 04/21/02 20:18:14 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
Clearly a lot has already been said above, but I thought I'd add my own thoughts - mostly on things not covered beforehand. From the setlist you can see Tool played a sprinkling of older material around a core of their Lateralus material - as most bands with a new-ish album would do. Of course this isn't going to please everybody, but I'd rather have them play what excites them, and what gets them into the show. Sonically, I believe a great job was done. Tool are masterful musicians, and they have an amazing technical crew to back them up. An indoor steel hall like the Queen's Wharf Events centre can colour sound terribly, but the sound techs were constantly on top of it, adjusting levels and eq's on the fly, getting rid of the worst colouring and keeping the energy of the songs of the songs. I chose to stand at the back, near the sound booth, and got to see and hear everything clearly. Visually, of course, Tool puts on a spectacle remeniscent of Pink Floyd's pulse shows. The use of short video clips (often from the music videos) repeating with the beat and/or bars of the songs really added a lot more dimension - and were able to draw you into the songs - making them more of an "experience". Particularly clever was the use of long CGI clips that rocked back and forth in one song (can't remember which) The clip rolled slightly further forward each time, and as the song progressed more bizarre imagery was revealed before the entire clip was repeated several times towards the end of the song - creating a visual climax to go with the song's end. My only complaint about this is that at some stages, the video imagery became out of synch with the music - but hey. The video's were mainly cgi, but Sober was accompanied by some crazy mixture of eye surgery footage and two naked women being traumatised by a Giger- esque robotic whip-ended spine - odd and fantastic. Use of lighting was sparse and atmospheric, but really created a strong band presence - Maynard backed by a smaller projection screen invoked some great images at stages. A definite highlight was the "naked-upside-down-hanging- people". Swinging around to the music - they looked phenomenal from my viewpoint. Being lit from opposite sides by red and blue (opposite sides of the spectrum) made them hard to bring into focus properly, making them look somewhat surreal. I first saw Tool when they first came to Auck touring Aenima - it's fantastic to see a band that can write great music, and have the technical skill to reproduce such music almost perfectly on stage. They were able to throw in little variations (notable is an extra drum beat thrown in by Danny during sober - really makes you sit up and take notice). I think they've come a long way - despite the fact I don't find Lateralus grabs me like their previous 2 albums - it doesn't matter. With such great sounds and such great sights, you can bet I'll see go see Tool again.
Review written by: Another Brilliant tool show (plays_gibsons@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/23/02 06:38:21 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
Well, its a few days after my second tool concert now, and im still buzzing, listening to tool, and playing my guitar. The Wellington show kicked ass, (as i expected after seeing them last year), and it was nice to see some difference in the setlist such as H and Intolerance. (lying, cheating and stealing never seemed so wrong as when blasted by maynards overpowering voice). On reflection (excuse the pun), the Wellington show was not as good as the one i saw in Auckland. This was for a few reasons, and, as usual, none were to do with Tool themselves. The Wellington crowd was, lets say, apebrained on most parts, there were some music lovers/thinking listeners in the crowd - you could tell because of the smile. I unfortunately saw a guy wearing a Limp Bizkit t shirt, (with a slipknot one underneath), but you cant really presume to tell people what to listen to. He was probably one of the people saying "bring on the band" during the parabola video at the break, god it looked amazing on those two big screens. The other thing was that the sound at this particular wellington venue was absolute shit, Tool still had the best live sound ive ever heard from a band, second only to when i heard them last year, but the mixing could have been better. Highlights of my second Tool experience : Extended Stinkfist, H, and the fact that two copmletely bald naked people can hang 50 feet in the air without their blood exploding their skulls as it rushes toward their brain. If anyone ever contemplates going to a Tool concert, i emlpore them to, its an amazing visual, aural and almost religious experience for anyone who plays a musical instrument. Its like sensory overload , something that everyone who appreciates music should experience. one last thing, next time i wont see Tool in Wellington, generally i back wellington music and its listeners 100%, but it seems that the hypocrits in wellington think tool is a metal band. oh how wrong they are...
Review written by: Tool Fan (fortysix2nz@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 04/23/02 07:09:56 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
Well, I thought the concert rocked. I went to christchurch last year, and they had a bigger setlist that time......but any tool is good tool The Malvins were great! I never heard anything by them before so it was all new, and good. Tool rocked. I never went into the mosh pit, because its to much of a struggle and it distracts me from the music/visuals. And I didn't need to be that close. The queens wharf events centre is basically a big shed, and so its probably not the best venue for gigs around, but I still got to see Tool, so I was more than happy. I can't remember the setlist because it was 4 days ago and my memory is not good. But I do remember each song, because how could I not? The visuals were good, but most were the same as christchurch. It was good to hear H and other tracks we missed out on last year, would've liked Pushit, Eulogy and/or Third Eye in there aswell, but that may be asking alot (25min or so???). As another respondant said, hearing You Lied would have rocked! How each band member is sooooooo good at what they do is beyond me, but I ain't complainging. Anyway, Tool ROCKED, and anyone that has minor complaints can go FUCK themselves, because any bad points were WAY WAY outwayed by the good
Review written by: Steve (steve at paradise.net.nz) Review posted on: 04/24/02 08:20:16 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
Concert was almost a week ago now, and I've had all of the Tool albums playing on a near-continuous random loop in my stereo since. It was almost as much of a stage-show as it was a concert. Maynard did the first 2 songs in full Nosferatu-style black coat and "dance", and lost clothing rapidly from there onwards. I almost wish I had gotten seated tickets so that I wouldn't have had to spend a fair bit of time fending off people trying to get out of the pit and discovering that right behind me was a fairly solid wall containing the mixing desks etc. Had some cool huge guy just in front of me with long black hair who was absolutely loving every moment of it, even as far back as we were, the mosh pit still managed to reach back to us at times. The setlist was pretty good, apparently Maynard refuses to sing Ticks & Leeches live as it's too hard on his voice - fair enough, would've been cool though. The only other song I really would've liked was 46 & 2. Ya can't have it all though! I did think it was kinda odd for them to play Parabola live and then play the album version with the video again later on. It was still cool, playing live to the video wouldn't have been quite right I don't think. Musically it was brilliant, acoustically - well, the sound crew did a bloody good job considering the building is basically a big shed, but it was a bit of an uphill battle. Visually it was insane. I don't think the guy a few feet to my right I saw dropping tabs really needed it as it was a "feast for the eyes as well as the ears". Very cool. The crowd in my little area was on the whole really good, enjoying it all and getting into it. Reports from the pit were that it was quite rough and unfriendly. Uncool. A friend of mine had been waiting in the queue for 4 hours before the doors opened so she could get to the front, and had to leave her position at the barrier front+center before Tool even showed up as she was getting too badly battered about. Kinda ruined the night for her :( All in all it was an impressive show, th e band seemed to enjoy themselves which is good. No-one mentioned anything about the bottle-throwing incident last time they were here, and frankly I'm grateful they came back here considering. I'd love to see them at a really _good_ venue (is there one in NZ!?) Heaps of fun. Dunno if they turned up at Indigo afterwards as was rumored they might... And no eggs!