| concert reviews firsthand, immediate, from the heart |
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05/12/2002
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Review written by: larry bockleman (jack467000@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/06/02 11:13:27 ETThis was this reviewer's 5 Tool show
this show was wonderfull. great set and play list. new video was the shit. - thanks for another great show larry b
Review written by: maynard (mjk@toolband.com) Review posted on: 05/10/02 13:20:45 ET
This was this reviewer's 256 Tool show
hello everyone! i just wanted to tell everyone thanks buying tickets to our show.....we really appreciate you patronage. i hope you will find this show better than the others, hence we will be changing the vibe alittle, during Jimmy we will be having Melanious Portman's southern harmonica twist perform the song with us as well as Nick homelous joining on schizm, with his unbelievable squeeze box performance! I love you all and i cant wait to see you there... this is so special for us to do this as tonights proceeds will go to the cristian outreach organization. -maynard
Review written by: jiggaman (Toolshik48@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/12/02 19:00:31 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
well, well reverend maynard did very little preaching although it was a Sunday evening. The show was musically impeccable, visually stimulating and a visceral experience. I don't believe anyone has put up a setlist so here it goes....... Ticks and Leeches The Grudge Stinkfist (extended) -ve ions Parabola 4 degrees Schism (extended) Jimmy Disposition Reflection Parabol/Parabola video Triad (w/ Pablo drummer on percussion) Aenema Lateralus Tool is a musical epiphany. It makes us feel something and creates a new experience with every listen. Few can accomplish this task. Fuck the criticism. Tool has preserved music and their effects will not be fully realized for quite some time. Now it is our turn to reciprocate this creativity, push the envelope and see what our minds can achieve. "We live in dark times.........and I hope that creativity will prevail" - Maynard
Review written by: Joachim Groeger (j.groeger@ucl.ac.uk) Review posted on: 05/12/02 19:39:24 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
Well, first I would like to state my displeasure with the large number of moshers in attendance at this concert. Clearly they did not come to the concert to listen to Tool and merely wanted to push each other and spray beer on people in front of them. It truly is disrepesectful to Tool and sends the message that their music is a means to be violent and inconsiderate to other human beings.Clealry this is not what they are trying to achieve with their music. I will now cease ranting and tell you guys how I enjoyed the show after I removed myself from the cavemen. Tool played an unbelievable show filled with amazing intensity and emotion. They played (not in order) jimmy, the grudge, ticks and leaches, schism, stinkfist, aenima, lateralus, reflection, triad, disposition, 4 degrees, parabola. Adam's playing tonight was completely spot on and Danny was clearly putting his entire heart and life into every movement. Maynard did say something short and sweet. Telling us to take Tool as an a source of inspiration in these especially dark times. I might have gotten this wrong but I can't help it because people were applauding while he was talking. Again a very wise thing to do when listening to someone trying to contribute something through their art to our extremely twisted world. Overall a great concert... a truly challenging experience that even silenved the cavemen when they weren't sure how they could mosh to disposition. As you can tell I was not pleased with the crowd but it must be menitoned that people in the back were much more focused on the music and that was great to see. I think tool should just strap the audience down and force them to listen instead bash into each other. Force them to be free. Force them to listen and stop being stupid.
Review written by: Master Reviewer (token@upnet.com) Review posted on: 05/12/02 19:48:47 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
This is a test
Review written by: Scobularni (rdc_14@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/12/02 20:00:09 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show
Wow, after being a Tool fan for ages, I finallysaw themlivefor the first time tonight in London. The setlist was something like this (im not 100% sure its accurate, but its pretty much there) Ticks And Leeches The Grudge Stinkfist (extended) Parabola 4 Degrees Jimmy Schism (extended) Disposition Reflection (song ended as it does on record, as opposed to the last riff being held for ages) ---parabola video interlude--- Triad (feat Pablo drummer) AEnema Lateralus (with drummy bit halfway through) Before I go on about all the good points, i thought I'd point out some negative aspects i noticed... Firstly, i was 3 rows from the front, and the crowd were pretty shocking. People were moshing to Disposition & Relfection. And didn't seem to care for people around them. Hardly anyobdy I saw knew the lyrics to Jimmy and 4 degrees, whoch suprised me. Also, I'm not sure if anyone else noticed this, but did Danny seem to be grimacing during the middle songs? On bootleg videos he always seems ok. Maybe it's just something he always does. Also, i think it was on Lateralus, he put in a cymbal bit completely out of time, and the guitars and vocals stopped, while he drummed a bit more, and got his composure back. Maynard seemed to be talking a lot to Danny and Adam throughout the night, after Triad they had a long discussion... not sure why. Maynard said "good evening" after Parabola, and the "positive thinging, spiritual healing" bit before AEnema. Justin was on perfect form, althgouh he was literally dripping with sweat after Stinkfist. Adam was great, he did a weird guitar bit in schism which sounded odd, but apart from that he was spot on. Maynard managed to hold the growl on The Grudge for the whole period, which was impressive. I've heard bootlegs where he's just stopped halfway through. He tookhis jacket off after Parabola, but kept a top and trousers on for the rest of the night. Facepaint-wise he had a black stripe down the middle of his head and face. Dannt was wearing an American Football top with "Carey 22"on the back, hehe. The best song I felt was Relflection. The song was perfectly played, and after ignoring the moshers, I managed to get connected to it, and got the shivers. Beautiful. There weren't any contortionists though. Other than that, everything else was pretty much standard Tool, from what I've read here. Be interesting to know what Maynard was talking about though.
Review written by: Pig (attheheartofitall@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/12/02 20:46:38 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
Just got back and as dead as a doornail, lots of energy in the croud. Quite importantly they started with ticks and leeches, totally blew me away... it was my first time seeing them and it totally changed my perspective, Four Degrees was amazing... the whole show was just amazing, as my friend said on the bus, "all i could see in my past was Tool, and all i could see in my future was Tool" it was so true, you get into this mindspace at the show, its just amazing... Pig P.S I never knew how big danny carrey was until i saw him tonight, HE'S HUGE!
Review written by: Pig (attheheartofitall@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/12/02 20:51:03 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
Just got back and as dead as a doornail, lots of energy in the croud. Quite importantly they started with ticks and leeches, totally blew me away... it was my first time seeing them and it totally changed my perspective, Four Degrees was amazing... the whole show was just amazing, as my friend said on the bus, "all i could see in my past was Tool, and all i could see in my future was Tool" it was so true, you get into this mindspace at the show, its just amazing... Pig P.S I never knew how big danny carrey was until i saw him tonight, HE'S HUGE!
Review written by: Stanlavisbad (stanlavisbad@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/12/02 21:21:44 ET
This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show
Ticks & Leeches The Grudge Stinkfist Parabola 4 Degrees Schism Disposition Reflection Parabol/Parabola Video Triad AEnema Lateralus Good show but the band weren't entirely with it. Quite a few times it seemed as though the band completely lost their timing, and only Danny's dependable brilliance held it together - especially on Lateralus, where they missed an entire verse, instead filling the space with static guitar noise, while they worked out where they were.
Review written by: Ashglass (ashglass@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/12/02 21:21:46 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
OK. Amazing, but it's Tool, so what do you expect? Setlist (as far as I can remember) TICKS AND LEECHES!!!! (no, really. I was so surprised I couldn't get what it was for ages. Maynard sang it through a voice box thing by the side of his platform. Cool video effects, too) THE GRUDGE (Fanatastic) STINKFIST (slightly extended, but pretty straight) IONS - PARABOLA (Played ions over PA while fiddling with instruments, then straight into Parabola. Man, that sounds great live.) Right, I lost track here a bit. I know they played SCHISM, THE PATIENT and an Undertow song (bad at the names, but pretty sure it was 4 DEGREES). Anyone able to clarify? (order was SCHISM, 4 DEGREES(?), THE PATIENT, I think). Might have been one more - kind of lost track (far too happy by this point). DISPOSITION/REFLECTION (amazing purple comet lights projected onto the ceiling during the latter). Then the showed the Parabol/Parabola video, which I'm sure most of you have seen. TRIAD (Extended, with Pablo drummer, building it in instrument by instrument) Maynard made his only long speech (had a "Good Evening" earlier) at this point. Thanked people for support, said he hoped the forces fror good/creativity would eventually triumph. AENIMA (I went crazy at this point. Wanted this one) LATERALIS (Perfect closer) Then I went home. Fucking amazing. So tempted to go again tomorrow, but once is probably as much as my mind can take for now. Mesmerising, hypnotic (those videos are great) and totally for real. Loved it.
Review written by: Neil Ogden (i_am_the_sun@lycos.com) Review posted on: 05/12/02 21:31:43 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show
Set List: 1. Ticks and Leeches 2. The Grudge 3. Stinkfist 4. Parabola 5. Schism 6. Crawl Away 7. jimmy 8. Disposition 9. Reflection ----------------------- Parabol/Parabola video ----------------------- 10. Triad 11. Ænema 12. Lateralus Well, I certainly wasn't expecting them to start that way! Danny came on and started a drum solo, then Justin and Adam came onstage and Maynard (with a big black stripe painted down the centre of his head) suddenly appeared. Then the drum solo took a familiar rhythm and the bass came in and it was just so ammazingly unexpected! The show carried on, with extended versions of 'Stinkfist' and 'Schism', with just extra bits in the middle. 'Crawl Away' followed, the only song they played from Undertow. After 'jimmy' had finshed they carried on playing, with sort of a five minute piece that I can't say I recognised. People were saying afterwards that it had been a new song, but I'd just say it was a bit of (well rehersed!) improvisation, especially as they just segued into it from the end of 'jimmy'. The 'Parabol'/'Parabola' video is certainly worth seeing, although bits remind me of the 'Ænema' video. The performance an extended version of 'Triad' included the drummer from the support band, who were called Pablo, who in my opinion, weren't great. A silhouette of, I assume Maynard, was visable on the screen set up behind his plinth throughout, playing his guitar,as he had done previously on earlier songs. 'Ænema' was preceeded by the usual speech and 'Lateralus' followed. That was unsurprisingly the end, the band throwing water bottles, drum sticks, plectrums out, even a drum skin apparantly, although I didn't see it! A nice group hug followed, and that really was it. Not a particularly long set (only about 1 hour 50 minutes), but a great one no less.
Review written by: Token reviewer (eatshit@home.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 02:59:38 ET
This was this reviewer's 666 Tool show
Is this what you wanted?
Review written by: Richard (richard.n.allen@luton.ac.uk) Review posted on: 05/13/02 04:46:16 ET
This was this reviewer's 8th? Tool show
Hey you! Read reviews already posted for your show to see if somebody already posted the setlist. Yet another amazing show!! A very cool selection of songs and they even made some mistakes (they are human after all!). It was wonderfull to hear 4 degrees and jimmy which they don't play to often... One of the best TOOL shows I've ever seen.
Review written by: graham (graham_n_king@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 05:28:55 ET
This was this reviewer's 6th Tool show
Amazing show. Ticks and Leeches was a surprise. My least favourite track on Lateralus, it proved to be a fantastic opener. Appeared to be a couple of fuck ups throughout the gig, Lateralus being the main offender. The stop after the the first verse did not sound planned at all. Guess this proves that they're only human (which, considering the tightness of the rest of the set, is sometimes hard to believe)! It was a pleasure to hear 4 degrees in the set again - haven't heard that live since the Undertow tour - and it sounded as fresh as ever last night. Difficult to try and highlight just one part of the gig. Good varied setlist. Sound was fantastic - at points my body was physically being moved, and the band themselves were, for the majority of the gig, very, very impressive. Each member seemingly pushing each other to another level. Love to go tonight, but not sure how feasible that will be. Bet they play The Patient - surely the unsung classic of the last album. All in all, another amazing Tool show. They really should be filming these gigs. An almost supernatural experience. Oh - and to the people shouting for Sober - your requests were probably the reason why they didn't play it. Congratulations. I thought everyone knew that Tool are not a jukebox??? Obviously there is still some teaching to be done.
Review written by: Toolbox (lateralus427@yahoo.co.uk) Review posted on: 05/13/02 05:47:56 ET
This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show
Just shows how ignorant Tool fans u two up there are... the patient??? Crawl away???????? it was jimmy and 4 fucking degrees!!! ANYWAY! I was just talking about ticks and leeches with my friend when the lights went down... we were talking about how it would probably be played at the end of the tour, just as it was in the last one. HA! Unbelievable! Probably one of the best songs of the night was 4 degrees (not crawl away!). I was really surprised that not many ppl knew the lyrics... but there u go... imagine if they would have played flood; most ppl would have thought the were doing a bloody cover or something... ingorance is bliss!! I think there was a mistake made during lateralus by someone... but they kept the tempo going and cut back into the bridge from the mangled chorus... it was quite strange, maybe a shame that the only real mistake they made was on the last song... Gotta thank Tool for playing the extended version of Stinkfist... recreating that great hit has made it possibly even better!! Yeah!! Thanks for everything tool... Oh, and by the way, moshers, go home, you guys fucked me over during Aenema...
Review written by: Nicky P (grumioman@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 06:03:20 ET
This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show
Probably the best show I've ever been to! They played very very loud... the bass seemed to shake my entire body for most of the set. The sound quality did seem slightly dodgy to me at first, but it seemed to improve after the first couple of songs, and sounded more or less perfect for most of the night. It's hard to chose, but I'd have to say personal highlights were Stinkfist, Schism and Disposition/Reflection... I saw them exactly 11 months ago at the same venue and I enjoyed this time loads more (not to say that I didn't think the other one was amazing)... if i had to make a small point of criticism, the band didn't sound quite as tight as they possibly could - especially the mistake they made going into the first chorus of Laturalus.. but as someone already pointed out, they are only human! Someone also mentioned Danny throwing his drum skin out.. that was very impressive! He managed to throw it from the stage right up onto the balcony. laters, nick
Review written by: melissa (melissa@thanatopsic.org) Review posted on: 05/13/02 06:53:44 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
First off, this concert was everything my first show wasn't. That one had awful sound and a horrendous crowd, which really dampened the band's performance for me. Last night had brilliant sound in a classy venue (padded seats in the deeply sloped balcony? I loves ya, Academy!), with great fans who were really into the music (ALL of the songs, not just the "hits") without being obnoxious. The support for this tour are Pablo, and were much better than I expected, but then again, I expected the worst after enduring Fantomas at my earlier, infamous gig. They sounded a bit like Core-era Stone Temple Pilots, which isn't half bad. Tool's set was a dream, especially since a lot of the songs were different from their earlier concerts' setlists. I was incredibly pleased to hear 4 degrees and jimmy, and Disposition sounded so much better live than on the cd, so I'm going to go back and re-discover that one. Instead of the terribly cliched act of going offstage, waiting for applause, and coming back on for an encore, Tool instead put the new video for Parabol/Parabola on the big screens when they took their break. With any other band, I would've felt cheated, but with videos are interesting as this, I was incredibly pleased. Oh, and disturbed. :) Then they came back on, minus Maynard, plus the drummer from Pablo and another shadowy guitarist hidden behind Maynard's screen and did Triad, which I was equally shocked and excited to hear. The extra drumming really added to the sound, and yet again, it's another one I'm going to go back and pay more attention to. And they, of course, wrapped it up very neatly with Lateralus, quite possibly my favourite off the new album. Going back and reading this review, I'm realising that my illness has affected my writing, and I apologise. Seeing Tool whilst mildly delirious made the performance even more exciting. heh heh. There were moments last night where I felt that clapping and scraming just weren't enough to express my appreciation and joy at the sound hitting my ears. melissa, wishing she'd gotten tix for both nights now.
Review written by: Ted (Ted102@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 07:08:42 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd? Tool show
I know this isnt a review, but I really need to know whjat time the gig finished last night as I need to catch the last train home and I'm getting pretty desperate. Dont wanna be stuck in London's hell-hole for the night! Thanks anyone!
Review written by: aeon blue (abstract_chyld@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 07:15:24 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show
nothing prepared me for last night. it was a great concert, despite the 'Lateralus chorus' mistake, Tool recovered from it and it was moulded back into perfection... if anyone has a recording of this, or any other Tool concerts, please contact me and we can sort something out. Thankyou Tool...
Review written by: Bennet (bennetlivingstone@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 07:20:38 ET
This was this reviewer's 6th Tool show
I was late - and missed ticks !!! They must of started bloody early.Danny fucked up BIG TIME on Lateralus - he changed his accents in the lead up to the 2nd chorus and just kept going - missing the chorus completely.My jaw dropped - Maynard stopped singing and Danny went back to his drum part that he plays during verse (black & white etc),Danny cracked up at this superb blunder while Adam & Justin stood round the kit for a bit while they got back into the groove - a good minute or 2 then they nailed the rest of the song - Danny's human afterall! I really enjoyed the fuck-up as it lightened up the night and made me realise that even Tool make mistakes.Really enjoyed myself - am i asking too much for them to play Ticks again tonight? Oh,yeah - Jack Osborne was watching from the mixing desk.FUCK U LONDON TRANSPORT!!!
Review written by: Neil Ogden (i_am_the_sun@lycos.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 07:36:27 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show
I'd just like to appologise for confusing 'Crawl Away' with '4°' in my above review, since a few people have layed into me for it. I don't listen to Undertow much and someone later said that they'd played 'Crawl Away', so I just assumed that it was. I got everything else right though! Also, the gig finished at about 22:40, although it could well finish later tonight. They probably just started and finished earlier yesterday as it was a Sunday. They may well finish at 23:00 tonight. It'll hopefully be even better than last night tonight, let's hope that they play 'Lateralus' a bit better!
Review written by: Jamie (rawk@iinet.net.au) Review posted on: 05/13/02 08:01:05 ET
This was this reviewer's 18.5 Tool show
What caa I say Jim where the fuk were u. Perth Good, Gronigen great, Paris Superb but London oh my fuking god, I almost droped to the floor when danny walked out in full stage lights, stated banging away on his kit, the lights droped, cover was removed from maynards screen, big screens dropped from the roof a ticks and leeches went into full flight! CAnt wait for Tonight. Just a note to every one, I hope u will all respect Tools request of not taking photos, last night I on;y saw 1 or 2 flashes the whole gig and didnt the setlist relefct that ? Take the moment in your mind and not your camera! pease all and I cant belive I was contemplating not coming to London, Tool u r my savour If anyone is driving to Luzenbourg please email me a.s.ap as It looks like I might have to fly
Review written by: Captain Pungent (captain_pungent@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 08:04:21 ET
This was this reviewer's 5th Tool show
Howdy all, I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned anything about Maynard singing the lyrics "White lines, blowing through my mind" from Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines" during Stinkfist... I thought it sounded fucking great, and totaly unexpected. There's a great interview with the band from dutch magaine 'Oor' posted in the May 2001 T.D.N archives... explaining why they hardly play Ticks & Leeches... We were very very lucky... FUcking incredible... Jimmy was unbeleivable, i nearly bawled my eyes out. Praying that tonight will be just as amazing... If anybody did bootleg the show, email me please, i'd be well up for a copy. Cheers
Review written by: Bennet (bennetlivingstone@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 09:00:49 ET
This was this reviewer's 6th Tool show
I was quite smashed last night but did anyone else think it was Maynard playing the roto-toms during Triad ? I missed Pablo so i don't know what the drummer looks like but i'm sure Maynard had a black stripe on his head - the drummer during triad had a black stripe i think? He was wearing a black long sleeve top - which Maynard was wearing after Triad,and no offence to the Pablo drummer if it was him - but whoever was playing the roto-toms didn't look 100 percent comfortable,like they weren't too sure what they were doing,but then again it sounded pretty good........sorry to ramble but i was a bit pissed last night.
Review written by: mark w (mark@mtheory.freeserve.co.uk) Review posted on: 05/13/02 10:45:27 ET
This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show
ok first of all no one fucking notice that justins bass wasnt working on ticks and leeches when the song started??? well it wasnt so danny carried on playing as justins tech changed the bass for him, hmm i guess it was always gonna be a night of fuck ups after that! not that tool messed up through the whole gig but like people have been pointing out there was a MASSIVE fuck up during lateralis actually there was 2 in that song in case u never noticed? the first being just after the first verse going into first chorus(people have said this already i know hehe) and the 2nd MASSIVE MISTAKE was i think after the first chorus? anyway that 2nd mistake was pretty big hehe through being a drummer myself and playing different time signatures i know how hard it is to get everyone locking back in with you especially when there was 3 different time signatures going on!! it was quite funny watching justin and adam looking at danny and trying to get it back together haha it was definately a "what the fuck" moment!! fuck ups aside THE SHOW WAS AMAZING!!! and much better than last year!! cant believe how lucky we was to hear ticks and leeches,4 degrees and jimmy wow i was cumming in my pants!!! aenima was fucking amazing too, i personally think that they would have played an encore but due to the "fuck up" on lateralis i think they decided to call it a night i could be wrong about this but thats my veiw, OH MOSHERS FUCK OFF AND STOP SPOILING IT FOR EVERYONE!!! i get sick of people not respecting other people trying to just watch and experience tool(as it should be) and just slamming into everyone ITS FUCKING PATHETIC!! GROW UP!!!!! im going again to the show tomorrow and i hope the set changes (i think it will it did last year) im kinda hoping for H but we will see, i know they have been playing alot of songs that they dont normally play so im looking forward again to a night of pure magic, danny carey if you read this you are a god!!! you are a massive inspiration to me, i saw the parabol/parabola video before so it was a much needed "piss break" hehe then i went back in and i think they started playing triad, lots of extra bits were kicking about during most of the songs which was nice to hear most noticibly being stinkfist and schism, still not too sure about maynard being on that little stage thing on his own i just think it takes away from the vibe of all 4 of them as one unit, it would be great to see him out the front with the rest of the boys giving it some!! visuals were even better than last year lots of new stuff! found myself closing my eyes and going into meditation during reflection, man that song is so special oh it was weird not hearing adam playing that end wah mellow riff!!! but it seemed to work fine to tell you the truth im kinda glad he didnt cause it has been known for him to jam that riff for close on 10 mins hehe as i found out last time and im sure all you people did to huh? hehe still notice that everyone keeps shouting out for sober all the fucking time THE SET LIST IS WRITEN BEFORE THE BAND PLAY AND YOU SHOUTING OUT SONG TITLES IS NOT GONNA CHANGE THERE MINDS!!!!! but yeah fuck it if you want to keep calling out its up to you hehe ok my rant is over TOOL YOU WAS AMAZING THANK YOU FOR A GREAT NIGHT SEE YOU TOMORROW .....mark ....ps.moshers stay the fuck away!!!!!!
Review written by: Bennet (eggs & onions) Review posted on: 05/13/02 10:52:37 ET
This was this reviewer's 6th Tool show
I should add:at the end of the show Maynard looked at someone in the front row and tried to throw them a bottle of water,when they missed he pointed at them and then pointed at his eyes as if to say 'yes you - catch'.I was front row to the left directly facing Adam & Maynard so i could see this clear as day - they missed for a second time (with 10 pairs of hands out to catch one bottle i'm not surprised) and Maynard looked as though he wanted something to hand to them personally - he walked over towards Danny & i thaught he'd grab a skin or stick but they had a group hug & Maynard walked off.Don't know who it was but it was nice because it did feel a lot more involved tonight - band & crowd.
Review written by: cozbie (cozbie@yahoo.co.uk) Review posted on: 05/13/02 11:02:34 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show
Well it was my first Tool show and they did not dissapoint. Brixton is a great venue, as its very intimate and the sloping floor is handy if your short like me! You could clearly see all the band and the sound was good. The setlist to the best of my memory was: -Ticks and Leeches -The Grudge -Stinkfist -Parabola -Schizm -4 degrees -Jimmy -Dispostion -Reflection --Intermission with the Parabola video-- -Traid (With the Pablo drummer) -Aenima -Lateralus Ater queing for about an hour my buddy and I got into the venue after being groped by the security staff. It was all very relaxed with people sitting down as we waited for the bands. Pablo came out at about 7:40 and played their short set. They were ok I guess, though the sound for their set was very muddy so it was hard to make out what they were singing. They mentioned their cd would be out in June I think so I guess no one really knew the songs. The anticipation for Tool then really began to grow as the music from the PA began to change into the intro music, which seemed to unbearably go on forever, before finally at about 8:45 Danny walked out to a massive roar from the crowd. He then launched into what I thought must be some kind of variant of Flood, then after about 10 seconds as the rest of the band walked on stage I relised it was Tickes and Leeches. I say relised as I have read from previous shows reviews that they Never play this song, so I guess we were honoured! They also threw in Jimmy later which was great. During the song Maynard was hunched over some kind of strange microphone which echoed his voice, I guess to conserve it. During the show Adam and Justin were pretty much stationary while Maynard was rocking about and throwing violantly throwing shapes with the music at times. While Danny was really getting into it. I stared at Adam allot wondering if he would crack a smile or any kind of expression, which he didn't, though he did look over the crowd in this weird intimdading way, seemly just observing us. The imagery during the songs were really added to the experiance and the band members seemed to stare at them allot too. During the intermission they played the Parabola video which was nice to see on a big screen. After the intermisson the Pablo drummer came on to help out with Triad, who looked allot like Maynard, (bald, fairly short, wearing black) while Maynard played on his headless guitar behind the screen on his platform. After the song he thanked the drummer, I think his name was John. He then said a little speech about how he hopes we? are inspired in these dark times and how hopefully creativity will arise, with the 'Good guys' winning. Aside from this he had said little apart from good evening after the third song. As they launched into Aenima the crowd went mad, which was kinda strange given the subject matter. They then went into their huddle for the final song, Lateralus which was cool and for me was the most beautiful song of the night as it came to its climax. After they finished at about 10:40 they hugged each other, waved and threw some water bottles into the crowd and left looking satisfied. The show was wonderful and I only wish I was able to come to the 2nd Brixton show.
Review written by: Rob (third_eye100@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 12:40:37 ET
This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show
mind-blowing. The bond that these four guys have is amazing, the ability to make and perform such awe inspiring music is a talent i don think i will ever be able to comprehend. exactly 11 months to the day i saw them last. and man was it worth waiting for. stunning visuals, and the tightest rhythm section ive ever heard. pieced together with soul stiring vocals and guitar which shoots straight through your minds eye! in my opinion there is little or nothing to rival tools music, its in a league of its own, surpassing anything i can imagine, Its great to see tool doing what they do best, playing to a live audience, bands are so keen to get an album out as often as possible so fans dont forget who they are, "Papa who?" i hear you say. tool have the advantage here in that removing such head pounding songs as the grudge and stinkfist from your memory would be an impossible task. anyhow.... this show just showed me what is meant by great music, and it epitomised that in every way. left me numbed afterwards, truely moved by what i had just seen, nothing has ever stired so much emotion in me. A fix of tool live is the perfect drug. inspiration in its pure form. thank you tool. please visit us again soon, Peace to you all.......................... Rob.H...
Review written by: Kazio Ambroz (bay_of_pigz@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 14:19:54 ET
This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show
It's diffcult to review a show where you give your whole spirtual energy up to connect to a higher form. In otherwords this was a spiritual experience. I've got a comedown after the high that was caused. It was without doubt the best Tool show I've been to. It was funny, thought provoking, and godamn trippin'. When they extended Schism i completely forgot where I was, it was another world. the only word to describe the whole experience is beautiful. beautiful setting, music and visuals. the speech maynerd gave was that he hoped tool could cause 'inspirational healing, or both'. he said rather wryly that he hoped 'the good guys will win. and that creativity will truimph. escpecially in these somewhat dark times.' i'm experiencing serious withdrawl symptons and want to go again today. yesterday tool seemed really happy. they were smiling, and they left with a group huddle. the tool of 2002 seem united and happy. not they ever weren't.
Review written by: Naveed (naveed_memon@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/13/02 16:53:48 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
This was a fucking amazing show, to be honest I didn't think the crowd were especially violent but then again I was in the circle seating. It was really mellow up there people were just sitting back and enjoying the spectacle before them. To me it felt like some sort of art show which incorporated music, visuals, lighting etc When I heard the opening, Ticks and Leeches, I mentally orgasmed. Maynard was very into the music and was moving along to it. One thing I noticed was that during one of the songs Maynard sung a line from some song which I can't remember right now but it was something like ""White lines, blow my mind". did anyone else notice this or was it just me tripping? Yeh, all in all a great concert I wish I could go see them again tonight. Any info on whether or not this concert was recorded? I would be very interested in a copy.
Review written by: Dean Johnson (drums@totalise.co.uk) Review posted on: 05/14/02 07:16:30 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
-Ticks and Leeches (extended drum intro) -The Grudge (full scream!) -Stinkfist (extended middle bit) -ions -Parabola -Schism (extended middle bit) -4 degrees -Jimmy -Dispostion -Reflection --Intermission with the Parabola video-- -Traid (With the Pablo drummer) -Aenima -Lateralus What can I say? It was awesome!! For anyone who's ever read Danny's interview in Modern Drummer would have noticed that tonight was one of the nights where almost every fill was different. Having seen them in Manchester last year and loving it, this one surpassed even that because as soon as Danny came out on to the stage on his own, did a little drum solo intro thing into Ticks and Leeches, immediately I knew that this was going to be a drummers night! Being a drummer myself, my main influence is Danny Carey and to see him tonight was well, unbelievable. I don't give a damn that he missed the fill for the first chorus of Lateralus, he was trying a different pattern in the verse and didn't have an out point because it was improvised and so the other guys just stopped while he soloed a little and then back in to the second verse. No problem. This was why this gig was so good for me, Danny Carey is human after all and it gives us normal drummers something to aspire to, knowing that even the best make mistakes when improvising. I know there are plenty of drummers out there who would say that they've fucked up at a gig when trying something they hadn't tried before. After the first three songs, I was in shock. Ticks and Leeches, Maynards scream in the Grudge and the extended bit in Stinkfist had me screaming for more. The highlights had to be Ticks, Jimmy and Reflection. Ticks because it's a 'rare' live track and the intro (drool!), then Jimmy was excellent, once again because of the drumming, loads different, yet tight as a gnats ass! And reflection, well, Since the album came out last year, I've been getting more and more into it to the fact now where it's one of my favourites on the album. And once again, check the drums man, loads of different stuff to the album. To the moshers I would say this, do what you want chaps, if that's what the music makes you do then great. I went mad on some bits (especially ticks) but I was standing fairly near the back and no-one seemed to care. I was standing with some aussies who seemed to be getting into it as much as I was, and so joining me in (accidentally) clouting the big tall fucker who blocked our view for a while!! One thing that really touched me tonight though was what Maynard said. He said that he hopes we can continue to join them through these dark times and use them as a catalyst for inspiration. Anyone who has driven on the M1 between Rugby and Northampton recently will see that 'Give me Inspiration' is written on a bridge. I see this every morning driving to my crap job, Tool is and always will be my inspiration to get me through day after day of shit. Thank you, here's to the next album Dean
Review written by: Turlock the Great (jack1984@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/14/02 17:02:55 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
Waiting for this moment since I bought Lateralus and thus the other two. Set was great, 4 degrees and Aenima being the highlights. People were going over the top during the disposition/reflection but it was only a few morons. These were the people who didn't know 4 degrees and Jimmy. Am I alone in wanting more older stuff at the shows? Regards Turlock the Great
Review written by: Michael Ogden (wholefxxxingshow@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/15/02 05:03:40 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
As I went to the wrong side of the Brixton Academy I missed most of Pablo's set. From what I did hear (about four songs) they appeared to be a bit like a harder-edged Smashing Pumpkins, which is in itself no bad thing. As I entered the academy a large channel down the side opened up enabling me to get to the front, much to my delight... Tool would be on soon... I did find out that at 16 I was probably the youngest person there that night, but fuck it, do you think I was bothered??? I WAS GONNA SEE TOOL!!!!!!!!! The first big pop of the night came for the uncovering of the drum kit... but then we expected the huge drumkit Danny always uses. When the band came on stage at 8:48pm the place erupted and Danny gave us a brief drum fill before launching into "Ticks & Leeches". Surely no-one expected them to start with that??? Maynard sang at half volume which filled me with a sense of foreboding, that the sound levels were going to suck (in Beavis and Butthead parlance). I was wrong. This changes everthing. A quick, professional "1, 2, 3, 4" and away they went with "The Grudge"... The visuals were amazing. The song was given added poignance by some people not expecting the ending (surely they've heard it on the album?) and then "(-) Ions" played whilst Maynard talked. Well, he said "Good evening" and they launched into "Parabola". I would rather them have played "Parabol" as an intro, but you know, you can forgive Tool because they are the best band in the world. "Stinkfist" was extended much to my delight, and the video ran in the background (well, who didn't expect that?)... it was awe-inspiring. It was ruined in part by some losers attempting to create a moshpit whilst the rest of us just stood there, slack-jawed, dumbstruck. Welcome to Tool. "Schism" was incredible. Although some moron with blond hair was attempting to mosh to the beginning... he lost time and fell over. I got the feeling he was just here because it was a rock band as he was wearing an Alien Ant Farm T-shirt... "4 Degrees" (sorry can't find the icon) was the only "Undertow" track played tonight, but it was still one of the great moments. It was amazing (although my friends and I did laugh at Maynard's black paint through the middle of his head). Then "jimmy" (I have been careful not to add a capital J). This wasn't one of my favourite Tool songs... well, not until now anyway. They finished and stood amongst a swathe of effects and kept us guessing as to what was coming next. Maynard picked up his guitar without the head and against the light screen it looked like he was rubbing a three-foot dick. Oh well, that's part of the imagery I suppose... We kept guessing as to which track was about to be played, and then the band answered our question after about two and a half minutes. "Disposition". Which was one of the moments of the night as everyone just stood still, dumbstruck by the vast scope of the piece (and dumb mosher kids were disappointed by its unmoshability). They ran into "Reflection" and this was the moment of the night as the band ran through a simply faultless rendition of this mantra-inducing piece, accompanied by the best visuals of the night, with shots of slug creatures, breathing underwater, creatures without heads, and hopping in and out of the toilet. Methinks they should have taken those visuals and made it into a "Reflection" video... As the piece ended, leaving us begging for more, the band left and played the "Parabola" video. Which in itself is great, but I couldn't help feeling that it would have been better was there more of the disturbing clay creature footage (just something I really like, the claymation). When they returned, John from Pablo guested on Triad, much to our surprise (he looked and dressed somewhat like Maynard) - we thought it was Maynard until I spotted him playing the guitar behind the light screen. Many people had not been expecting it. I just thought "Holy fuck..." and clapped until my hands bled. Maynard then decided to talk about the war between creativity and commercialism. Well, if Tool represents creativity then its creativity for me every time!!! "Ænema". Very gutsy rendition, very driving, which made it all the more beautiful when they took it down "Cause I'm praying for rain, I'm praying for tidal waves" etc. Finally, "Lateralus"... Accompanied by Maynard seemingly shaking his mic at the drums, Danny went on to play an absolute blinder, and watching him made me think "Holy shit!!!". That guy is the best drummer in the world, make no bones. A few people actually thought the song had ended halfway through, but we knew that the best was yet to come. The end of "LAteralus" and indeed the end of the concert was the best sequence to date. We live miles away from Brixton and missed the last train back from London Liverpool Street, having to run like fuck across London. But I can safely say that it was worth it. God bless Tool. Or should that be, Satan bless Tool? I was once told Tool weren't very good live, and they don't have a reputation for being good live. Some Marilyn Manson fan told me that they were crap and boring because Maynard doesn't move about very much... well, Marilyn Manson goes off stage every song to get changed. What's so fucking great about that? He's on stage for an hour and a half and you get half an hour of music!!! Tool were on stage for two hours, and we got two hours of music. Whoever said Tool weren't very good live either hates the band personally, or has never been to see them.
Review written by: Zoe (mark_filipusis@yahoo.co.uk) Review posted on: 05/15/02 07:31:25 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show
Well, that was amazing... It was great to find a gig where I could be at the front without worrying about being crushed. Every song was beautiful, and 'jimmy', 'aenima' and 'parabola' probably touched me most deeply. If anyone has a recording of the show I'd be SO grateful for a copy. ~Z~ "Hold the light, Eleven, lead me through each gentle step by step by inch by loaded memory..."
Review written by: Michael Ogden (wholefxxxingshow@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/16/02 08:55:45 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show
If anybody has a copy of the audio for the concert can you please e-mail me because I am prepared to fork out a bit of cash to get some reminders better than the ticket stub, the T-shirt, my underground pass, my memory and my CD Collection... so can you please e-mail me if you have a copy of the audio or the videos and I don't mind it being copied... Thanks!
Review written by: Jason Jagla (JJagla@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/16/02 16:06:23 ET
This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show
Well where to start?. Again each time I see Tool they keep improving on their live set or art :). Pablo were`nt to bad ,sorta post grunge- ish,always feel kinda sorry for bands opening for tool,no-one is there to see them,however straight to the experience then shall we. Before i get into my mind and try and recall everything ,one thing i need to say and i`m sure many,many people before me say this all the time but christ danny`s kit gets more impressive everytime i see it and even more he actually uses it all!! ,i was close enough 2 make out the french 14th centuary gold that they brought back from europe last year (something to do wiht french teoutnic knights i know its spelt wrong lol) neway i could make out the gold rims etc wow! just looking at his set gives u goosebumps nevermind seeing him in full flow :) ,most people have put up the set list but i put it up for good measure: Ticks and Leeches The Grudge Stinkfist (extended) -ve ions Parabola 4 degrees Schism (extended) Jimmy Disposition Reflection Parabol/Parabola video Triad (w/ Pablo drummer on percussion) Aenema Lateralus first shock of the nite was they startyed with ticks and leeches!! which i was hoping 2 see them play so i could watch dannys mind numbing drumming on this track! as soon as the song hit teh mellow section after 5 mins i was in tears! :) what a start 2 a amazing nite ,though-out the song maynard was hidden from view besdie his mini platform and sung it though some kind of voice box! which gave it a new more powerful rasping feel 2 it,then band straight into the grudge powerful and brutal as ever with maynards 20 odd second scream lol just to mention 2nite maynard was all in leather and his face was painted white and a thick blue dark strip down his face,Stinkfist followed which is what they b doing most of the tour i got 2 c and hear the extended version 4 the first time and one thing i have 2 say i dotn know if neone has noticed well of cours eu have lol tool well adam is adding alot more syth 2 the show and they seemed 2 b playing quite a few of theirs songs differenty! well maybe its just me lol after which came ions then striaght inot parobola with out parobol then which snother shock came 4degress!! its was great 2 hear some stuff off undertow anothert sogn i never heard live!then came shcism a setra extending middle sh part which was great ! i gonna mek it quick i been typing 4 2 long lol which was followed by jimmy!!! yes! it was grwat 2 hear this live agian the tears came :) music like this is hard to explain whe nit touches u like me and `im sure many many tool fans! *sighs* dispostion followed which is so beatuiful 2 behold the tears cstill flowed lol which slid into reflecion:) then the amazing video for parobola i can`t say enough about this video amazing art surlt adam is going 2 win many awards 4 this and he deserves 2 talent like that needs 2 shine though esp videos.Now the edn of the show was nearly apun us the drummer from pablo joned danny 4 this all i need 2 say is WOW aeima came next that song always make my spine tingle *breathes* then the last but one of the best lateralus. i was complete! wll one thing before i buggar off i was here 4 both nites and i was slighty pissed off at teh almount of moshers who came 2 both nites which somewhat defelted peoples epx`s i guess damn idoits!! grr one thing i reccommend exp at tool gigs is 2 close ur eyes! teh emtion and feeling seemed 2 grow a unexplinaable kind of feeling but iu gonna miss the adam jones art! i really hope he briongs out these peices in some sort of package absoulty beatiful well thats my tool exp hope u enjoyed it much as me ! before i write my second nite review I thats gonna b much sorta) i`m thinking of going 2 america and cacthing their show over there amd wondering if ne tool fans r thinking the same thing well my e-mails there so fell free 2 buzz me thanky you tool Jason
Review written by: geek (frank_webb80@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/20/02 10:59:29 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
Hmmmm. Not bad at all. Only the 2nd time I've seen them, the 1st was last june at Brixton. Both were excellent, but this year seemed a little more cohesive and together. Not sure who the support was, but we missed most of them anyway. Queues. THEY OPENED WiTH TICKS & LEECHES!!!! Holy fuck, I was under the impression they never played it live cos it hurt Maynard too much. Fantastic. 4 degrees was an odd but refreshing choice, but i don't like their habit of vanishing for 10 minutes while they play videos that we've all seen anyway. still, most of my favourites got an airing, apart from 'hooker' and '46 & 2'. Danny - fuck me, he's not too bad is he? I loved the little bit of madness with the other dude playing snares. Also the extra verse thrown in to 'stinkfist' which I think you all noticed... I know I'm not supposed to do this, but loads of reviewers like to think they know more about rhythm & timing than Mr. Carey, talking about how he lost his way a couple of times. UNFUCKINGLIKELY. I know he can be hard to nod along to, but this is largely due to his habit of playing in ridiculous time signatures like 7:8, and switching between them often midway through a bar or phrase. He is, in this reviewer's humble opinion, the best rock drummer playing today by a loooong way. See y'all at ozzfest...
Review written by: Red Larry (lifealone_2000@yahoo.com) Review posted on: 05/20/02 21:33:18 ET
This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show
Right then, i won't post the setlist. Well, i saw the tour last time they came to London (about June 2001); this time around it seemed like Tool were treading water. Ticks and leeches (opener) was great to hear, although it was a bit out of place as an opener. As with all Tool songs dynamics play a big part, and the quiet bits felt kind of rushed, which was a shame (although, naturally, Danny was on form). After that, the setlist was pretty much what you'd expect (ie. see above), although there was one noticeable glitch in Lateralus (as has been well documented above). Triad was a bit disappointing live; I don't think that the drummer from Pablo was there, y'know - i saw Maynard playing a bunch of rototoms on stands, but although they were miked up, i don't think that anything from them was coming through the PA. The silhouette of Maynard playing the headless guitar (projected on the screen behind his dais) was weird, provoking some speculation that it was Billy Howerdel. High points of the gig were '4 degrees' and the extended 'stinkfist'; there weren't any real low points, but 'the grudge' makes a much better opener.....i think. Tool are still the best band i have ever seen live.
Review written by: sarah (sarahsebby@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/24/02 17:53:30 ET
This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show
OH MY GOD this was my first concert ever and it was completly fantastic, the whole atmosphere in and outside the venue was spine chilling! i was in the second row all night - another dream come true. Maynard looked gorgeous as ever with a black stripe down his face and looking mysterious in the shadows, they played old favourites of myn such as jimmy and stinkfist and i heard songs that id never heard before, AND OH MY GOD the DRUMKIT wow the whole night was an experience that i definitly have to re live no other band compares to tool and they better come back to Brixton soon : )