From: braper (braper@tsi.gte.com) Subject: REVIEW: 3-11-97 My second time to see TooL was at the Live Oak Civic Center. A little hell-hole of a venue with poor acoustics . . . Theatrics.... Maynard's face was painted blue with flourescent white around his mouth and eyes. He was also wearing a black wig that make him look like an Anti-Ronald McDonald. Standard boxer shorts. Danny & Adam had no bodypaint that I recall. Justin was covered with multicolored flourescent polkadots. Setlist... Third Eye Stinkfist Undertow 46&2 Prison Sex Eulogy H Sober Opiate Ænima If you have seen TooL, you understand the experience and the energy that surrounds this band. If you have not seen them . . . get thee to a ticket office!
From: ordway (ordway@austin360.com) Subject: san antonio concert rev. *Notice to the person who's readingthis, it's a very long, drug out review, and it's not too accurate, but... i tried! well, as soon as i walked into the live oak civic center, i didn't like the atmosphere. Basically, just a bunch of 12 year old marilyn manson fans, ughhhh!i got there pretty early, so i was close to the front.i stood through the melvins torcherously awaiting the fresh air of the Tool that i breathe. Finally tools choice of music came on, i went to the austin show the night before, so i knew what music to expect.Right before they came on, i started getting emotional. I figured the music affected me the same way it affected Tool, it's they're energy for the show. Anyway, maynard came on the stage dressed in a clown wig very similar to the lead singer of the Melvin's. He was also wearing this sort of army suit, not camouflage, but it was a one piece thing.His face was painted kind of like a clown, but mostly blue. Justin had irradecent spots all over him, and painted in white.Adam was wearing a sort of blouse type thing, and Danny was, as usual, danny. They opened with a very intense third eye. I must say, it is so awesome to see, live, how Maynard makes all those cool sound affects with his voice. Before third eye was even over i had to be pulled out because i'm so short and i was pretty much suffocating right there in the front, I was also pretty hysterical by then too(seeing Tool live, gets the tears flowing).So, unfortuanately, i only got to listen to the show after that, i did get a couple peeks now and then though. During 46 and 2, Maynard was "shedding his skin", it was awesome, he took his suit off, and was now in just his Tool boxers, w/o body paint. They played undertow, and opiate(he said the last song thing)and some other good ones(refer to set list).The best part of the show was during opiate, when Maynard slowly slid his boxers down past mr. winky, he had it tucked safely between his legs though. He introduced justin from london, tx, and a funny part, i don't remember before what song, but Adam brought out someone from the opening band and started wrestling with him, and maynard introduced him as someone(i forget which name he used)and said he was born with 1 testicle, but luckily found a doner. Then, before prison sex, he said,"this next song, like most of our songs is about anal sex". Anyhow, i'm sorry i couldn't be too accurate on this show, but i can assure you, if there was a word out there worthy of describing this show, i'd use it , but there isn't. For me, it definitaly changed my lllllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiffffffffffffeeeeeee, or lack there of! set list (sorry, not in order) third eye stinkfist undertow eulogy prison sex opiate h. forty-six and two sober-live version(of course) AEnima thanks for reading, kristina
From: Eric Wilson (rev.wilson@mail.utexas.edu) Subject: review for San Antonio, TX 3/11/97 I have been blessed for the fourth time today. It was my fourth time to see the band in 6 months, Dallas and Houston in October and Austin and San Antonio this March. I am pleased to say that each show had variance and were all equally KICK ASS!! The show started with a great and wonderful sound from the ever so popular Blue Tip or Bad Trip or whatever they were called, and continued on through to the Melvins. I have nothing to say (I'll let you read it when the Melvins get their own web page). The real concert started with an anxiously awaited crowd and a shockingly unpainted Maynard. Unlike any of the other shows or reviews that I have read you could see bare skin, only his face was painted blue, and on top of that he had a brown haired afro wig on. This time Justin was painted blue in a similar fashion that Maynard had been in previous shows. I could go on for days about how great the show was but all I really have to say is, If you have never seen TOOL live, GO SEE THEM and if you have already seen them before GO SEE THEM AGAIN. I think this is what everyone wants so here is the line-up : 1.) Third eye 2.) Stinkfist (Maynard introduces Justin as being from London, Texas) 3.) Undertow 4.) 46 & 2 (Maynard says "this song much like all of our songs is about anal sex." then goes in to Prison Sex, I was expecting Four Degrees) 5.) Prison Sex 6.) Eulogy 7.) H 8.) Sober (Maynard introduces this song as being about god and the time when Adam thought he won the lottery and then he found that he really didn't and he blamed it on god and had to take all of his toys back. Then they went into Opiate.) 9.) Opiate 10.)Aenima Show time a little under 2 hours
From: kevin browne (kbbsa@flash.net) Tool at the Live Oak Civic Center 3-11-97 This was the third time that I have seen the band. The show was incredible as were the others. I saw them in Austin 1994 and in Houston in November 1996. This show was more lively than Houston's and seemed to all of us Toolheads in our group to be the best yet. A few notes of comparison, Maynard was more talkative and the other postings on this page basically outline all that he said. Same comments except with the expected local flavor, such as Justin being from London, TX. The opening act, the Melvins, came on early and played a very Pantera-esque set. The Cows that opened in Houston were awful. Actually, the opening pornographic audio in Austin 1994 was the most interesting (the Flaming Lips sucked). When Tool took the stage at 9:15 the place exploded the crowd churned and packed to the front as they started with Third Eye which was fabulous. Maynard was wearing a black afro with his face painted dark and he had some sort of jumpsuit on. The afro made him look amazingly like the Melvins Lead guy. By the end of the show he was down to his facepaint and Tool-boxers. The guys played with an incredible amount of energy and Maynard was quite active and intense. Compared to the recent Houston show Maynard seemed really caught up in the action. There was a guy off on the right side of the stage with a video camera filming all of the show, maybe this will show up somewhere. The crowd was really responding but as one would expect there were the usual few who can't seem to enjoy the show without psychotic crack-back blocking activity. The show included a great mix of Aenima and Undertow cuts with Opiate which was preceded by a comment from Maynard about Adam thinking he had once won the lottery. Maynard later identified a guy that happened onto the stage as a friend of theirs who had just recently had surgery to replace a congenitally absent testicle. They fooled a lot of the crowd into leaving with "that being the last song......on the first album " comment. They did the traditional "conference on the mound" and then ended with a mind boggling performance of Aenima. Maynard dipped and reeled with incredible intensity for a memorable finish. The entire crowd left soaked. Overall I am amazed that Tool can generate such a following of fans that know their music to such a high degree without the MTV or radio play that other bands get. This is the setlist as well as I can remember (order?): Third Eye, Stinkfist, 46+2, Undertow, Prison Sex, Eulogy, H, Sober, Opiate, Aenima. (I may have left one out.) kbbsa@flash.net
From: "Mike & Cam" (Aenima_MikCam@msn.com) Subject: Tool at Live Oak Civic Center Lets start by saying its 4:00am I just got back from a 4 hour drive and my ears are still ringing. These are the songs that were played: (in no particular order) Third Eye Stinkfist Undertow Forty Six & 2 Prison Sex H. ( Drum Solo ) Sober Jimmy Eulogy Opiate Aenima Here were some comments he made: "Live Oak!!" "This is are new bassist Justin... hes from London, Texas" Before Prison Sex " This song, like all the rest, is about anal sex" Before Opiate " This is our last song.... Off our first album" Before Opiate " This song is about when Adam went and bought a lottery ticket and he thought he won so he went out and bought all these goodies but when he found out he lost he had to take them all back.... This song is about blaming God" After Opiate " Oh you guys are still here.. we were about to leave.. since this is San Antonio and the Alamo is here we will stay for one more " " This is Paul (somebody??). Were glad to have him here tonight. He recently had surgey. He was born with one testicle and after 25 years he found a doner. " Adam was wrestiling with the guy during all this. The concert was really great. I saw them in 94 and this one had to be the better of the two. Really cool effects and I actually saw him smile. He had a blue mask painted one the front of his face and he came out wearing a wig. The only thing that sucked was the tough guys who waited for all the hard parts to throw people to the ground. These guys had no clue what songs they were singing except Sober. Go see Tool!!