concert reviews firsthand, immediate, from the heart

08/26/2002

Review written by: Some Dojo (careyallen@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 08/28/02 14:07:49 ET


This was this reviewer's 5th Tool show

  i also got to hear the soundcheck and mike patton came into 
the crowd to take some pictures where i was, so that was cool.  
and this is my 4th time seeing them on this album, and i'd have 
to say that this was the best "performance" i have seen, but 
maybe not the best setlist, simply because i've seen them play 
more.  but they did play H. which is my favorite tool song, so that 
made my night.  maynard was simply amazing with his singing, 
dancing, and everything else that maynard does.  (painted black 
stripe down middle of his head).  adam played flawlessly while 
showing no emotion at all, which is awesome.  justin was really 
into the songs tonight, as was danny.  i especially enjoyed the 
extended versions of some songs (stinkfist, schism intro).  
other than the people in the first five rows of the floor who think 
there is room where there isn't, the show was awesome.  
here's the setlist as best as i can remember:

intro
sober
grudge (with entire 25 second yell)
stinkfist (extended)
h.
opiate
schism (diff. intro)
parabol
parabola
disposition
reflection
triad (w/ members of tomahawk)
lateralus

if anyone has mp3 or knows where i can get them, please let 
me know!








Review written by: jon conger (jonc222@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/01/02 18:50:01 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  Thanx Kabir



Ok, so it's been about 6 days since the show so it's a little 
hazy but this is what I remember.

I thought tomahawk was cool in the fact that they were 
original sounding, but it just wasn't for me. It seemed all the 
songs were based upon how many wierd vocal effects he 
could cram in there.

Tool came out with sober, I was a little dissapointed. 
Maynard sounded weak and unintrested. Oh and here's a 
little tip for the croud for future shows - If you don't want to 
mosh (like myself) don't try to get as close to the stage as 
you can beofre the show. And if you do want to mosh (like 
half the baboons on the floor) then don't wait until the first 
song to bulldoze your way up there. It is very hard to enjoy 
a show when there are 2000 poeple running toward the 
stage and 2000 running away. It took until after The Grudge 
for everyone to find their place. 
The Grudge was very well played, one of the better 
performanced of the first half. About half way thorough the 
song MJK started to shine - and continued through the 
night.Danny was phenominal, Adam was great - but not 
exactly perfect, and Justin was energetic but played out of 
time a few times. Overall the first half was great if compared 
to any other band, but I expect a lot out of Tool (even if 
they are touring like mad) and compared with other shows I 
was left a little unimpresed and wondered why I spent $50 to 
see them for the second time on this tour. 
The Stage set up was pretty cool this time. There were 3 
background changes, and these cool dropdown sheets with 
the images of the layered man on them towards the end, of 
course sequenced with the music. The art still blows me 
away, a lot of it makes me laugh. Like the people walking in 
a line sucking eachother's head tubes, or the guy whos face 
is on something like a spring.
The intermission was very annoying. I don't know how 
anyone could stand that. 15 minutes of noise. I love tool, I 
love the art, but that was just rediculous.
The second half was amazing! Every  song was played better 
than perfect (i.e. more entertaining than the recorded 
versions) and it was cool to see how Triad is supposed to be 
(I was wondering how they could start it without fading in). 

That's about it. After the second half I decided it was worth 
my money, but I might not see them if they come back to 
Detroit on this tour again. I'll just look forward for the new 
APC disc, the subsequent toor, and patiently await the next 
tool recording.

Oh I have to mention one more thing. Did anyone else think 
of Spinal tap when that big star-symbol came down? I 
started laughing and couldn't really stop smiling at it all 
night. Anyone who's seen the movie knows what I'm talking 
about. 









Review written by: Chris Willemse (CEFhamster@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/01/02 20:55:47 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  Well, of course, it was a great show to no end. Opening with Sober 
pretty much set the tone for the night, as the floor was out of 
control. I appreciate slamming around and dancing as much as the next 
guy, but it seemed there was an excess of meatheads on the floor 
looking to injure anyone they could. I would like to think Tool fans 
are a little more intelligent and cultured, but what can you do? The 
new stage set up was incredible, way better than the last tour, 
especially with the spiral eyes background. The screens were still 
there, although it was hard to see them from the floor. I have seen 
all these songs live before, besides Triad, so that was the highlight 
of the night. The intro was amazing and it was such a good jam tune. 
Lateralus is always a key song to close with, and the crowd fed off 
Tool's energy during the last song. All the musicians were flawless 
and the sound was specatacular. I was a little dissappointed because I 
had heard Tool was playing some songs that they usually don't play, 
except they they didn't play songs they usually do. I am dying to see 
Third Eye or No Quarter live. I was even more dissappointed to find 
out our car had been broken into during the show and many belongings 
were taken. I fucking hate Detroit. But I love Tool.









Review written by: Frank (sk8ntool@ms.com)
Review posted on: 09/01/02 21:53:21 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Man Tool was really awesome! this was my first concert ever 
and i dont thnk anything will ever top it. Just to see the 
huge mosh pit and Maynard in his black underwear lol was 
probably the coolest thing ill ever see. At the concert Tool 
played:
sober
The grudge
stinkfist
h.
opiate
schism
parabol and parabola
disposition
reflection
triad
lateralus
Just before lateralus they did the intro to Third Eye
The show was awesome and MAYNARD ROCKS!!!!!!!








Review written by: Face (hey_face@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/01/02 22:49:32 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  Tool rocked...as usual.  They were better than last time I 
saw them at the Palace last September because 1:  I had 
better seats and 2:  Maynard wasn't pissed off at the crowd.  
At that show he didn't take off his black bodysuit.  This time 
he did.  He talked a lot more thsi time too.  At the end of 
the show he said something like "I hope you leave here 
feeling inspired and horny...so I want you to go home, curl 
up in front of a nice fire, read some poetry, and have sex."  
Of course I didn't get to (damn)...but I had a great night 
anyway. 

The setlist (I could be mistaken on the order though):

Sober 
The Grudge
Stinkfist (extended version)
H.
Schism
Parabol
Parabola
Opiate
-----------
Disposition
Reflection
Triad
Lateralus

Throughout most of the show I was paying extremely close 
attention to Danny...He is unquestionably one of the best 
drummers I've ever heard in my life, and watching him play 
is just incredible.  He makes everything he does look so 
easy.  He was really into the music, as was Justin.  Adam 
stood still for most of the show, he seemed really focused 
on the music.  Maynard was moving all around on his little 
platform, and his vocals sounded incredible, as usual.  

All in all, a hell of a night.  I look forward to seeing them 
again.











Review written by: Marilyn (wickedlilsmurf69@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/01/02 23:45:43 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  tool put on an amazing set that night. they opened up with 
sober and continued onto the grudge. i don't think maynard 
even said anything to us until he did his "think for yourself, 
question authority" speach before "opiate" i was sorta 
disappointed that they did play "opiate" instead of "aenima" 
like they did at other shows this tour, but it sounded great 
nontheless. the lights and the animations of the screens 
were great too. i watched the screens more than the stage, 
since most of the band stood still anyways. by the middle of 
the set, they did become more animated and maynard's 
stage started to rotate, which is when i got a good look at 
the stripe down his face. very cool, by the way. they closed 
with lateralus which really captured the energy of the band 
and the crowd. they also did their group hug thing and 
stayed out on stage for quite a while, which is an oddity 
among bands who rush off the stage. all in all, i'd say it was 
one of the best and most memorable nights of my life. next 
time tool comes back to detroit, i'm deffinately gonna see 
them again.









Review written by: Phil (phildog@i2k.com)
Review posted on: 09/01/02 23:46:26 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  RE: TOOL
The show was awesome. My first Tool show from the floor, 
and I don't think anything can compare. It was a definate 
thrill to see them so close, especially Danny (incredible). 
BUT, I don't think I will be so eager at my next TOOL 
experience to get real close to the stage. After losing my 
shoe--finding it, miraculously half a song later--, almost 
getting my glasses knocked off my head, and constantly 
getting pushed/pulled/pummelled by shirt-lacking-drunken-
mosh-mongers... needless to say it REALLY detracted from 
the show (the bastards even moshed during H). What I 
remember of the music was great. It was unbelievable to 
see them all play such complex songs so close, it made it 
seem so much more detailed than seeing--hearing them 
from half a venue away. The only time I really could relax 
and enjoy a bit of the concert was when they played Opiate. 
The said moshers must not have known the song very well. I 
was the only person that responded to the song in my 
immediate area. Anyway--Wonderful show, Terrible crowd. 
I can't wait to see them in Kalamazo and East Lansing!

RE: Tomahawk
Blah. At first I was into it. Then it just got real boring. The 
songs sounded alike, and the vocals had so much effects on 
them you couldn't tell what the hell Mike was saying/singing. 
It was more entertaining to see him navigate through all the 
mics and cords than listening to the songs. Especially the 
last "thing" they did. Noise for what must have been like five 
to ten minutes. Strange sounds that I guess were supposed 
to be really creative and expressive... it didn't work for me. 
So when Mike and others from the band came out into the 
crowd before Tool played, I was among the many others who 
threw garbage at them. lol They weren't much better than 
Meshugah.








Review written by: micky (parabola622@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/02/02 14:48:42 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  better late than never eh kabir

my girlfriend and i had a great time. we were a little nervous 
about finding cobo but it turned out to be surprisingly easy. 
the people who work there were vey friendly.  we will go back 
in a heartbeat. it was very cool they served us strong 
canadian beer very very cool

tomahawk was interesting but with all the effects it was 
difficult to understand what was going on.  i liked the tribute 
to kiss at the beginning "ladies and gentlemen you wanted 
the best you got the best the hottest band in the land 
tomahawk" just like on kiss alive which was recorded at cobo 
in the 70s

i thought tool was flawless from the opening with sober to 
the closing with lateralus.  after reading all the reviews up 
until that day i thought it might be like christmas after 
peeking at my presents. but no let down here it was simplly 
amazing.  i was glad i wasnt on the floor even with signs 
everywhere not to mosh people did it any way. how stupid?  
how can you mosh to reflection or disposition. it boggles my 
mind.  i thjnk that tool should use seats on the floor that 
way we can enjoy the show and sit close.

the visuals were awesome but i found it difficult to watch 
them.  the band was riveting .  maynard was in good spirits 
and if he was having trouble with his voice i couldnt tell.  he 
was flawless h, the gudge , sober, parabol/parabola and 
triad were the highlights for me.  i think maynard likes 
michigan. he was very animated and moved around a lot.  
he also faced the crowd for most of the show.

"we got up this morning and looked at the schedule and it 
said we were in detroit" crowd cheers "are you sure this is 
detroit" crowd gets very loud "are you sure" more crowd " I 
thought this was kalamazoo"  a hint maybe since i found out 
that tool is indeed coming to kalamazoo.

ive never heard a crowd sing like they did in h "i dont mind, 
idont mind" it gave me chills and still does when i think 
about it


thank you tool what would we do without you?

counting the days until i can see them again see you in 
kalamazoo.  SPIRAL OUT KEEP GOING it just might go where 
no ones been.








Review written by: Jim Beachnau (beac3333@kettering.edu)
Review posted on: 09/02/02 15:01:20 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  It's been about a week since the show so the excitement of coming
straight home to write my review isn't quite there any more, but it
should be pretty easy to get it back after that kind of a show.  I
saw Tool in Indianapolis last September and even though they were
amazing then, they seemed to be twice as good in Detroit.  There
seemed to be a lot more energy at this one, and the guys seemed to
feed off of that.

For those people that keep complaining about Tool playing the same
songs every night, I would love to hear the way they played those
songs everyday.  Stinkfist gets better and better every time they
play it, and I loved the new Schism.  They played Aenima in
Indianapolis and that blew me away, so I really wanted to hear it
again, but hearing Opiate was just as amazing.  Maynard still screams
the "rape you" part just like in the old days.  I've heard them play
46 & 2 live so I was dying to hear H, and, man, it did not
disappoint.  The new way they play the I don't mind part could not
have been any better.  And all those people saying that Triad is the
highlight of the show are exactly right.  That could have been the
greatest ten minutes of my life.

The greatest part of the whole night for me though was my wife's
reaction to them.  The only other concert  she has been to was a
Garth Brooks concert a while ago, and I have been tormenting her with
Tool for our entire relationship.  The only way I even got her to
come is because she loves the drums.  Of course we had awful seats
with one of the giant speakers right in our line of sight of Danny,
but after reading the reviews of Triad and remembering how good
Reflection was, I told her to go somewhere that she could see him
after Disposition. She walked down to the railing and sat on the
stairs and just rocked back and forth through both songs.  It was
great.   All she has talked about for the last week was how great
Tool was and how she takes back every bad thing that she ever said
about them.

So, of course, Tool put on the best concert imaginable.  Danny was as
unbelievable as expected, Adam and Justin actually moved around quite
a bit compared to normal and Maynard seemed to be in a very good mood
and was lit up very well to the point that you could actually see him
dancing  for most of the show.  I see that they are coming to
Kalamazoo in October so I can't wait to see them again.








Review written by: ANOMIE (dropd69@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/02/02 15:04:22 ET


This was this reviewer's 7th Tool show

  The setlist doesn't matter, read someone else's.  Although 
they played the majority of the Lateralus, they always 
perform with intensity.  Since I saw the Cleveland show also, 
I want to say that they were more "creative" in Detroit.  I 
know that Detroit is a favorite stop and Tool always plays 
(however COBO?) there.  Danny's drum patterns and fills 
were more slick and he was definately in a zone.  MJK's 
voice was sung way differently than normal (probably due to 
the illness) but he always held his pitch.  However, it was 
more relaxed, a very nice feel while I was blowin' up.  
Instead of Opiate they played anima.  I was praying for 
something intense.  I'm telling ya', all you need is 3rd Eye. 
Hooker w/ a Penis, Ticks & Leeches and call it a night. Oh 
well, all in all a wonderful experience to just let go, just let 
go, just let go...








Review written by: tterB (unavailable)
Review posted on: 09/02/02 16:23:47 ET


This was this reviewer's 10th Tool show

  The show was awesome, as always, but I do have to gripe 
about something. If you ever seen my other reviews I 
always praise tool, and after 9 1/2 years of being a fan, I do 
have a complaint.  I MISS THE OLD MAYNARD!!!  When I say 
that I mean the Maynard that used to 
abuse/shock/mock/pick- on the crowd.  Maynard is 
preaching.  This was the 5th show I have seen since 
Lateralus, and it seems to me that Maynard, although telling 
people to think for themselves, he is actually kind of telling 
people to do what he thinks they should do.

I know that everyone hangs on his every word, and I read 
the reviews everyday, and I LOVE THE BAND, but I remember 
Maynard on the Undertow tour, and the Aenima/Ozzfest 
tours, and Maynard was a different character.  He has 
probably grown into a new man after the length of time 
between albums and A Perfect Circle had to affect him, I just 
kinda get the sense that he is being superior. 

But maybe I'm wrong.

He, and the rest of the band sounded great, which is what 
really matters.  But they always do.

Tomahawk sucked kinda.  People were screaming Bring Back 
HELMET.  That would be a good idea


im out
tterB








Review written by: tralaspy (spytrala@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/02/02 19:34:41 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  This was my first TOOL show.... WOW.... I am still in awe.... 
sorry it took so long to post (I just stumbled up this site a 
couple of days ago).... weird that the detroit fans were't on 
this right away! (Especially considering MJK MI 
background...).


First off.... I thought Tomahawk was pretty good. Very 
experimental... definately not for everyone. The Detroit fans 
didn't seem as hostile towards them as in the reviews in 
some of the other cities I read about (like Syracuse and 
Cinci I think).

In any case, I thought Tomahawk was a fitting opener to a 
show like TOOL. Some may disagree, that's fine. To each 
his own.

Now... on to the real reason I'm posting...


TOOL WAS SIMPLY AMAZING... ALMOST UNDESCRIBABLE to 
someone who wasn't in attendance of that show. Cobo Arena 
actually sounds pretty good. And though I've never seen 
TOOL before, I have seen other shows at the Palace, and 
Cobo blows it away sound-wise. I was standing on the floor 
FOB - front of (sound)board.

Lighting and video screens were trully spectacular. It just all 
adds to the already immense visual stimulation brought 
forth by the band. The banners dropping (the ones 
mimicking the Lateralus album artwork).... in sequence was 
real cool. And I particularly thought the sparkly dust or 
whatever added an extra touch of surrealism.


Correct Setlist is as follows:


Sober
The Grudge
Stinkfist
H.
Eon Blue Apocalypse
Schism
Parabol
Parabola
Opiate


Disposition
Reflection
Triad
Lateralus

I really enjoyed Sober.... nice touch from Undertow. Very well 
done, and just mindblowing to open up the set!

Maynard spoke quite a bit. "Drifting... seemingly... aimless 
across this planet.... We woke up this morning... we looked 
at the schedule... and it says here that we are in Detroit.... 
So my question is this 'Are we in Detroit?' ... it 
sounds way more like Kalamazoo (MI) than Detroit.... 
...... So is this Detroit?.... .... and StinkFist begins....

Eon Blue Apocalypse was oh so eerily sweet... just before 
Schism..... very, very cool...


First half of the show was excellent... especially ending on 
the note of Opiate.... the only fly here though, is the 
morons who tried to start a violent mosh session, literally 
right in front of the song board area.... miles from stage.... 
luckily it was short lived... only lasted one song (if I 
remember correctly it started at the transition from Parabol 
to Parabola.... ) No one really wanted part of it, escpecially 
with these guys with fists-a-flaling.... anyways...



What came after the Intermission... well was just mind 
blowing.... almost undescribable with words alone....   
Second set starting off with Disposition... and then Reflection 
and Triad with the help from the drummer and another 
member from Tomahawk (sorry, I don't know their 
names).... was just by far, one of the best moments of any 
concert I have ever been to.... the drumming was so 
intense.... one could truly just feel every beat..... insane!!! 
IMHO, it was the highlight of the show... and then finishing 
off with Laterallus... beautiful!!!!


So, yeah, you could probably tell I enjoyed my first TOOL 
show very, very much.... and with any luck, I will try and 
attend the other October MI dates (whenever tickets go on 
sale..... )



Peace











Review written by: satans little helper (radjammy@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/02/02 22:02:42 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  hey tool rocks i rock you rock see you all in october this is 
the boy himself saying maynard is crazy danney blew my 
mind who ever said adam and justin were off  can eat my 
bushy anus









Review written by: cheebamonkee (cheebamonkee@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/03/02 12:30:50 ET


This was this reviewer's 5th Tool show

  Well....better late than never. Pretty good show for 
nosebleed seats...Maynard's platform was cool-it was like a 
big rotating TV that was playing the same images as the big 
screen...speaking of maynard, how about some pants? 
nobody wants to see your scrawny ass doing the funky 
chicken in your drawers. You look like when people were 
transforming into dogs in ghostbusters....stick to what's 
best.....mohawks-by the way, I love faith no more-hate 
tomahawk (sorry mike patton)....what, was there power 
outtage for intermission.....people were going into 
convulsions during the "brown note".....I think I soiled 
myself-maybe it was the drugs....see you at the next show, 
I'm the guy that has your girlfrien hoisted on my shoulders








Review written by: "?" (nocternal_king@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/04/02 02:49:16 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  i did not acctually see this show, i saw july 11, bakersfield,ca.
tool was a mentally orgasmic experience.

to those of you worrying about someone elses review, get 
the fuck over it. who gives a shit if someone writes the same 
thing you wrote. its about TOOL not you!








Review written by: tralaspy (spytrala@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/04/02 11:57:02 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  new shows posted on ticketmaster.

anyone familiar with Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, MI or the 
Toledo Sports Arerna? How do they compare with Cobo Arena 
in Detroit? See my review above.

Please respond *via email*. Thanks








Review written by: Greel (IShunEMail@Greel.com)
Review posted on: 09/05/02 17:18:37 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  Well.... theres not much to say at this point.

Lets start at the beggining. 

Sober - I think it worked pretty well as a opener (I was 
skeptical) though one compliaint (and there all small ones) 
was Justins use of a pick during the intro. I like the way Paul 
did it by slapping the strings. It still sounded very powerful 
though. One of my favorite parts is after the "Trust me" 
buildup where Adam performs a very odd sounding chord. 
Sadly, he decided to change how it was performed (possibly 
because its hard to recreate live). That dissapointed me.

The Grudge - I probably should have mentioned the 
beautiful orange lighting flowing up the thick curtain at the 
start of the show. Well, if you didnt catch it the first time it 
was too late because it dropped to the ground, only to 
reveal I gigantic mural obviously done by Alex Grey (He's so 
distinct). That mural is one of the highlights of the show and 
Im wondering if I can get a smaller copy of it to hang on a 
bare wall in my house.
        On to the music, My drummer friend who came with me 
was very giddy at this point and I could hear him beating out 
the double-bass buildup on his lap along with Danny. I, 
personally, was making sure I could see the second hand on 
my watch so I could time the length of Maynards impending 
scream. Clocking in at 23 seconds he was a bit shorter than 
his recorded performance, but did not dissapoint.

Stinkfist - It was extended as you may have guessed. I 
personally did not like the extension which comes in right 
before the "Ill keep digging!" line. It was pretty funny to 
hear the people screaming it at that point, although 
Maynard had not done it yet. Excellent video by Adam 
(Which was essentially a take on the music video).

H - I didnt care for the video on this one from what I can 
recollect but it was interesting nonetheless. Not my favorite 
song. Still nicely done, though I wish they would have played 
something else.

Schism - I got kind of bored by this song by the end simply 
because the radio stations I listen to will not stop playing it 
(Time for a change in stations). It had a different intro and 
it was at this point in the show Maynard strapped on his 
guitar (I believe it was a bass but I cant remember 
anymore, its 10 days after the show).

Parabol/Parabola - They started of with the intro to Third Eye 
which was such a tease. The Alex Grey backdrop fell to 
reveal yet another piece of his work (Think back to the end 
of the Parabola video, It was like that). Footage from the 
music videos, The band was a little out of time with the 
video since it was simply the whole made for TV video. But 
on a side note, floating spheres kick ass! That wacky 
compound sphere from the Parabola half of the video came 
out of the ground from behind Maynard and Danny and 
hovered there till the intermission.

Opiate - After Maynard's chat with the audience about 
authority and thinking for yourself this song kicked in 
courtesy of Justin (This time he got it sounding like Paul). 
Not much else to speak of.

Intermission (Not the song) - WHAT! NO PATIENT?! I was 
awfully dissapointed by the fact. Maybe the band ran dry on 
the metallic confetti that was advertised by previous 
reveiwers. Knowing the intermission would be short I stayed 
in my seat, afraid I would miss something.

Disposition - My favorite song of all time (Right 
behind 'Strawberry Fields Forever), I was a bit dissapointed 
since the sound quality was not as spot-on as the recording. 
(But Im a nitpicking fool for sound quality)

Reflection - At this point in the show banners posting the 
different layers of humans, as depicted in the Lateralus 
booklet) unfurled from above the stage and later a seven-
sided star descended. Very good performance.

Triad - Not even my third favorite song on the album but 
definetly my favorite live performance now. Mike Patton and 
Tomahawk's drummer came on and helped out (Dont recall 
his name, sorry). I was a bit disspointed by Adam not 
playing with the feedback exactly like I was used to, but its 
his music so he can do whatever he wants with it. Footage 
was great as well.

Lateralus - Wow, Im tired of typing now but I must forge 
onward... Its obvious the band is very proud of this song 
since they have been closing all of there shows with it.  A 
disco ball descended from the scoreboard in the center of 
the arene for some neat little lighting effects. A great ender 
with most of the audience now standing in respect for such a 
great evening.

On a side note a DJ for a Detroit radio station I listen to 
mentioned that while attending the sound check Maynard 
proceed to run up and down all of the stairs of Cobo Arena 
since he wasnt feeling too well, and that Adam had also 
been to the doctor that day.

Done.








Review written by: Riot4Life (riot_4_life@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/05/02 18:05:52 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  Well this was a very great concert for starters.  I actually didn't know I was going until about 2 hours before Tool took the stage.  They had a few similar songs to the concert that they did at the Palace in Detroit lat year.(went to that one too he he).  They opened with Sober, then went into The Grudge, and then Stinkfist, then H, then Schism, then Parabol & Parabola, then Opiate.  They took a little intermission for the sake of Danny Carey most likely. I don't understand how he lasts as long as he does banging those drums so fast.  Anyways, about 10 minutes later they played Disolusion and Reflection.  Then the unthinkable happened and they played Triad live.  I was tickled pink cuz last show it was one of the 2 songs off Lateralus they didn't play(the other was Ticks and Leeches, do they EVER play that live?)  The drummer for Tomohawk(the band that opened for them) did the back-up drums for Triad.  Last but not least, Maynard told us all to "go home with your lover, sit by a warm fire, write some poetry, and have sex".  This was followed by the last song of the night.....LATERALUS!!!  Eventhough the whole crowd was chanting "tool" and "encore", they sadly didn't play anything else.  But they still kick ass!  Awesome concert, eventhough it was REALLY hot inside the arena.








Review written by: Tyler K (Gtrslinger614@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/06/02 20:16:55 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Hey you!  Read reviews already posted for your show to see 
if somebody already posted the setlist. 

The show was just great, the highlights for me were H. and 
parabola with the huge orbs, it was just incredible, my only 
complaint was the people who thought there was space 
where there wasn't.








Review written by: k-9 (k9tool2002)
Review posted on: 09/07/02 01:22:28 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  this is the the third time i've seen tool and they just keep 
getting better i took my nephew there for his first tool 
expierience and he was blown away .. although the set list 
was small in compaison to the other shows ive seen .. they 
opened with sober which i think is the best opener yet .. !  
thanks again tool for rockin detroit! 








Review written by: tim (timmccreary@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/08/02 18:45:07 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  cool








Review written by: house of PAYNE (eat shit@and die .com)
Review posted on: 09/09/02 15:01:01 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  the show was bad ass. alomst as good as my first tool 
experience. tomahawk was alright  the back drop for grudge 
was sweet  opiate was the shit  maynard is god the rest of 
us are just peons in the fucked up world








Review written by: DB (seekotch@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/09/02 17:38:14 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  What a great show.  My first show was the previous Fall at the Palace and a fellow 
bandmate took me then, out of sheer obsession with knowing that once I 
experienced TOOL live, I would indeed fully "get it."  Boy did I.

This time I myself hosted 2 best friends who I knew had insufficient info and 
pre-conceptions about TOOL.  Nothing bad, they just hadn't someone say 'Trust me 
dude, just come see this"  like my experience the Fall before.

As I'm becoming a better TOOL fan slowly but surely, I look forward to the day when I 
can relate to the other posts that mention twists with song intro's, variations on song 
sections and the like.  This show, though not as long or packed with songs like the 
Palace show, was again a real treat.  And opening with 'Sober' especially helped my 2 
friends understand the epic nature of TOOL's live personae as it was probably one of 
2 songs they actually knew somewhat.  So right off the bat they were into it, plus got 
to feel the punch of that song/the TOOL sound live.  'Sober' got their bearings 
straight and they rest of the show they became more and more impressed and 
entertained.

All I know is that everything I heard hit me hard and churned up even more loads of 
respect for these guys.  Though I'm still learning to identify song titles with music 
pieces, I can say that yes, the Triad jam was religious, as most posts have declared.
Danny made me smile proudly again throught the entire night.  Being a drummer 
myself, with a heavy rudimental/drum corps background, I can't begin to explain what 
a joy it is watching a modern drummer flog his ass off and who has obviously been 
trained and takes his technique and approach seriously.  In response to an earlier 
post, the reason Danny makes his amazing playing look easy is because he has 
technique.  And technique (for any musician) allows for efficiency, precision, power, 
speed, and endurance.  If you have the tools and training, you can build whatever 
you want creatively.  And boy do all the guys in TOOL have good technique!  Its such 
a pleasure watching them perform.

My 2 friends came out of the show overwhelmed, impressed, and converted.  They 
definitely "got it." I too felt great. Though I don't listen to TOOL at home all the time, 
I do know that when they come to town, I'm there fro now on, period.  Its simply 
quality art, delivered with professionalism, passion, and integrity. Fuck the genre, if a 
band has those attributes and you call yourself a music fan, you just go and see it.  
I'm lucky enough to have great friends who's opinions I trust ( and vice-versa) and 
we take each other to shows all the time where we don't necessarily go into it feeling 
that optimistic.  But if one guy is saying "Dude, trust me on this.  Just see what they 
do", we all end up having a blast and acquie a new band to love.  TOOL gained 2 
more die-hard fans that night.

Complaints?
-breathing in Cobo sucked.  Boy did I get used to the Palace's smoke-free policy.  It 
being hot in Cobo didn't help things either.
-the people who don't shut the fuck up screaming during song's just so they can hear 
themselves scream because they're out that night to party.  Ya know the type: the 
kind of people who walk up to a band at a party/bar and grab the mic so they can 
scream into it to hear themselves scream "FUCK YEAH!!!  PAAAAAAARRTY!!".

If you call yourself a TOOL fan, show them some goddamn respect and let them play 
for you without you trying to affirm your lack of self-esteem by making an ass of 
yourself in public to get attention.  Go fucking nuts when they finish the song if you 
want them to know how glad you are to be at their show.  Being an asshole while they 
play is utter lack of respect for them and for the people around you.  If you wanna go 
nuts, then go to the pit WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GO NUTS.

Sorry to bitch, but those fuckheads (and they know who they are) need to be 
reminded till they get their head out of their ass.  They wanna call me old, I'll call  
them children.

Again, TOOL was excellent.  Can't wait for next time.












Review written by: Jennifer Clark (lovepeaceandrockandroll@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/10/02 16:42:19 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  This was my first tool concert and it just blew me away.  
Litterally.  I felt almost like i was having some spirtual 
experience.   I was on the ground floor right in front of the 
stage through the 1st three songs untill my cushion between 
me and the bar gate was gone.  But it was worth all the 
pushing and shoving to see Maynard that close.   Words 
can't experess how the concert made me feel and that 
means a lot if i can't put it into words.  The one word that 
did pop into my mind, as i stood on the outskirts of the 
groups of people with my eyes closed and just feeling the 
music in my bones, however was the word mesmorized.   
Maynard and company not only rocked the house down but 
they made it feel like you belonged there, connected to 
them..   One of the best things in the concert was the group 
hug they shared onstage at the end of the show.  

Anyhow the show was great even though i didn't particurily 
like Tomahawk.  They were ok but their stage presense 
wasn't as awe and inspiring as Tool..  I hope to gain enough 
money to see them in Lansing or Kalamazoo again in 
October.

Peace








Review written by: slbond (slbond18@msn.com)
Review posted on: 09/11/02 02:30:28 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  things are not quite the same since that fateful night. sorry, 
getting off track.... i am reviewing a concert that i saw, a tool 
concert, but i am not reviewing this one. i wont get into why, 
but i was a little late in posting my review. i am actually 
reviewing the concert in manch-vagas on august 18th 2002. 
who ever is reading this and is already bored with me, keep 
reading it gets better. the first show i saw, yes a tool show, 
was absolutely a stunning performance. that was in october 
of last year. i thought it was the best thing since sliced
bread...i was wrong. this year, they have somehow managed 
to pack more punch. the tapestries were amazing, as was 
the mural behind the stage, and the video sequences were 
great. to top it all off, their performance was skillfully 
executed. maynards voice has a sweetness to it that most 
men lack. although the sound quality all together was not as 
thrilling as the first concert i attended, i still think they did a 
dandy job of entertaing and spiritualizing the hell out of me. 
now that i am done inventing words, i will tell you how my 
night went... i had been expecting for some time that it 
would be easy to enter the floor since the bouncer i had the 
pleasure of meeting before let me right on in, no questions 
asked. this time it wasnt so easy. i was not blessed with the 
kind of money that all of the people on the floor must have 
so i did not buy a floor ticket. thus, i did not receive a wrist 
band. now, getting into the floor is difficult enough when you 
have a wrist band, nevermind without one. i begged and 
plead. no luck. my original seats were in section 204, which 
was about how many miles i was from the stage. after 
tomahawk played, i had the balls to go to th section just to 
the right of the stage. i sneaked my way in by telling the 
woman i was looking for my older brother(who i had left in 
the crappy seats) i got a fairly good view of maynard in his 
knickers, and that made my night. i also saw, close up, the 
perfection which is danny carey. all in all, it was a pretty 
exciting night, and i got mi money's worth and then some. i 
am now going to take this opertunity to thank tool. thank 
you for doing what you love and live to do, just so we, the 
masses, could be entertained.








Review written by: pete (pl19_99@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/11/02 20:44:55 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  Tomahawk was decent.  I think if they got a little more respect from the crowd they 
would have played better songs.  They didnt play 2 of my favorite songs.  
Tool is just unbelievable.  They get better every tour.  This tour's stage setup is 
incredible esp during Lateralus when the props came down. They were burning me out 
with that long humming break but when they started playing lateralus i was back and 
and re-energized.  I paid 75 bucks(before bevarages) to see this show and i got my 
moneys worth!








Review written by: youwannaCRAIGwiththat (thought I was high@divine desteny.com)
Review posted on: 09/12/02 00:45:04 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  Fucking unreal if i was in a band i would wear a spedo to
this show had TONS more energy than the show at the Palace
that was just to big the crowd was great, loud as fuck 
Maynard faced the crowd the whole night, During Opiate it 
looked like he was being attacked by a shark he was 
slamming around up and down I was waiting for fucking jaws 
to bust out of the mini-stage with maynards torn in half 
body in its mouth, I went to the show in Cleveland also and 
that was a good show too but not even close to Detroit but 
fuck it i was at both of them and I'll be at both shows in 
Michigan on the second leg of the tour SO see ya at the 
Kalamazoo and East Lansing shows