Tool at OzzFest 1998 Tour Reviews

Date: 0719


Review written by: Ryan Murph (blube4y@sprynet.com) Review posted on: 08/18/98 21:16:05 Tool is great! It was my first time seeing them, but I'm sure it won't be the last. Maynard was great, and kept energy flowing through the crowd their whole performance. After seeing tool once would make a person want to tour with Tool for years. The best part of Ozzfest no offense against Tool, was when Limp Bizkut had some insane chick come up on the stage and dance naked. What a show!!!

Review written by: Rory Gallagher a..k.a. ifarm86 (n/a) Review posted on: 08/04/98 22:17:41 TOOL PLAYED "SOBER" OFF UNDERTOW, "SWEAT" AND "OPIATE" OFF OPIATE AND THE REST WERE SONGS OFF AENIMA I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH EXCEPT "STINKFIST", THEY PLAYED SEVEN SONGS IN ALL-WHICH PISSED ME OFF, BUT IT WAS AN ADRENALINE RUSH EVERY SECOND. I MUST SAY I WOULD'VE PAYED SIXTY BUX JUST TO SEE THEM, THE REST OF OZZ-FEST SUCKED MAJOR COCK AND WAS NOT WORTH SHIT. TOOL IS ONE OF THE ONLY BANDS THAT IS GOOD ENOUGH TO BE CALLED PHENOMINAL. LIKE NIN, THE BROODING LYRICS, AND MASTERFUL CHORDING CALLS UP THAT FEELING OTHERWISE MOSTLY CONSIDERED A RESULT OF SEXUAL STIMULATION. I'VE LOVED TOOL LONGER THAN ANYONE I'VE EVER MET AND BOUGHT UNDERTOW WHEN IT CAME OUT AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR TOOL FANS I'VE SEEN AREN'T SMART ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND THEIR OWN EMOTIONAL PARADOXES, LET ALONE MAYNARD'S. FUCK PSUEDO-FANS FOREVER.

Review written by: Jaden (sweetjeeba@poetic.com) Review posted on: 08/01/98 19:06:03 ozzfest98. what to say. i was amazed at all the people there, up on the lawn. i paid $50 for my seats up in the 6th row, and it was well worth it. i thought motorhead sucked. coal chamber totally kicked ass. i love them. limp bizkit was cool, but i wish they would've had the toilet like at the other shows. souldfly was ok. sevendust kicked ass too. megadeth was pretty cool. but anyways on to the good part, TOOL!!!! they fucking kicked ass!! only thing bad about it, was the lights kept shining right on my face, and blinded me or something. during Pushit, everyone kinda mellowed out. I was getting tired, from having only 2 hours of sleep the night before, and getting up at 7am to go. we got to alpine valley around 10am. so anyways durin pushit i mellowed out and sat down and just chilled out for a bit. too many drugs, too much to drink, i was going to either be sick or pass out if i didnt sit down. hehe. but all in all, tool kicked major fucking ass. and when the crowd started throwing all that shit and trash around, i was glad i didnt have lawn seats!! although a bottle of piss came hurling down towards me, so i ducked and it hit the guy in front of me. there were these 2 old mute guys in front of us also, and they told us they saw tool before so they let me and my friend up in their seats, that was pretty cool. did anyone else sitting in the seats on the right side see those 2 annoying drunk bitches? they kept asking my friend chris for his ticket, so they could go get a beer and come back to the seats. apparently they had lawn seats or something and managed to get to where we were. so chris gives the girl his ticket, because she said she'd buy him a beer too. well she never did, and i knew she wouldnt, but chris, being the dumb fuck he is, gave her his ticket about 5 more times, hoping to get a beer! ozzy was pretty cool. i just wished i could've been hit by the water, it was so fuckin hot. it shot out more to the center and barely missed me. i was kinda mad. hehe. anyone who had seats to the right front section, email me. i may have seen you there. i know a couple hot guys i had my eyes on. hehehe. -Jaden sweetjeeba@poetic.com

Review written by: that blue-haired lady (tayza@inwave.com) Review posted on: 07/29/98 08:51:22 A Somewhat lengthy and different personal view of Ozzfest and TOOL at Alpine Valley, July 19, 1998 First of all, thanx for the reviews for this concert... it's interesting to read about the different perspectives and observations as well as the "bits" we weren't aware of because so many of us were far away from the stage at Alpine Valley. It was an extremely hot day and we arrived at the gates while the Melvins were playing on the second stage. We soon learned that the second stage bands were only allotted 30 minutes each so there was no time to see them. My son had gotten there when the g ates opened and told me later that they played 3 songs and left, which in his words, "kinda sucked." I couldn't help but wonder if they were a bit disgruntled about the 30 minute limit on their set because, from what I hear of previous concerts, as true m usicians, they prefer to play according to how they feel and it probably takes some time to get into their "groove." My friend and I ended up sitting inside the beer garden next to the MGD stand and spent most of the day watching people and talking with some who were taking a break from the hot sun. We could feel the vibration from the bands through the wall, and there was no distinction between the bands. The joke of the day was, "oh, that Band is playing again," and though we actually heard notes once or twice, we figured it was by a slip of the hand of the guitarist. [grin] On occasion, we wandered over to the second stage and it was refreshing to see people other than the mainstream Ozzy fans there. From our perspective, too many Ozzy fans were drinking too much beer and I wonder how many were passed out by the time his sho w started. [Hint: buy a beer in a plastic cup and drink water from the tap in the bathroom] One thing we noticed was that many of these people had a particular walk, which perpetuated the theme presented by TOOL concerning humankind's evolvement. In the e nd we decided that Henry Rollins said it best and that we were observing "the-kicked-in-the-ass-by-life" walk. At long last the time drew near for TOOL to play and we went out onto the deck of the beer garden. There were two couples and a woman standing in the corner which made for a very nice open view of the stage. They had held their position since 11 o'clock b ut were kind enough to open up a spot for us when they learned that we were only interested in seeing TOOL and would be leaving after their set. [Thanx again whoever you are!] Though TOOL was far enough away so that Maynard was no bigger than my thumb, we were not disappointed and their show was as emotionally packed as it was the year before when I had seen them at Lollapalooza. The impression I got in the beginning of their s et was that they were tired. They had made a couple of slight goofs and weren't exactly "tight", but after a couple of songs, Maynard seemed to pick up energy and the rest of their show appeared to be flawless. From our vantage point, we could see the river of people on the side walks and a rippling mass of people on the lawn. As TOOL played, the river trickled down into a slow stream and the people on the lawn became still in focusing their attention onto what was happening on the stage. When Maynard introduced Pushit, saying that they were going to try something a little different, and talking of that comfortable place, that vulnerable place, the stream picked up speed and size and people on the lawn began to become restless. It was difficult to hear him over the resurgeance of activity, and it wasn't until he started on the refrain of "pushin' me," etc. that I realized what the song was. After pushit, TOOL got louder and people again stopped to pay attention .Another curious observation of Ozzy/metal fans. At some time during TOOL's set, some Ozzy fan behind us started yelling, "OzZEE! OzZEE!" and one of the Ozzy fans next to us turned and said to him, "There ARE a lot of TOOL fans here you know!" And the dipsh*t shut up. That was cool. All in all it was wonderfull to see TOOL. It seemed to me a sad thing that they were mere openers for Ozzy because for us, it was anticlimactic when the Ozzman made his appearance. It seemed to me that TOOL deserved a lot more respect than they received b ut on the other hand, as one Ozzy fan commented ater TOOL'S set, "I think a lot of people will be checking out their music after this." P.S. Putting myself out on a limb here, it occurred to me that Maynard's "blue" theme along with the definate message they have for their audience, "Think for yourselves!" correlates with the color associated with the throat chakra which is in turn associ ated with speaking one's truth, bringing forth a message. Anyone know if that's intentional, or "coincidence"?

Review written by: Jason (burnout454@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 07/28/98 15:26:33 MOTORHEAD-stunk it up KILGORE-good MELVINS-stunk it up SNOT-good INCUBUS-missed them, but heard they kicked ass ULTRASPANK-good COAL CHAMBER-good band and good music but they kind of fell apart on Loco and others LIMP-did good job MEGADETH-they suck Everything was so expensive! The only thing free was pot. Dont think ozzy sang very well. He runs like a girl. Craziness! I love it! It is fun to be crazy sometimes! My first tool show. They were definetly the best band. Lots of Tool shirts there. Crowd lost interest in Flood and Part of me. Should have played Aenima. Jason

Review written by: Brian Young (undertow@execpc.com) Review posted on: 07/27/98 18:57:16 OzzFest, Schmozzfest. This is my review of TOOLfest 1998. I think it was super-nice of Maynard to let Ozzy and the rest of the bands tour with them... This is my third TOOL show, and I must say, I think MJK and the boys hate us midwesterners... I saw them at the Aragon Ballroom (Chicago, Illinois: I'll only travel in that State full o'bastards for TOOL) a few years ago, and they fuckin ripped. My life changed permanently at that concert. They played so many songs I couldn't possibly have been happier. I saw them at Lollapalooza (minus Korn) last year, and had the best seats in the house to see Maynard in drag. We weren't exactly front row, but we just happened to be sitting next to Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Adam's parents! Mr. Jones had on a cock-wrench shirt, and we harassed them throughout the show about the secret life of Adam and his bizarre film ingenuity. But anyways, this review is about TOOLfest 98! After (barely) survivng a bout of heat stroke (I just about passed out), we sat through countless bands that all wish they could be KORN until the magic moment arrived. Unfortunately, I was too short and too high (ambiguity is an art form) on the Alpine Valley Hill to see much of anything, so I did my own Maynard dance and jammed to the hits. They really only played the radio tunes, although they pulled the ever-rare Flood our for me near the end. The mellow changes to Pushit absolutely blew my mind, and I will have that rewrite permanently running as the soundtrack in my dreams. Just before the show started, the assholes at Alpine began throwing all the trash they could get their grimy hands on, including full bottles of water, shoes, hats, etc. etc. I have already reserved my position in Hell, solely to turn the Rotisserie for all the garbage-slinging idiots I encountered at Alpine. Some mutant fuckhead, let's call him 46 MINUS 2, threw a shot-glass sized piece of glass, which hit and consequently severely lacerated the scalp of a guy just behind me. While bleeding profusely and swearing, he did what any true TOOL-fan would have done in the same situation: refuse medical assistance until TOOL had finished their set. Minus two pints of blood, but all the happier for having hung around for TOOL, he did eventually make it. My review? They fucking rule. But you don't need to read all these to figure that out. The people who give TOOL bad reviews should check the prescription on their crack pipes, and the band name on the tickets before the show. Bush stopped touring last year... On a bad day, with rubber bands and pots and pans, TOOL would still fuckin rock, and if you don't agree, well, you're entitled to your opinion--you're just wrong. FUUUUUUUUCK you buddy... In summation, TOOL should give a little more credit to us cow-tippin Midwesterners, and do a show or two of their own around here. If you want California to sink, stop doing shows there! We've bled for you, Maynard, and most of us would die, if that's what it took to get a long set in the Midwest. (Sort of a Hail-Bob thing, only with better acoustics) Until then, I'll have to scrape my pennies together and try to see one "TOOL only" show before I hit old age...

Review written by: NiHiL (soulstalker20@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 07/27/98 17:59:36 first of all, i had lawn seats and all i could hear from almost every band from back there was the bass drum. so if your thinking about going to Apline Valley in the near future DON'T. the only bands i enjoyed was TooL of course - because i pushed my way close so i could hear them, System of a Down (love the singer), and incubus (they have always rocked and always will). anyways TooL had the most powerful performance they hit me like a ton of feathers. they made me laugh and cry (and now my girlfriend thinks i'm psycho). the only trouble was the frickin childish people in the lawn throwning all kinds of crap. the almost ruined the whole show for me, but on a lighter note, i loved the slowed down version of pushit, one thing i remember is right after pushit someone sayin to me, "damn man, these guys are tight, man, they got there sh*t together, Man". too much beer for some people. they best be playin Jerk-off the next time i see them too, cuz this is starting to piss me off. Love Ya all, NiHiL

Review written by: tool fanatic (not important) Review posted on: 07/23/98 04:35:39 I recently saw tool on the ozzfest tour. This is my second time seeing them in concert and they were not dissappointing. The stage was incredible in format with 3 screens to watch and many different kinds of lighting. Maynard came out in an all blue suit which was definately different from his Lollalapalooza bra and rainbow pants. The band covered the favorites like sober and opiate but they threw in a few twists. They played a slowed down and extended version of pushit and flood. Those were definately tw o songs i did not expect to hear. Part of me and sweat were also thrown in as nice surprises. The only diddapointment in the show was the lack of the song Aenima. But Tool definately proved why they are the best band ever produced. They converted all of m y friends into diehard fans. They left me thinking Ozzy who?

Review written by: shelley (ssquier@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu) Review posted on: 07/22/98 07:49:38 Wow-Blue Maynard was way cool! This show was awesome! I always LOVE this version of Pushit and the atmosphere was great this night for it! The Pushit-Opiate-Flood ending was intense. The crowd was great-much better than the night before. Out of eight Tool shows I've seen, this was second best ever-Lewiston was best!

Review written by: booch' (BOOCH1@prodigy.net) Review posted on: 07/22/98 02:47:53 tool was awesome icouldnt believe how good they sounded i have a whole new respect for their music

Review written by: El Pollo Loco (cpnlove@execpc.com) Review posted on: 07/21/98 18:31:49 The day we had been waiting for finally arrived, so we loaded up the crew (including my good buddy Maggie from Texas, who flew up for the show) and hit the road. Armed with Bloody Marys and very little sleep, we managed to make a 45 minute drive turn into a 2 hour drive. In all fairness the driver was dealing with some rowdies in the "fun car". We arrived at Alpine at about 1 PM, and unbeknownst to us we had missed the Melvins and were missing Motorhead as we sat there and prepared to go in. Several beers later we decided to head in. Me and a couple other people had to take some "medication" to keep us awake, but it was all worth it. Long walk uphill behind us, the 18 strong we had with us determined that we would try to hook up with people from the list* - it never worked. Too many folks, and security made movement harder by blocking the nice sidewalk between the seats and the grass to lawn seat people. Oh well. In retrospect it was a good idea that we parked in front of a beer guy and didn't move all day except to get water. The bands were OK, but started to sound the same after awhile. Soulfly was the standout, of the bands we saw on the main stage. Chad told me that Incubus was pretty cool on the second stage. Limp Bizkit had a naked girl onstage getting down with herself. Megadeth was Megadeth, and they didn't play enough old shit. Marty Friedman is an excellent player, but annoying as hell to watch. What a cheeseball. TOOL. The name says it all. Maynard walked out painted blue and had very little to say, maybe the garbage throwing idiots brought him down a bit. We were a ways back so we did not get to see the main screen of video shit, but I'd seen it before. Musically it was the best played show I've seen from them. No perceptible mistakes. My complaint is that the PA was too quiet all day. I found myself straining to hear when people around me were singing. The set list was : Part of Me Stinkfist Sweat Sober Eulogy Pushit Opiate Flood No particular song was better than the others, although the new version of Pushit is just superb - a real tear jerker. It was cool to see some songs I'd never heard before, like Part of Me, Sweat, and Flood. I really missed Maynard's commentary, it usually is the highlight of their show. His paint job looked awesome with the lighting that they had. They came on, stomped on the terra, and left. Too short, but it's all about Ozzy in the '98 - at least on this tour. Ozzy. Very mellow this time, but Mike Bordin on drums is worth the money. I regret never having seen Faith No More live. Damn. Long walk back to the parking lot for many beers. The drive home almost left me with a split gut as Mr Willlliiiaaaammmmzzz was out of control and funny as hell. I'm finally recovered here on Tuesday. I can't wait to see TOOL again! El Pollo Loco *Apologies to P.A. and everyone else we missed there.

Review written by: mike (jhaluska@idcnet.com) Review posted on: 07/21/98 18:28:15 me and my friends got there at about 12:30 and we went straight to the first stage, when we got there we ended up waiting an hour to see motorhead! who were hilarious, most of the crowd thought they sucked but i thought they were awful and funny. then i walked around for awhile and saw kilgore who really sucked. after that i knew i didnt want to see any other second stage bands except incubus, being that ultra spank had already gone off earlier. i was there two see 4 bands, soulfly, incubus, limp bizkit, and most of all tool. anyways, i went back to the first stage and saw coal chamber, who were okay and then sevendust came on, and i thought i was going to throw up it was so bad. then soulfly came on, they were great, no one knew who they were at first but when they played some sepultura everyone was into it. fred durst of limp came out and sang bleed with them too, it was great. after soulfly i flew over to the second stage so i could see incubus, who were the best there except tool, no one really knew who incubus was but most of the people were into them, they were handing out free stickers and mystical face masks which were cool. after that i went back over to see the end of limp bizkit, and i wasnt upset i missed them because thier show was a disappointment, faith and wicked were the only highlights. then megadeth came on, they were good i thought, they played some new stuff that i didnt recognize but they also played some stuff off of countdown to extinction which i recognized. it took what seemed like 2 hours for tool to get on, but it was well worth it, they were comepletely amazing. it was funny how the crowd didnt know any of the older stuff, and i thought opiate was the hightlight, we left after tool because ozzy sucks.

Review written by: John (tool@dwave.net) Review posted on: 07/21/98 17:51:14 After a 3 1/2 hour drive to East Troy, we arrived at the theater just in time to see the gates open up. After a long fucking wait ( 2 hours ), Motorhead took the stage. The wait for Tool took forever. I shifted between the first and second stages, and watched an excellent show by Kilgore, then a mediocre show by Coal Chamber. The temperature for the day easily hit 90 degrees, so, as expected, the line for the outrageously overpriced beverages was, well, outrageously long. I took my seat in the fifth row just as Tool's road crew began to set their equipment up. A large projection screen was assembled in the center of the stage. Finally, Tool came out on stage. Maynard was painted blue with red spots, and immediately went into "Part of Me" He remained virtually mute for the whole show, minus a few words before the start of PUSHIT. Eye candy on projection screen made up for it though. Here is the setlist for all those who would like to know. PART OF ME - Most people had dumbfounded looks on their faces.. STINKFIST - VERY powerful, jam/extended version....the crowd seemed to get into this one... SWEAT - Very nice.. SOBER - NO extended intro, crowd reacted powerfully to this song PUSHIT - Slow version...PERFECT!!! OPIATE FLOOD

Review written by: Mike Donnelly (Mdonnell@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu) Review posted on: 07/21/98 15:29:16 This show was much better than the day before. I loved the BLUE MAYNARD! It fit the show and setting for Sunday. Perfect tone for the extended version of Pushit. Very powerful and beautiful song. I feel fortunate to have seen it. The crowd was much more into the show at Alpine Valley. Maynard was much more into the show than the previous night. Once again compared to all of the other bands, who are good by the way, TOOL is just so much more intense, powerful, rich, with their music. I love Ozzy and the Ozzfest, but I think its certainly limits what TOOL does and can do. And by the way for all of you who keep saying things about Maynard anouncing OZZY and things like that. Maynard only does it because he is required to do so by the OZZFEST! Its part of the contract. Next review St. Louis Ozzfest!

Review written by: Chad Colt (chuckels@centuryinter.net) Review posted on: 07/21/98 14:36:39 I have to say I have ben looking forward to seeing Tool for along time now and was not upset with the performance at all. They kicked some ass and took some names. I need the setlist anybody have it? I just have one other question why didnt he take off th e blue latex suit he was wearing? Anyhow if you have not seen Tool in concert go to the next show no matter how far you have to drive

Review written by: Saucermagu (Saucermagu@aol.com) Review posted on: 07/21/98 04:49:13 Last night I went to Ozzfest at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. I like Ozzy Megadeth, and Soulfy, but I probally only went for Tool. I liked this set better than the Lollapalooza set because they played more songs people didnt know. Maynard came out painted all blue, looked like that blue man group. He didnt do that rev. Maynard that I heard about. Opened with the powerfull Part Of Me. Nice to mosh to, even though I was in (standing on) my seat. From what I saw a lot of people didnt get into them that much. I liked the cool trippy shit on the screen, and when Maynard said the thing about the comfortable but vulnerable place. The highlights of the set where Pushit and their closer, Flood. I wasnt expecting Pushit after reading other reveiws. They played a lo nger and slower version. The part at first was slower probally do make the " the hands around my back again" part more powerful. Flood was cool because of the awesome tempo of the song towards the end. But the beginning of this song is shortened. Overal l the best Tool show I've seen yet. Left satisfyed, buzzing, and with the white Tool shirt with the teeth eyes.

Review written by: Master Reviewer (JefRambert@aol.com) Review posted on: 07/21/98 04:16:26 My first time HEARING Tool and hopefully not my last. Unfortunately, I was only able to hear the band from my seat, as the soundboard and people blocked everyones view. But, what can one expect from the lawn seats at Alpine Valley? The band played Eulogy, Stinkfist,a skewed version of Pushit, Sober, and perhaps Third Eye and H. I think they also played "light" versions of some of their older material. The band did not; however, play Aenima, but I am quite sure they are getting sick of the song after playing it constantly. Overhead the band, stood a large video screen displaying odd forms of eye-candy. During Stinkfist and Sober large mosh pits formed among the fans. Throughout the entire show listeners threw grass, cups, people, water, and countless other items. Tool fans were by far the roudyest of any at the Ozzfest. What more would you expect from a Tool fan. Tool played for little over an hour, before stepping aside for Ozzy. Oddly enough, fans shouted for "more Tool," not really caring about Ozzy. After Tool, hundreds of fans left Ozzfest. I was not among those as I had to see Ozzy for my $35 to be worth it. Tool ranked highest among T- shirt wearers and possibly overall fans, myself included. Definately a show worth mentioning.

Review written by: Eric (panic@mindless.com) Review posted on: 07/21/98 02:35:38 Ozzfest was definately an experience for me... certainly worth it. My friends and I drove up to Wisconsin the night before (along with a half ounce of weed and 20 hits of acid) to get an early start. We still didn't get to the show until around 3:00, though. First band I saw was System Of A Down. They had a goofy lead singer and a totally spazzed out guitarist. Then we went to the main stage (out in the lawn) to listen to Limp Bizkit, Soulfly, and Sevendust.. Soulfly and Sevendust were all right as far as metal goes, but they didn't really do anything for me. I didn't like Limp Bizkit too much, probably because I was so far away and the music sounded weak. It also seemed like no one really got into them at all (I noticed the lead singer trying vainly to get people excited and then singing things like "we suck", but no one else seemed to even notice/care)... they started doing a little better with the crowd once the naked chick got on. Megadeth was next, and they did an allright set.. seemed like a lot of jamming and improvisation.. not nearly as memorable as Tool, though that could be because I don't really like Megadeth. I think this is around when the sun finally started to go down (my back is now a nice toasty red). It seemed like it got dark just when Tool started. There was a long pause in between Tool and Megadeth where you'd hear an occasional drum solo that came out of nowhere. Tool played quiet, electronic sounds over the loudspeakers while they were setting up that most people didn't really pay attention to. Then they got into it right away with Part Of Me, an awesome opener... great for grabbing the crowd, even if most people didn't know the song. The track list has already been given before, so I won't do it again... but I can just say that Tool was easily the best band there... the music, compounded with the tv screen on stage, a lot of acid and pot, blue Maynard, and 35,000 drunk, sweaty people provided for a totally unique experience... I felt totally taken away. The crowd obviously responded best to the more well-known and harder Tool songs, like Sober and Stinkfist, while it seemed like only some people were able to fully appreciate the majestic version of Pushit (the highlight of the show) and Eulogy... while Sober and Stinkfist were good, Tool didn't put as much effort into them as they did into their less-known songs, and I think the main reason they were played was too keep everyone interested. Tool also did a cool version of Opiate, and I remember being pretty amused when he sang the refrain, which he slightly changed to "he has needs/like i do/we both want/to use you", with a lot of accenuation on "use", like he was inwardly laughing. Strangely enough, the audience started to cheer more loudly at this part. They finished with Flood, which was good, but sort of short, and then ended abruptly with hardly a word of goodbye. All in all, Tool played great, but it seemed like they didn't enjoy it as much as they would have if they had been headlining their own show. Basically, most of the people there were there to listen to metal, and many of Tool's best songs just don't appeal to the typical metalhead. I think they could have played better if they didn't have to strike a balance between pleasing the people who were there to listen to Tool and the people who where there to mosh.

Review written by: j, the creator (sixdeg945@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 07/20/98 13:33:02 first of all, i had no expectations for this festival. people who have expectations are always let down. so i went in with nothing. i got there around 12:00 and went to the second stage. some band called ultra-spank or ultra-smack was playing. they w ere all right. they sounded like a lot of the other bands out there who combine hard music and hip-hop. they were very tight, though. then, motorhead--no comment. the next three or four bands on the main stage all sounded similar in some way or anothe r. then megadeth came on. they got my energy flowing in some positive directions. after megadeth, tool came on. having never seen tool live before except on some shitty bootleg video camera, i was thrilled with the outcome. people in other reviews ha ve said that tool looked like they weren't trying or something. fuck that. i could feel the emotion in the music. also, you didn't have to concentrate on the people around you. i blocked out all of the people throwing shit around me and ignorant loud people and concentrated on my own thing--the way the music made me feel. i didn't even concentrate on the members of tool. if you want style and showmandship, then that is what megadeth and ozzy are for. megadeth is all about flying v's and flying hair. and they're good at it! and all though i cannot say what is tool and what is not tool, i personally don't think the members themselves are going to jump around like dogs for you're enjoyment. if you want to have a good time at future shows, then that is all you have to do to have an positive experience. one specific musical note--the new version of "eulogy" was very much appreciated, not that i was sick of the album version, but because i can appreciate change.

Review written by: Matt H (The0zzman@aol.com) Review posted on: 07/20/98 12:30:13 First, I need to say, hello Anthony! Tool kicked ass! They had some wierd gray, circular screen behind them that they showed strange and hypnoticdrawings and animations. They used some of the animations that they used last year. Like, the ape evol ving into a man, a big group of people walking, and a couple others. Maynard came out in short green shorts and he was completely painted blue. Danny's drums were on the left side of the stage, instead of in the back like most bands do. They didn't do many songs, maybe eight or nine. They did a slow version of Pushit. Before that, he was saying something like, "Find that comfortable, yet vulnerable space." Whatever the hell that means. It seemed like they did a lengthened version of "Stinkfi st" as they did last year. I really liked "Opiate." Tool really kicked ass. The rest of the show was pretty good. Sevendust kicked ass. It was really cool when Limp Bizkit got a chick to get completely naked on-stage.(except for her shoes) From my view, which was in the lawn, it looked like she even fingered herself. Ozzy had a funny intro and played great but TOOL was the best in my opinion. The concert really kicked ass.

Review written by: Rick Ziolkowski (metafive@aol.com) Review posted on: 07/20/98 12:04:15 After seeing a mob of road crew setting up additional lighting and video screens prior to Tool's set I had a feeling I was in for a show worth the anticipation that has built up during 4 years of being a fan but never having the chance to see Tool live. It's impossible to imagine it, but try. Tool takes the stage rather plainly merely walking onstage as 35,000 voices scream with delight and exciement to see Maynard emerge as a blue skinned alien with neon pink highlights above his eyes, down his body an d on his knees. While I enjoyed the energy that exudes from the rest of the band, you can't help but be transfixed by the loose, swaying presence exhibited by Maynard. He IS the show. Most notably, start with something from Opiate(rest assured you hard core fans, I'm tracking down a copy of the elusive EP before another day goes by),Stinkfist,Sober, Eulogy a very erie, mellow karma-searching version of Pushit, prefaced by Maynard asking everyone to "find that special place inside you. It's a comfortabl e place, but it's also a vulnerable place." that is so moving you could almost drown in the sadness. All of this accompanied by mesmerizing, acid trip video imagery projected onto a wrap around screen above the band at the rear of the stage. My only reg ret is that I wasn't familiar with the material from Opiate. The shorter set due to the time constraints of OzzFest was only a slight disappointment. Anyone who ever has the opportunity to see Tool play live should make every effort to get their hands on tickets.

Review written by: Greg (Sippnona40@aol.com) Review posted on: 07/20/98 03:24:50 Ozzfest was great! I enjoyed pretty much every band, Coalchamber, Megadeth,Kilgore, and Ozzy rocked!! TOOL was more than AWESOME! MJK in all blue and boxers, he rocked like always. The set list was kind of disapointing if you weren't a true TOOL fan. I thought it was great, only 60 mins. of TOOL just didn't satisfy me. MJK didn't speak to the crowd, he didn't do much talking and everyone I talked to agreed that was rather odd...oh well! The true TOOL fans showed when they played push it, my friends and I sang along while disrespecting others sat down or left. Stinkfist had a really cool part added in which everyone rocked to, and Opiate blew us away at the end. This was definitely a show for TOOL fans, all you others need to look at it another way, open up and listen to what this great band has to say, do it for yourself! TOOL kicked ass and I can't wait for them to come in their own concert.....=), Greg P.S. What did everyone think of that girl who got up onstage with Limp?

Review written by: JON (Bensonfan1@aol.com) Review posted on: 07/20/98 03:12:50 I didn't know what to expect coming into ozzfest july 19th. This being my first ozzfest show, and first time at the Alpine Crap Theater. But 4th Tool show.. I showed up around 5, walked into a totally new place not knowing where to go... To my surprise the place was complete crap. The way the main stage is built is really bad.. I ended up catching the end of limp Biscuit, long e nough to see some chick get on stage and take her cloths off. They sounded pretty good Everyone should check them out. Knowing how long it takes to switch sets I decided to get some food... BIG MISTAKE I walked in, got in line, and stood. Stood for so long they ran out of water, large cups, all the drinks except coke. Oh and not to mention I missed all of MEGADEATH... No t to much of a loss. All that mattered was that I didn't miss TOOL. 8 o'clock came rolling around and from reading the past review's I knew tool was coming on soon. People starting getting crazy ang got the idea to throw there drinks. For a good 10 min it was raining coke, water, pretty much everything..Tool walked right onto stage playing Part of Me. Big surprise to me, I knew they would play something off of opiate but not Part of me.. Once again a repeat of the lollopozza show I not iced my surrounding peers talking not giving a sh#t. I asked myself WHY? You fag's aren't toolfan's, You are the stinkfist, sober fans. But it's band's like tool that don't give a sh$t about there crowd's, tobad I can't see that way, So tool then went into S tinkfist and of course the crow went nuts. I then began to work my way up to see how far I could get.. Close enough to see adam and justin jamming I couldn't see the master drummer himself DC, or the reverent MJK. But hearing is all you need.. I'm not gu nna explain the stage set up cuz that should be a surprise to all... Anyways heres the setlist. 1. PART OF ME (most people didn't know what this was) 2. Stinkfist (crowd went nut's because they have herd this one before, they did the jam version at the end) 3. Sweat (GREAT SONG, big surprise when they played it, they also played it with the extended ending where they jam for a few) 4. Sober (Don't know what happened here.. No jam session in the beginning, very disappointed, lack of effort in this one) 5. Eulogy (another GREAT SONG that's all you can say blow's me away every time they play it) 6. Pushit (this made the show, the slow version kick's ass, they played some weird music in the beginning, like a segment out of a movie, I couldn't hear or see that good. Threw the song I actually herd people yelling "NEW SONG" "NEW SONG" the thing that really blew my mind was when I saw the boy yelling it, and he was wearing a Aenima shirt) 7. Opiate (MJK was actually getting into this one, putting lot's of effort) 8. Flood (came right into it from opiate Put a perfect end to the show, even though the show was just beginning.) To sum it all up, for some reason TOOL looked Tired, Like they just didn't care. They didn't even say HI or BYE only talked to the crowd once, and MJK didn't even know where he was going with it. I think they just wanted to play and get the hell out of there. Hopefully tool will do some of there own show's soon.. OH and to the kid who's review is below mine..... I hated Alpine probably more then you did, But if TOOL play's there again YOU CAN COUNT ON SEEING ME THERE.....so have fun on your ass boycott ing while I'm jamming to TOOL.... toolfanJON bensonfan1@aol.com I would also like to add another thing! Do people get off paying 40 bucks for a ticket just to mosh and beat on people?? Can't you guys just enjoy the music?

Review written by: Free Experession (NoEuphoria@aol.com) Review posted on: 07/20/98 01:33:31 Well, after being forced to wait outside the gates of the Alpine Valley music theatre for an hour later than the time the gates were to open,they managed to get every moron and retard to work in the concessions, then the water fountains stopped working and you were forced to buy the 300$ cokes they sell you. The other bands were alright, Coal Chamber was better than expected, Limp Bizkit was a let down, Megadeth was great. Check out System of A Down on Second Stage, they are funny as hell. TOOL, came out and they did not sem to have any special effects or things on the TV screens at first. You already know the setlist, TOOL came out and played great music, they sounded the best by far. Of course when they got into the non-mainstream songs some morons were getting restless. If you were at Alpine on the 19th you might remember the first out of many fires that was started towards the end of TOOL's set. My friends and I were right there. All in all, the message was cleae as usual, think for yourself, and use TOOL for your own enjoyment. if you live in Chicago, join me in BOYCOTTING ALPINE VALLEY

Review written by: Whinonah (WhinHann@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 07/20/98 00:31:13 Right from the show, and it was great, TOOL only. I really couldnt see spending $35.50 to see just 45 minutes of tool, so we went with the intention of being able to find a seek route some how, but passing through the wooded area of Alpine Valley, there was no such luck, a encounter with some guys with supposed back stage passes were willing to depart with,for $20 and a few slugs of wine, fortunately they were busted for selling bootleg ozzy shirts and the passes would have got us arrested. So we hung out by the second stage and thank you so much to the bald guy with the goatee from "soulfly" he got us in, just in time to spend $20 on 4 beers and bake in the sun and see TOOL, MJK was in blue, all blue paint. Unfortunatly from where we were the band was microscopic, but the sound was there. I cannot remember the order of songs but they did Part of me, Eulogy, Sober, Stinkfist, oh I cant remember but they topped of the night with Opiate. It would not have been worth $35 but it was great tool can reproduce everything live and would be worth it for 2 hours of them, what sucked was that as soon you really start getting into it, it was over. And the deaf, dumb, blind fags who dont think for them selves had to start a mosh pit right on the lawn, where they proceded to pick huge hunks of grass and throw it around. I know that always made me think that makes you cool, da. TOOL is great but everyone else ruined it, that is the moral of this story.

Review written by: Andy Reitz (ajr9@po.cwru.edu) Review posted on: 07/20/98 00:22:58 Concert Review: Tool, at OzzFest Alpine Valley, East Troy Wisconsin 7/19/98 After a long ride (2 hours), and a long & hot wait, Tool took the stage at about 8:00 PM. Here's the setlist: 1. part of me 2. stinkfist (w/ extended bridge at end) 3. sweat 4. sober (mjk really belted out the end of this one) 5. eulogy 6a. "We're going to do something different. I want you to find that place.... Within yourself, where you feel comfortable. Comfortable, yet vulnerable. Comfortable, yet Vulnerable..." 6. pushit (new version) 7a. "Stick around for Ozzy" 7. opiate 8. flood The stage setup was kindof interesting. Danny was to the left, then mjk (in blue) followed by Justin and Adam -- all at the front of the stage. In center stage (behind mjk most of the time) was a wierd symbol. It was a sign, framed by two concentric neon orange circles. In the middle was a sort of 'inverted cross' (that's the best that I can describe it) in neon green. Definately Tool.... Behind this disc was a sortof wrap-around screen, that had the 'Tool-Standard-Images' projected around it. Of course, the distortion was distored by the curvature of the screen, which made it all the better. Psychadelic fractals and cavemen abound. At the end, Opiate transitioned right into Flood. This was great for me -- because at every other show I've been to, they've always ended with Opiate. So when they launched into it today, I was expecting the end... But no! Flood was *great*. Behind Pushit, it was easily the best song that they played. There's not much else to be said, really. The crowd was pretty laid back, the flying trash got a little rough before Tool took the stage, but it died down soon after. Cheers, --Andy (ajr9@po.cwru.edu)

Review written by: geek (decicco@imaxx.net) Review posted on: 07/20/98 00:22:22 The day (and the bands) pretty much sucked until Tool came on. I'm so sick of hearing these bands that bark into the microphone instead of singing--especially when you hear them for six straight hours. The only cool thing that happened was when a girl came up on stage and stripped during Limp Bizkit's set. Tool was a welcome relief to say the least. Before they came on stage everyone started throwing cups and shit around--it was actually pretty cool (probably because it wasn't hitting me), it looked like it was raining garbage or something. Here's the setlist to the best of my memory: 1.Part of Me--a loud bitch next to us puked in a cup when it started and it spilled it all over her arm...I laughed 2.Stinkfist--people went crazy for this, a couple girls flashed the crowd 3.Sweat--they might have changed something around in the middle 4.Sober--lacked energy, it wasn't real loud 5.Eulogy--awesome 6.Pushit--angelic version, so good 7.Opiate/Flood--the last two songs Maynard came out painted blue; he didn't say much. Before slow Pushit he told the crowd to find that "comfortable yet vulnerable" spot deep down inside. Pushit definitely made the concert memorable for me. When Maynard sang "I must persuade you another waaaayyy" his voice sounded so powerful and at the same time the purple and yellow lighting reflected off his blue body and it made the prettiest colors. If I could just speak my mind a little I'd like to say that Tool sounds so much better (and fuller(and different)) than any band there. They don't just sound better but they sound so much more evolved than all the other bands. I think if they played rock music in heaven this is what it would sound like. One thing about the barking bands is that they care so much about people liking them and if they "get out of their fucking seats" or not that they forget about the music. I get the feeling that Tool doesn't care what people think about them (because their music pleases themselves) and I respect them for that. Does anyone know who was talking on the sound system before Tool came out?--it didn't sound like Bill Hicks