concert reviews firsthand, immediate, from the heart

09/16/2001

Among all these reviews, down here is a comment that seems
worth a read.  It might make you (gasp) think...







Review written by: J. A. White (JIMTRON9000@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/16/01 23:25:49 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

   Regarding the recent attacks  and  fan reactions:

1.)  Chanting 'USA, USA' at the show has nothing to do with politics.
 If one were to have chanted 'BUSH, BUSH' during
     the elections that would have been different. Maynard disagrees
and he is wrong.  The chanting needs no response
      at all really - and the attempts at sqaushing them  seems a bit
curious.  Take  Maynards own advice on thinking for
      yourself:  If you feel patriotic and if you feel it's the right
thing to do - then go ahead and chant.  If  the lead singer
      in a rock 'n roll band trys to make you feel stupid then tell
him to fuck off and then do it louder.


2.)  TOOL is, in my opinion,  the greatest  (for lack of a better
word) metal band of all time.  And at the moment, I
      think TOOL is  the best band in America - in any genre.  Having
said that ,  I feel that a large number of TOOL
      fans  (certainly not all)  are  completely full of shit.  Every
other fan that posts something on this  site claims to think
      for themself.  These are the same people who  quote everything
that the band says and lovingly refer to Maynard
      as 'MJK'.  I'm sorry - but that's pretty fucking gay.  I can
always tell the true fans - they are the ones not afraid to
      call a band out for its bullshit.  Some  of you 'free thinkers'
and 'individuals' will no doubt be pissed at my lack of
      reverence but really don't care.  TOOL is great for jamming to,
but if you look to them for any sort of guidance I'm
      afraid that you could be sorely mislead.












Review written by: rick (ricketsx@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/16/01 23:47:09 ET


This was this reviewer's 11th Tool show

  first of all the setlist: (as far as i can remember)

the grudge
stinkfist
46 & 2
undertow
eulogy
schism
disposition
reflection
***
parabol
parabola
the patient
aenema
lateralis

my fourth show on this tour and it was a pretty strong set. 
extended stinkfist is truly amazing. blessed again with 
eulogy and undertow. how about intolerance?! the rest of the 
set pretty much adheres to the regular setlist for the tour. 
except for aenema replacing opiate. the band played great 
tonight. maynard chose to have his back to the crowd for the 
most part of the show. he also never shedded his bodysuit 
to go off in true maynard form. he also did not participate in 
the band group hug at the end of the show. oh well everday 
isn't a good day. rock on.










Review written by: apatheticly speaking (rus@purefuckingapathy.com)
Review posted on: 09/16/01 23:55:38 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th? Tool show

  Perhaps it's just me, but theres something inherently 'off' 
about anyone who would wrap an american flag around their 
neck like a cape, then run around the parking lot drinking 
cheap beer while wearing a NWO wrestling t-shirt and 
screaming with patriotic pride. I would assume this particular 
red blooded fellow skipped the day they covered Hitlers New 
World Order in high school. Be that as it may, if this was 
your first Tool show, I'm sorry. The band, as always was 
incredible but the 'fans'(?) left a little to be desired. Spilling 
beer on me while screaming "play some fucking music, I 
didnt pay 50 bucks to watch some naked fags hug" is 
distracting to say the least. But is me complaining just 
another symptom of the mindless followers the previous 
reviewer commented on? Is the fact that I'm wasting my 
time reviewing the fans instead of the show further proving 
his point?  Whatever. I like to think of myself as smart 
enough to actually follow through with seeking out my own 
answers, instead of just blindly screaming out questions. But 
thats just me. Of course the show was incredible, what did 
you expect? 'Naked fags hugging?' Well good, then you 
werent let down.








Review written by: Wes (wrsdrummer@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 00:26:56 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  I got into a wreck on I-75 about 3 hours before the show, 
my car had to be towed and I missed the concert. The worst 
part of all that was me standing to the side of the road and 
hearing about 15 cars go by blasting Tool. Then on my way 
home I saw the worst wreck in my life. Some motorcylce idiot 
was going atleast 100 and ran into the back of somebody. 
There was about 6 motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic 
with him, and he just rammed a car in the back. I'm almost 
sure he died. So instead of seeing my favorite band in the 
world.. I get into a wreck, miss the show, and see some guy 
die.  So if you went tonight and saw the band,  please don't 
take forgranted that you got to see the show. If there was 
something you didn't particularly like, like your seats or 
something.. just be gald you were there. One of the best 
days of my life turned into the worst. This sucks. Sorry I 
used up Review space. Just thought I would share the worst 
day of my life so maybe some of you could appreciate the 
show you saw tonight even more than you already do. Later








Review written by: Dark_Sector (distraught62@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 00:28:12 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  
Begin with setlist

1. The Grudge
2. Stinkfist
3. 42&6
4. Undertow
5. Merkaba (edited)
6. Schism (maynard on guitar)
7. Euligy
8. Dispostition (maynard on guitar)
9. Reflection (maynard on guitar)

intermission

10. Parabol
11. Parabola
12. The Patient
13. Aenomia
14. Lateralus

The concert was my first & kinda interesting.  I was a little 
dissapointed that maynard never stepped out of the front of 
the screen on the side that showed visuals.  He was mostly 
just a silloette that moved like a snake while the concert 
more concentrated on the animations on the screen.  You 
didin't really get to see the band too while the lighting was 
never on them.  

There was a couple of dissapointments though.  On is at the 
end of "reflection"  Adam Jones insistantly dragged on the 
ending riff for about 15 mins.   Another is that some 
essential songs like "sober" "prison sex" or "swamp song" 
(my personal fav) wasn't played.  Nothing from OPAITE was 
played either.

One interesting note is that during Parabol & Parabola is 
that 2 people on bungie cords hung over the band while they 
were playing.   

The concert was still kicked ass.  I give it a 4 out of 5

A.T








Review written by: Adam (re-animator@home.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 00:46:10 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  My first Tool show. We had the worst possible seats in the 
Palace, but everything happened as if we were front and 
center, the visuals were amazing. Meshuggah was an utter 
disappointment, sad to say. The crowd, and most notably, 
the main floor stood stagnant throughout their set.

 As per earlier reviews, Maynard stood infront of a small 
screen appearing as a silhouette for the duration of the 
show. He spoke briefly and if memory serves his longest 
dialouge included a briefing on how we can heal togeather, 
and he sent us on an assignment "Remember the way you 
are feeling right now, and maybe in a few weeks, take that 
feeling and do something positive with it". Maynard did not 
participate in the group hug.
Sorry if I misquoted, we got into an accident upon exiting 
the Palace because Michigan drivers are morons. But all is 
well, no one was hurt in our wreck.

A very memorable show, Tool was great, cant wait for the 
next one.








Review written by: butter (buttermail2002)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 01:00:54 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

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

If nobody has, you ought to.  The less duplicated info, the 
easier it is for everyone to read these.   Especially your mom.


Show was good.  Not as loud as I'm used to (Metallica).  
Don't undersand why Maynard is not in a spotlight, prefers to 
stand against a video screen, don't get it?  The band could 
have stayed in the dressing room and played while the 
trippy video entertained the crowd.  Not my idea of a 
concert.  Sounded very good though, just don't understand 
the whole silouette with Maynard and the band simply 
standing in one spot.  Didn't need to take acid, the video 
sequence took care of that mind numbing experience.  
Loved that they played eulogy and aemina; fuckin rocked.  
Saw them at Ozzfest couple years ago and very 
disappointed as Maynard sat indian style on the stage for 15 
mins or more while the band played repeating cords.  They 
did similar tonight with a long "intermission".  Not sure if I 
would attend another Tool show.  Don't get me wrong, their 
music is very intense, interesting, and entertaining.  I will 
buy the music but probably will not spend $50 for a show.  
Unless of course it's a free suite ticket!  Fans were awesome, 
of course, it's Detroit!!!








Review written by: Cannibal Raul (senna@cyberspace.org)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 01:03:38 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  Tool continues to improve its live show from year to year.  I 
am very impressed.  Maynard's oft-lamented style of 
standing in front of the screen for most of the concert 
created terrific balance and some great images.  The set 
was great, as one would expect, and I was very impressed 
with how Disposition/Reflection sounded live.  Adam plays 
the synthesizer with his feet!  That was what really took me 
back about this show.  Nobody else has payed much 
attention, but watch his feet as the synthesized intro to 
Reflection plays.  You will enjoy it.  

The temperature in the arena was well controlled, which is 
why Maynard may have stuck to the suit.  I wasn't in the pit, 
though, so I wouldn't be able to tell you for sure.  Best Tool 
concert I've seen.









Review written by: Ben Cecilio (bcecil@umich.edu)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 01:13:02 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  For my third show this week, i was hoping something special 
would happen, especially since this was my last one for a 
while. so when i heard the beginning of undertow, i about 
lost my bearings. and then right after schism, and an 
extended beginning, i hear the first piercing notes of eulogy. 
my friend claimed to have numerous orgasms, but i wasnt 
so lucky. i was still happy tho. this show was great, with its 
deviations from the other shows ive been to. maynard was 
quiet for the most part again, with the same "make 
something positive out of what you felt tonight" speech. they 
never cease to amaze. besides the fact that my seats were 
in a different arena, i was satisfied. but as a bonus i got to 
sit and enjoy the show and not get beer or earth thrown on 
me. and also, as some other reviewers have pointed out, 
and as im sure that some of you reading this either are one 
of them or know who im speaking of, some tool fans suck 
as human beings. if you have a problem with adam playing 
his guitar for a little bit after a song, dont go to another 
show. let someone who doesnt get bored have the ticket. its 
a priveledge that they are out almost every night playing 
their music and hearts and minds for us. the setlist has 
been posted, and ive seen an accurate one, so ill refrain. 
enough of this, were all thinking, so im off to create 
something positive. 









Review written by: Master Reviewer (heckjare@msu.edu)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 01:28:41 ET


This was this reviewer's 5th Tool show

  Well this is my first attempt at writing a review for a show 
and i figure someone has or will post the set list and say 
how great the show was.  Which it was amazing, seeing Tool 
is always a near religious expirience.  I figured i would 
concentrate my review on the crowd something missed in 
other reviews.  I left the show realizing how fucked up 
people are, how in the hell can you mosh to Parbol or 
Reflection.  Here the band is on the stage trying to open 
your eyes and thoughts and theses people arn't even 
looking at the stage but happier to beat eachother up, if i 
wanted to do that id go see Vision of Disorder.  I could tell 
Maynard was dissappointed too, he would attempt to talk to 
the crowd about healing and people would return chanting 
USA, USA, USA.  It just shows how mindless and violent 
these people have become.  I guess all of this is to be 
expected when a band does make it big, the white trash 
metal heads seem to take over and destroy something 
spiritual and wonderful.  I just have to say i miss the small 
shows, which because of most of these animals i can't get 
tickets to.  well thanks for you time

jared








Review written by: Jason (jasondunham@peoplepc.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 01:48:24 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  well this was my 3rd Tool show, and for the 3rd time i was 
once again blown away by the visuals.  I was fortunate 
enough to be one of the people to attend the preseminal 
tour in the spring at the State Theatre.  I think every concert 
i ever see will be compared to that show.  The Palace just 
seems to big and the main floor area seemed pretty empty 
in the back.  Not nearly as intimate as the State Theatre.  
The extended version of Stinkfist was cool, although many 
of us fans singing the lyrics "ill keep digging , til i feel 
something" were thrown off for a minute or two, i didnt know 
if  Maynard was testing the knowledge of the crowd by 
staying silent during that part of the song to hear us sing or 
what but we figured it out.  I had pretty far seats, but with 
the two big screens, i could see all of the videos, but the 
band did seem really far away.  I keep hearing people 
complain about how Maynard stays out of the spotlight 
during the show and how the show seems to focus mainly on 
the visual material on the screens,  I think that is what 
makes Tool so great, they are a group of guys with no big 
rock star personalitys, they focus the attention t0 the music 
they play, and the whole experiance.  Maynard is merely 1 
part of this great band, and no more important than any 
other member.  I found myself many times to have my eyes 
closed, just taking in the music by ear, as cool as the videos 
were, sometimes i feel like am cheating myself by watching 
instead of listening.  Just as the show at the State Theatre, 
the closing song was "Lateralus" and i dont think they could 
pick a better song than that to end a show on.  I have not 
taken acid or any mind altering drugs in about 5 years now, 
but I think if there is a reason to rediscover LSD, it would be 
to attend a Tool concert.  Definitly a moving experience that 
should be!








Review written by: Matt (m17mccomb@home.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 01:55:27 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  The show itself was terrific, couldn't have been any better. 
However, the crowd was a different story. People were very 
impatient during Disposition, Parabol, and the other slow 
times during the show. All I saw around me were people with 
disappointed looks on their face, and all I could think to 
myself was "hey, look at the friggin screens and listen". All 
the crowd wanted to do was get drunk and be obnoxious, 
which frequently reuined what would have been great 
moments during the show. I don't understand why some 
people even go to concerts at all. Do they enjoy paying for 
over priced beer? Go home, buy a 12 pack, sit on your couch 
and shut up, why bother other people during the process. 
Thanks alcohol! O well, I still managed somehow to enjoy 
myself :) Take care...








Review written by: Neal (Mjkx13@aol.con)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 01:59:04 ET


This was this reviewer's 14 Tool show

  What more do you expect me to say....
Um....Tool is the absolute shit and they should be worshiped 
like the TOOLGODS they are.

For FIVE nights in a row I have witnessed THE PATIENT!!!
Not bad...

Thanks again Don for the hook up with H2O and for the 
DRUMSTICK and the SETLIST for the night, they have 
already been added to my Tool Shrine (Next to the 
REVEREND'S water bottles.).

Well, this was the last (7th) show for me for the summer, 
cant wait to do it again SOON. I have a feeling that the next 
tour will have a little more old shit in it. Just a guess...

Thanks again for the last time THIS YEAR, 
I love you my TOOLGODS, 
Neal
OGT BABY








Review written by: JVC (vancamp2@pilot.msu.edu)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 02:04:57 ET


This was this reviewer's 9th Tool show

  Tonight was my fourth show over the course of the last 4 
months and it was definitely one of the better ones.

I have never seen an opening act generate so much of 
nothing.  Noone was moving to them.

Tool came out and seemed stronger in the beginning but 
had some problems during the softer songs... I couldn't 
point out specific instances but things seemed off until the 
last two songs.

Maynard did get pissed at one point in the middle with 
the "usa" chanting and was quick to note it was not a 
political forum as he said the other night.  The other thing 
that caught my attention was at the end before Lateralus 
when he made the speach about "doing something positive 
in the coming weeks" the USA chanting got really loud.  This 
really pissed Maynard off.  At that point the band was 
huddled near Danny's drums and I could see Maynard 
shaking his head back and forth in a "they just don't get it" 
type of motion.  He then proceeded to go and sit down with 
his back to the crowd in a position I have never seen him 
use which seemed to indicate he was mad.  The    
performance of Lateralus itself seemed on mark if not a bit 
subdued on Maynards part.  Danny on the other hand really 
seemed to punish the drums at the end.

When the song ended Maynard picked up his water bottles 
and threw 1 into the crowd.  The rest of them he kept.  I 
don't know how others saw it but he looked like a child 
having a temper tantrum.  The rest of the band members 
were left to gather at center stage for a hug where they then 
proceeded to throw everything out into the crowd.  They also 
seemed to wave alot more then I ever remember them 
doing... as to make up for MJKs poor behavior.  I think I 
understand MJKs reasons for getting mad, but on the other 
hand he doesn't seem to realize that people chant "USA" to 
achieve a sense of togetherness and empowerment in a 
time when alot of people are scared and unsure of what our 
individual and collective futures hold.  

On a last note I saw one of the other reviewers mention the 
wreck on the way home involving the motorcycles.  It was not 
pretty.  The whole back end of the car was smashed in and 
the bike was a mess too.  








Review written by: jamie (ghfddfg)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 02:21:32 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  Hopefully Tool's next album will consist of three 20 minute 
long songs and be really hard for the white trash 
neanderthals to digest. Why do these people come to to see 
Tool. They just don't get it. Anyone who got annoyed when 
reflection was being played trying reading a book. Expand 
your thought process. 









Review written by: concerned (apc417@msn.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 02:31:22 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  i know this is a review forum but i see most people are using 
it for other reasons, so i will put my money in as well. i went 
to the chicago show and ive been reading through the others 
since then.  im glad i had the chance to see tool again with 
somewhat civilized people around me and a crowd in 
general. but, as always there were people throwing things at 
the show i attended.  i wish these monkeys that seemed to 
break free from their cages would shake this overwhelming 
desire to throw things. then you have the people screaming 
3rd grade level remarks about they want this and that. your 
job isnt to run your mouth at a concert.  in fact you have no 
job at a concert.  you arent getting paid so just keep your 
mouth shut and relax and enjoy yourself without bothering 
people like me and many others.  i wish the only people who 
did drugs were the people who could control themselves on 
them. and there are the people who have to dissect 
everything maynard says or moves he makes.  calm down.  
the man hardly speaks and when he does its up to the 
highest criticism.  he's not god, he's not hitler, he's a lead 
singer in a band.  when you hold the mic fine then its your 
turn to talk. the band is probably so tired of dealing with 
these unoriginal idiiots. people shouldnt have to feel 
ashamed when then sit or stand with you in a crowd.  just 
stay home so the rest of us can enjoy the things we like. 
you just make everything worse in every possible way for 
those of us who actually realize we dont know everything. 
think about yourself for awhile and stop making an ass of 
yourself and everyone else. tool is sacred to me and others, 
lets not taint it anymore than we have too.  thanks for the 
space and peace to the ones who try hard to remain 
peaceful and pretend that these people dont exist.








Review written by: claudia (domestikated@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 02:43:16 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  my life has truly been fullfilled because i have seen the 
setlist about 13 times reading these reviews. thank you so 
much, people who seem to get their piggly wiggly's hard and 
wet over repeating the setlist. be considerate. did it ever 
occur to you that people might want to be surprised at a 
show? i managed to avoid reading reviews before i went to 
the show, because i knew i'd be reading setlists till i had it 
marked on my forehead. and if you love maynard so much, 
why not try listening to him? this is probably the most 
messed up time all of us will witness in our lives, and 
chanting 'usa usa' doesn't seem to be working when in fact, 
maynard is right, do something peaceful and useful. don't 
throw beer on the person next to you. don't bodysurf and 
think it's funny when your foot hits someone's head. don't 
spend 40 bucks on beers, knowing you're not capeable of 
driving.  admire the band, admire the music, the words, the 
people hanging from the ropes. it's sad to see that those 
people were referred to as 'fags.'  and i love the people who 
have to point out that this disappointed them, and that 
disappointed them. the band can't accomodate everyone. 
i'm glad the band had a group hug in chicago. there are a 
lot of things i don't like about chicago, but it is true that we 
have some of the best crowds out there. for the brats and 
the metalhead beer bellied bastards, stay home and 
blast 'sober' on your cd player, and spare the rest of us the 
embarassment of sharing an arena with you. that's probably 
the only song you really like.  ok i'm done.  peace, love, 
desire, and gladness.








Review written by: Master Reviewer (corrina9313@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 03:01:36 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. 

If nobody has, you ought to.  The less duplicated info, the 
easier it is for everyone to read these.   Especially your mom.









Review written by: Mr.P (herr_p@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 03:36:13 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Obviously a great show, but I had a few dissapointments.  I 
was a bit distraught with Maynard's lack of stage presence.  
While I've heard rumours of him going through hard times, 
and plus the crowd being 50% idiots (if you were the 
jackasses sitting behind me who kept yelling "Holy Shit" I 
about decked you), friends of mine who have attended 
previous Tool shows (in particular their show at the State 
Theater earlier this year) have told me great things about 
Maynard's crowd entertaining.  At the very least I was 
expecting the body suit to be tossed off.  Oh well.  Other 
then that the only real dissapointment was the lack of either 
something from Opiate or in particular the one song I was 
hoping to hear coming into this was Push It.  Sadly, no Push 
It was there, and no Sober or Prison Sex either.  

Enough of the bad though, Eulogy was incredible.  Aenima 
had a ton of energy.  Everything else was just simply Tool 
doing what they do best I guess.  The crazy and artistic 
nude balancing act going on from the ceiling certainly wasn't 
predictiable, though once again it was ruined by idiots 
behind me who obviously had the concert confused with one 
of their dad's stolen playboys.  

Pretty dissapointed with Musshaga (or however you spell it).  
I would have been much happier to have had Fantomas 
open for this show, but can't win 'em all.  

All in all, great show, can't wait for Tool to come around 
again, or A Perfect Circle.....can't get enough Maynard these 
days.








Review written by: robert (collnite@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 07:24:41 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  due to a rib injury i need to trade my 2 floors for 2 really 
good seats...









Review written by: JM (email removed)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 08:45:03 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  My girlfriend and I attended the show last night, the first 
Tool show for both of us.  We have seen APC, TON, 
Spineshank, Kiss, Nugent, and Aerosmith, and this was 
definitely the best of any.  Not because they are our favorite 
band (and they are), but because they put on a tight 
performance.  It was almost too good....it sounded like they 
were playing the actual cd's and just had the band up there 
acting like they were playing, that is how good it sounded.  
Some people are complaining about how Adam kept playing 
the end of "Reflection" for a long time.  Someone said 15 
minutes.  I would say closer to 5 or 6 minutes.  It wasn't 
that long, and it sounded great.  It was interesting seeing 
the morons around me yelling for him to stop over and 
over.  I was glad he kept playing it, I liked watching those 
idiots get pissed even more.  I did notice that most of them 
didn't even know the words, they just jumped around during 
Schism, Aenema and Parabola.  I will have to say though 
that the fans pretty much created all of the negativity for 
me.  I'm sorry but Tool is not a goth band, so I don't really 
see any reason in getting all decked out in the black lipstick, 
fingernail polish, makeup, boots, leather pants, fangs, face 
paint, fucked up haircuts resembling horns, or any other 
stuff like that.  I understand that there is freedom to do 
whatever you want, so I guess if you want to look like a 
fucking retard, then go for it.  The moshing idiots are right 
up there.  Tool is not a band to mosh to.  You should go 
there and enjoy the music that they play.  They aren't up 
there to watch you act like assholes.  I was in section 201, 
and they weren't the best seats, but I could have been 
being trampled on the floor by the mosh fuckers and I 
probably still would have enjoyed it just because it was such 
a great performance.  I read someone said that Maynard 
shot down a USA chant.....I did not hear anything like that.  
Nobody was chanting USA when he said "this is not a political 
forum..."  He just said it.  Out of nowhere.  About 20 
minutes later is when the USA chant broke out.  Aside from 
most of the fans who were very disgusting, the night was 
great.  But, since the vulgar fans have ruined a lot, I doubt 
that I will attend another Tool show in Detroit again.  Maybe 
I'll travel to Chicago and see one, as I hear they have great 
fans.  Detroit does have great fans, but they are just too 
damned rowdy.  Go see Slipknot or Mudvayne if you want to 
act like that.  I live in Monroe Mi and I did see that 
motorcycle accident on my way home.  I don't really think 
there was any way the person could have survived that.  It 
looked horrible.  There were pieces of the bike in the trunk 
and all over the road.  I hope that they are o.k., but I'm 
sure they aren't.









Review written by: Zach (zach@ejourney.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 09:22:04 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  Seeing Tool for the 2nd time was a far better thing than 
seeing them at Ozzfest.   The opening band was poor.  A 
copycat metal band, with a lead singer that sounds like the 
cookie monster, just didn't compare to anything I was about 
to see that night.  
I was down on the floor, and it was a little rough, but not to 
bad.  There were the idiots who wanted to mosh during 
songs like Reflection which just pissed me off.   I was 
standing on the right hand side,  right in front of Justin.  I 
stayed there for awhile, and during the encore,  I moved 
over to the left hand side, to get a better view of Danny.   
My highlights of the night were:  Aenima was incredible.  
The "praying for rain" part send chills all over your body.  
The whole lighting effect went right along with the show; 
Danny's drumming during 46 + 2, The Grudge, and Aenima 
was outstanding. Never lost a beat, never lost tempo; the 
extended version of Stinkfist. Just when everyone starts 
singing "I'll keep digging"  they break into this unbelievable 
break down section.;  and Reflection.   One of my (if not 
my) favorite song off of the new album,  as soon as I heard 
the drum beat come in, I was jumping up and down.
Now, as far as the comments about Maynard not having the 
best crowd response, That is why I like Tool so much.   It 
is "tool" as in, Maynard, Adam, Justin, and Danny.  There is 
no indivual that sticks out.  No Fred Durst, No Jonathan 
Davis, Its TOOL.  In my opinion, they are one of the best 
bands I have ever seen live. There onstage performance is 
so tight, that if there was any errror in the show, it was be 
obviously noticable.  The comment by Maynard 
about "keeping this feeling, and turning it into something 
positive" was something that I think everyone in the crowd 
was agreeing to.  It was incredible to have the feeling like I 
did, but comming out of that concert, and knowing that all 
the bullshit is still going on in the world, it was a good short-
term relief.  They are deffinetly a band that I want to see 
again in the future.  I've seen APC 2 times,  but I'd rather 
see Tool for the 3rd time. 

Sorry to hear about the accident. Comming from Mount 
Pleasant, the traffic comming south was horrible.  Hope 
everything turns out ok. 








Review written by: Master Reviewer (breadfan2000@ivillage.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 09:46:48 ET


This was this reviewer's 8th Tool show

  How do I start?  

4th tool show this year. Absolutley the worst. No Energy.
The palace  sucks and I about fell asleep after Parabola.

Yeah rag on me first time toolers but when you've seen em 
at their best, then to see a dead show like this? 

I'd give it a 4 outta 10.

Tool should take a short break cuz they are much better 
than what they gave us last night.










Review written by: Nicholas (Ty_elam@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 10:13:02 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Well, Ive read the reviews from this show, so Ive known what 
was said. The set list was repated twice. Thats unnormal, but 
fine. It was an amazing night. I think meshuggah was 
tolerable. They had alright music, incomprehensible lyrics. 
But no one really booed at them or threw anything. I guess 
we were all just happy to see tool that it didnt matter so 
much. Tool was amazing! I had pretty high up seats thanks 
to the confusing fellows of ticket master. But I got a really 
great view of everything. The visuals were amazing. I 
enjoyed everything. Nothing really stands out to be better, 
they are all as a whole, amazing and creative. I do want to 
point out stinkfist though. Everyone keeps talking about the 
breakdown and the extended part. My interprutation of that 
is that Maynard wanted some interaction with the visuals. 
From where I was sitting, I could see his silhouette great 
with the small screen behind him. As That breakdown or 
extended part or whatever you want to call it was occuring, 
all they played on the screen was the part in the stinkfist 
video where the girl has her thumb in the guys eyelid. They 
repeat the same movement every second or so and its just 
where she moves her head up and down a little bit. Maynard 
was in a position to make it look like he was receiving oral 
from her the whole time. Most of you will probably argue this 
being on the floor and not seeing it from my perspective, 
but from on high.. Maynard was getting some action from 
his visuals. Enough about that though. He has a great sense 
of humor from all I heard on the past reviews. Oesseus 
Labyrint (contortionists/people from schism video/whatever 
you call them) were truly jaw dropping. The swinging back 
and forth with arms outstretched as the person from the 
salival box set spun round and round, and the loud slap as 
they embraced. Amazing moment. I also have to say Danny 
is amazing with what he does. He looks so in control of the 
drums. The rest of tool is equally amazing but I wont waste 
time with that. The only thing I didnt care for was the 
ticketmaster mistake letting us in. Twenty minutes after the 
doors opened we finally got in. Also all the beer drinkers 
there, Im not stereotyping, Im sure some of them may of 
been fine, but all the ones I saw were ubnoxious. The two 
guys yelling "Assholes" a good twenty minutes in a row got 
on my nerves, then claiming to see Kenny G tomarrow at the 
Palace. Hm, well I guess thats it, It was an amazing night 
and I spent it with one of the most amazing people I could 
of. Thank you palace staff for selling roses. All in all, great 
night and I cant wait to see Tool again.








Review written by: eugene (eugenee@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 10:16:31 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  A couple things to clarify.  
1. Maynard has given the same message at each concert .... 
before ... and after the major tragidy. Except now he added 
that the feelings experienced could be used for "healing".  
Very possitive message..  to say he was dissing the 
audience .... I just didn't get that.  As to his comments 
about not being a political forum .... The band has often 
advertised that there concerts are about the music .. not the 
fetishization of "Rock Stars" ... In this vane ... I took his 
comment to mean "Tool" was not there to be "political". 
They were there to make music. The message was to take 
that feeling from the "music" and use it for something 
Good.  As I see it, This was not a comment on the 
audience.  Relax.

2.  The reviewer that critisized another reviewer calling the 
acrobats "fags"  ... I believe the latter reviewer was 
commenting on some audience members around him.  [too 
bad someone still has to be put out by members of the 
same sex hugging but .. oh well]   The Acrobats were one 
male one female  [acrobat without a penis]   To use 
language that insinuated they are homosexual ......  that 
doesn't work with two sexes.

3.  The second set list listed, listed  "merkaba [edit]" as one 
song played. I think somehow I missed that.  There was an 
instramental were adam played a small synthesizer on a 
stand which at the time I thought was "mantra" but later 
thought it was too melodic to be "mantra" but i'm not 
convinced it was merkaba.  Could some one help clarify 
this?  Am I wrong?  It sounded familiar but I'm not sure.

4.   The spacey music before tool came on stage sounded 
very much like Robert Fripp's Soundscape solo material. The 
music during the 10 minute  "acrobatic"  intermission 
sounded familiar to me but I don't know what it was.  Can 
any one shed some light on this?








Review written by: Angie (aaaseltine@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 11:37:40 ET


This was this reviewer's 12th Tool show

  this was the worst Tool show i've seen. the sound was great, 
the setlist was good, the naked bendy people were really 
great, but the energy level was terrible. i don't like this new 
format of Maynard on the box at all. what ever happened to 
him standing at the edge of the stage, gaze fixed, 
projecting his awesome intensity? and last night he had his 
back to the crowd the whole time. no clever comments, 
nothing. i've seen some kick ass Tool shows and that one 
was a waste of money.








Review written by: Toolboy (jdpeterson@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 12:14:38 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  An incredible journey through sight and sound.  A 
bombardment on the human senses.  Tool brings music to a 
whole new level.









Review written by: peter cushing (thebigcomedown@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 12:19:31 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  i would have to say it was the best concert experiecne i've 
had in my life.  it was amazing.  at the intermission the 
twins came out and clibmed the stage.  they must have 
been hanging upside down for 30 minutes.  they were 
great.  it was awesome to hear eulogy live, i didnt expect 
that.  towards the end of the show someone from the croud 
threw something onstage.  it hit maynard and knocked him 
off balance and he feel into his "mini-screen" that he stands 
in front of.   the screen fell and maynard just layed 
there....singing.  the whole experience was beutiful. 
c.d.d.t.d.m.









Review written by: Joe Mamma (sassafrass@c4.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 12:24:56 ET


This was this reviewer's 5th Tool show

  This was by far the best fucking show ever performed by TOOL.  It was
nothing like what I expected.  I'll admit I'm not a big Lateralus fan, but
they pulled it off spectacularly.  The aerial show was outstanding, though
I too experienced boneheads yelling "faggots".  Whatever. Maynard himself
may have never even made it to the front of the stage.  He posed just in
front of a large screen;  you could only see his silouette. The screen
behind him displayed the same image as the two huge screens above the
band.  It looked very cool.  There was a lot of play with the lights, and
that, coupled with the imagery shown on the screens, was a show in itself.
They sounded as clean as crisp as ever. Damn, it was almost like a Pink
Floyd show, only the music just fucking rocked. They seemed to hold off
all their popular shit, and ended up playing the songs that you really
want to hear.  When "Undertow" came on (3rd or second song), I knew it was
going to be a great show.

Anyway, this being one of the few things in the U.S. that was NOT
cancelled, there was great energy there. The highlight for me was when
they played "Aenema".  Don't know if I spelled that right, and I don't
care.  I just know that it was fucking superb. Learn to swim......fuck
your tatoos....praying for rain, praying for tital waves.....please lord
flush it all away....









Review written by: Keith (ManOLyrics@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 12:51:55 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  
Contrary to other reviews, I thought that the band sounded 
pretty good last night. Maynard certainly sounded a little 
more crisp than on September 13th in Grand Rapids. I 
thought that the sound system in the Palace was worse than 
anywhere, but Tool managed to make it sound moderately 
respectable.

The big change for me personally was that instead of being 
on the floor I was in a seat this time. (Tickets for both 
Michigan shows went on sale at the same time on the same 
day, so I ordered Grand Rapids tickets first because Van 
Andel is smaller and therefore more intimate than the 
Palace. [As if you care.])

Also a welcomed change from that performance was a 
slightly altered set list. In Grand Rapids it was Prison Sex 
with the extra verse. Last night it was Undertow. In Grand 
Rapids it was the Salival version of Pushit. Last night we 
heard Eulogy. Plus, instead of Opiate we heard the equally 
energetic Ænema. The small alterations certainly made it 
feel like a different show. The Stinkfist remix was still 
present, so that was good too.

I could actually see Osseus Labyrint on stage during Schism 
this time, but that didn't make up for being so far away from 
the rest of the show, especially Parabol/Parabola, whichs is 
when I think that the two contortionists have the greatest 
impact. There is something about them thrashing upside 
down with their arms contorted, helpless, completely naked, 
totally exposed, with the very applicable music blaring.

I am sure that the burning question in the minds of some 
reader is "What did Maynard have to say tonight?" The 
answer to that: Very little.

"Thank you for coming."

"We hope that tonight has served as healing for all of us."

"This is not a political forum. It is an experience we are 
sharing, exploring intelligent life on this planet." (Or 
something close to that.)

This brings me to the crowd. Let me suffice to say that 
the "intelligent life" that Maynard was talking about was 
definitely NOT seated around me.

Examples of this foolishness:

While the two members of Osseus Labyrint were swinging, 
holding each other, and mimicking the Salival artwork, 
someone yelled out "Play some fucking music."

Someone next to me said "They have too fucking long of 
intros."

Everyone seemed to think Disposition, being a slower song, 
was a good time to sit down, get up and get another beer, 
or stream towards the exits for whatever reason.

This shows extreme disrespect for the art that was being 
created and displayed. Not only that, but it shows the 
downside to Tool's newfound popularity.

But at least they were not the primate sitting behind me. He 
was gifted/cursed (depending on who you are) with the 
ability to whistle at 100 decibles. Now, this would not 
necessarily a bad thing if he hadn't done it as long and as 
loud as he could every 30 seconds. Couple this annoying 
habit with the fact that he didn't know how to say (scream) 
anything except "Fuckin' Tool" and "Yeah" in between 
whistles. Constantly... His throat was obviously raw from 
screaming but that didn't stop him. Ugh, I can't believe I 
didn't hit him. It was very frustrating. Thankfully Tool's 
music and mood were enough of a distraction so that I 
couldn't hear him during the songs most of the time. I 
just "let go." But my mood was shattered between the epic 
emotional journies.

I suppose that is what I get for being a "squatter" 
or "squatting," in concert terminology.

(Squatter    skwa*ter    (noun):     one that settles on 
property without right or title or payment of rent.)

Simply put, I didn't sit in my assigned seat. I wanted to be 
closer. For the record, if the real seat holder did come by, I 
did move for them. Oh well, I still had a good time despite 
the wakeup call regarding evolution's effectiveness.

It was a good show, but still didn't compare to the time I 
had at the State Theater on the Preseminal Tour. Almost 3 
hours of Tool... Bliss...

Regardless, I hope that the band decides to come around 
again before they finish up the tour. Maybe play a smaller 
venue again. Give the fans that really feel the music and do 
find a way to communicate through it, in whatever way, 
something special.

Maynard, Adam, Danny, Justin: Thanks for the art, good 
memories, and the uncomparable ethereal experiences.

Hopefully I'll see Tool again very soon...


Keith        11-17-01

ManOLyrics@aol.com








Review written by: Dreamweasel (tennen70@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 13:15:51 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  I arrived at the Palace at 6:00 pm, a full hour and a half 
before showtime.  There was no backup whatsoever on I-75, 
and I cruised into the parking lot with minimal hassle.  This 
is not a luxury I would necessarily enjoy on a weeknight, but 
weekend gigs come with their own traffic buffer.  : )  
Grabbed a slice of pizza and a Coke, and perused the 
merch.  Jesus, when did concert T-shirts go up to $35?  

Unlike many of the posters above, I actually liked 
Meshuggah:  I was moved by their brutal metal riffing.  
Ironically, the spoken interludes were very stoic:  "Hello.  Ve 
are Meshuggah, from Stockholm Sveden.  Ve are here to 
entertain you until Tool comes out."   Half the audience 
dug 'em, and half were saying they sucked.  But you'll get 
people who hate ANY opening act, no matter how good they 
are.  The arena really started to fill up after their set... there 
was no room to move in the Palace concourse.  And every 
other kid seemed to be sporting a brand-new Tool shirt.  I 
guess the manufacturers knew what the market would bear.

Tool's gotten quite a bit of mileage out of the anti-ego 
surrealism pioneered by Pink Floyd:  "We'll give you lots of 
stuff to look at, as long as it isn't us".  This aesthetic carried 
over to their live performance as well:  all four members 
were pretty much locked in place, with Maynard only visible 
in silhouette.  Like Floyd, the real show took place on the 
video screens behind them.  If you've ever seen any Tool 
videos, you've got a good idea of the kind of visual imagery 
they prefer.  They augmented the presentation with a couple 
of nude, bodypainted acrobats who joined them onstage and 
spent a good 15 minutes dangling upside-down in front of 
the screens.  The girl in front of me swore up and down that 
the one on the left was Maynard (despite, or perhaps 
because of, the absence of male genitals).

There's not much room in a show like this for spontaneity, 
but clearly the week's events weighed heavily on everyone's 
mind.  "This is not... a political forum."  said Maynard 
between songs.  "This is a moment for us to share, to 

ponder the existence of intelligent life in the Universe."  
Introducing "Schism", he said:  "This is a song about 
overcoming our differences through communication."  The 
crowd was receptive; I'm sure most of them got it.  I heard 
several dozen people chanting "MAY - NARD!  MAY - NARD!", 
which itself is an experience almost as surreal as the visual 
imagery above.

It would have been a truly transcendent evening were it not 
for the freakin' GOON behind me who kept ramming his 
head and elbows into my back.  He seemed to be REALLY 
getting into the music, which of course was good... but 
nobody else was moshing around us, and others were 
becoming irritated by his thoughtlessness as well.  I 
clamped him on the shoulder, and said:  "EXCUSE ME... 
COULD YOU PLEASE NOT DO THAT OVER HERE?"  I'm not 
sure if he heard me... he really did seem like he was in his 
own world.  

It's difficult to enjoy yourself if you're always watching your 
back, and maybe I should have just moved elsewhere.  But 
the floor was crowded enough as it was, and I really liked 
the spot I'd chosen.  Still, I kept an eye on this guy, who 
increasingly appeared to exhibit classic "drunk meathead 
thug" mentality.  (Shouting "WHOOOO!" during the quiet, 
introspective songs was a dead giveaway.)  So when Tool 
ripped into "Aenema", this same guy plunged HARD into my 
back, knocking me into a pit and damn near knocking off 
my glasses.  I was seriously ready to take a swing at him, 
but instead I just leaned real close to his ear and 
screamed "THANKS A LOT, ASSHOLE!!!"  I'm not sure if he 
heard me.  I've gotta remember that I'm wearing earplugs 
at these shows.

Accepting my defeat, I retreated to a spot near the edge of 
the floor.  By now, the show was coming to a close, and 
Maynard addressed the crowd one more time.  "I'm glad we 
were able to spend this time together.  But now, I have a 
homework assignment for you.  Think about how you're 
feeling now.  I want each of you to go home, remember this 
feeling, and harness it into something positive in the weeks 
to come."  Unfortunately, my own feelings at that moment 
were still pretty close to "I'm gonna fucking kill that guy", 
but Maynard had no way of knowing that.

I checked my watch:  10:50.  I knew that the Palace was 
downright militant in enforcing their 11:00 curfew.  I listened 
to about half of "Lateralus" before I escaped to the exits.  I 
don't think there was an encore (despite the absence 
of "Sober" or "Prison Sex").  I saw the crowd flooding out of 
the arena just as I was leaving the parking lot.  Perfect. 

: )      









Review written by: vena cava (schreix27@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 13:21:09 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  First TOOL show and it was everything I wanted and needed.  So much
emotion and energy.  I was right up front the entire show and except for a
fight that broke out it was perfect.  A group of jerk-offs were saying
some elementry things about the pair preforming on stage and the people in
front of them told them off and it went from there.  I really can't put it
into words how It made me feel except to say that I had tears in my eyes
during 46&2 and Reflection.  So, yeah, I'm a big pussy.  Such a fucking
powerful show, one of the best I've ever seen.








Review written by: Tony (HalfBreedPsycho@home.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 14:04:03 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  I have been a Tool fan for a long time and after having the 
line cut off right in front of me for State Theater tickets I was 
very disilliusioned as if I would ever see them again.  Luckily 
I had the chance and this show will stay up their with Nine 
Inch Nails/ A Perfect Circle as the best ones I have ever 
seen.

To start the ride their I saw alot of people with Tool stickers 
on which was awesome.  We had Meshuggah blaring and it 
was a fun ride.  When we get to the venue i noticed alot of 
(pardon for a better word) Drunken rednecks.  I did see the 
one with a USA flag and a NWO shirt and it was very 
annoying to me.  But anyways I tried to ignore the 
distractions and focus on my show.  My seats I had were 2nd 
from the floor and were amazing but I decided to go up a 
few rows to sit with my friends.  From their Meshuggah came 
on and played an amazing set.  I am into a lot of the 
Swedish metal stuff so seeing them with Tool was a real 
treat for me.  If you are not into Thrash or Speed/Technical 
Metal at all you probably did not enjoy Meshuggah that 
much.  

After about a half hour Tool finally came on.  The setlist has 
been posted and it was amazing.  I unfortunatly was one row 
in front of the people that started chanting USA and they 
were really annoying me the whole show.  All they yelled was 
play Sober and Stinkfist.  But the show and visuals were 
completely amazing.  The merchandise prices were highway 
robbery though as a XXL Tour Shirt was 40 dollars.  
Hopefully Tool can realize their mistake like NIN did and 
lower their prices a tad.  Overall finally getting to see my 
favorite band was an amazing thing and one of the most 
moving nights in my life.  The only downfalls were the 
disrespectful crowd and senseless moshing the whole show.  
I was very glad to have seats and completly enjoy the show 
as I did.  








Review written by: Leah (jdgypsi@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 15:25:40 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Tool were amazing. I had the time of my life.
I find that some people don't understand why Maynard was 
in front of a screen and a silhouette and all... I feel that he 
is just very creative, I thought it was awesome. We had 
bird's eye view seats basically, so I saw everything pretty 
well I think. Every song was done beautifully, and had its 
own seperate amaze. The fans were for the most part 
awesome people, although I did notice one idiot with a flag 
on his back, and a bunch of people that came just to hear 
the likes of Schism or Sober. Most of the people I noticed 
didn't understand the contortionists either. They 
weren't "naked fags", or whatever else was said. They were 
the man and woman from the Schism video, and in my 
opinion they were very talented, creative people.
Coming from Canada to see the show, I wasn't sure if I'd 
make it, because of the whole border thing. But it turned out 
alright, I got to see two of my good friends, and it was just 
an amazing, great, fucking more than awesome time that 
I'll remember forever. 









Review written by: Reverend Maynard (fungus_amungus_69@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 15:30:41 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  that was the greatest live performance ive ever seen! and i 
went to Ozzfest twice this year! I saw them before at 
Edgefest and I thought that was amazing, but last night blew 
me away. If you haven't seen Tool live yet I suggest you do 
or you will be missing out.








Review written by: EH (eheiser1@neo.rr.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 15:49:01 ET


This was this reviewer's 6th Tool show

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

If nobody has, you ought to.  The less duplicated info, the 
easier it is for everyone to read these.   Especially your mom.

My Point of View :

by chanting USA, USA!  people are singling out their own ego 
and saying look at us we are usa and we are strong
(somewhat a fearful thing to do in my eyes).
what good is this when we are all working to become more 
collective?   

I beleive that we ALL need to work on communication and 
loving all of eachother not just other "americans" i think 
collectively meens the WHOLE of us here living in this space.
that would be the idea of becoming more conscious and 
collective we are all one and the same. Also think of similar 
things to what happened in NYC happens in other countrys 
everyday can we not feel love and compassion for those 
people as well?

Also im not writing this to cause hard feelings between us, 
as i do not have hard feelings toward those chanting.

LOVE and LIGHT to ALL!!








Review written by: Jacqueline (aqbacon@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 16:12:22 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  Well, after seeing the State Theatre show earlier this year, 
my expectations were high. I don't know if they were met, 
but here's a few things I noticed.
1. The sound quality in the Palace compared to the State 
Theatre was tremendously better. Before it seemed like a lot 
of Maynard's vocals were muffled by the drums and guitars. 
This was not the case here.
2. The variety of songs was better at this show. One of my 
concert pet peeves is when bands cater their concerts to 
show off all the songs that are played on the radio. If you 
want to hear songs from the radio, then listen to the radio. 
But anyways, in that respect I was not disappointed, 
especially because they played Eulogy!!!! Also the Patient, 
Undertow, etc. 
3. Was I the only one who thought the guitar playing 
seemed a bit off in places? It seemed like the tempo was 
being rushed towards the end of songs...
4. Also - I noticed the band didn't seem to play much into 
the crowd, or even move around. I guess the emphasis is 
supposed to be on watching the (somewhat low-quality) 
video footage playing. However, I would have preferred to 
see more of the band. Especially if there's the potential of 
Maynard stripping down a bit :)
5. The opening band was horrible. 
6. The biggest downfall of the concert (and I'm glad to see 
I'm not the only one who noticed it) was STUPID FANS!!! I'm 
20 years old and I felt like the most mature person there. I 
got the vibe that this was a lot of high school kids' first real 
concert, and that a lot of them owned few if any Tool Cds 
(judging by the excited reaction of popular songs 
like "Aenema" and the lack of excitement 
about "Undertow," "Eulogy," etc.). There was a lot of drug 
use (I don't smoke ANYTHING so it was irritating to me), and 
I was about to ask the person next to me exactly how many 
tokes it took to be stoned, because he sure as hell took a 
good 3/4 of the concert to feel any effects. There were quite 
a few "gun toting hip gangster wannabes" who didn't seem 
to realize it. Despite this, I did find the show enjoyable but 
kind of short. 








Review written by: Chris Fici (cfici@umich.edu)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 16:18:51 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Wow...........

That was unlike anything I have ever experienced.  From the 
sheer thrill of having to hang on for dear life as the entire 
floor just never stopped moving, to the simple and sheer 
fact that I was finally seeing TOOL in the flesh, this was an 
experience that defines why we are all here.....

"This is not a political rally, this is a moment to explore the 
intelligence of human life"-Maynard

I like that quote because it applies to not just this concert, 
but to life right now as a whole.  I don't know about other 
people, but the fact that the band cut a mysterious figure on 
the stage, with Maynard never truly showing himself, does 
not bother me.  It fits the mystique of this band well.  They 
are not there to be blindly worshipped, they are there to 
provide us with a chance to experience things that either we 
never find on our own, or that which are kept from us by 
those in control.  The one moment that sticks out for me is 
Maynard shaking his head at the USA chants following 
his "positive moment" speech.  I completely understand his 
frustration; some of us know, Maynard, and it kills us that 
the rest can't see not only the world, but EVERYTHING the 
way in which people won't be hurt.  Who knows how to 
change this? Maybe it's not our job? Maybe we've done all 
we can freeing ourselves.......

Music wise, it makes my year that "Eulogy" was played.  The 
rest of the set was great as well, and seeing a Tool show on 
the floor is something else.  The visuals were plenty cool.  I 
dug the repeating motif (apparently it was very acid-like, not 
that I would know).  Hands down, if the music Tool made 
didn't exist, it would be hard to imagine anything making 
sense.....









Review written by: Ray (spawn802@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 16:39:41 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  This was my second tool show and I thought it was pretty 
good.
I kind of wanted to hear hooker with a penis but what are 
the odds of that happening...

Being on the floor and getting right up to the front was 
awesome.  It was great to be right up there during 46 & 2.  I 
didn't think I'd ever get that close to Adam.

I thought that there were a lot of idiots on the floor, but I 
enjoyed kicking the shit out of the ones that REALLY PISSED 
ME OFF.  

Meshuggah was a decent band, but really wasn't one that 
should have opened for a band like Tool.  They should be 
on a tour with Slayer or Pantera, definately not Tool.

All and all, it was the best show I've seen yet and I'm 
looking forward to seeing Tool many more times.










Review written by: Brent Vasher (bnv10@albion.edu)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 17:12:16 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  This which will more than likely be the last tool show I get to 
see for a while, absolutely blew me away.  Let's start in the 
Palace lobby, where I managed to convince one of the fine 
employees to give myself and the one other person in my 
group to give us main floor wristbands even though I had 
lower bowl seats.  People will do incredible things even for 
strangers if you treat them respectfully, and the Palace staff 
cooperation made my night that much better.  
     Having already seen Meshuggah on Thursday, and not 
being that impressed I didn't actually enter the concert until 
about 8:20.  I walked around to the front right side of the 
stage walked down stairs and entered the pit about 6 rows 
deep on the far right.  By the time Tool took the stage I had 
made my way to about the 3rd row even with Justin.  THe 
crowd in the pit was extremely well behaved and even a little 
lacsadaisicle.  It got pretty hot for the rough beginning of 
the show, but being so close I was doused with water on 
numerous occasions by the members of the GSI security 
team who did a phenomenal job.  The setlist last night was 
more to my liking than Thursdays, including Eulogy, my 
favorite song, and Aenima which was probably the most 
intense portion of the concert.  That or I'd say parabola.  
Overall after a good nights rest and rehydration, this was 
probably my favorite of the three Tool concerts I've seen, 
and certainly the best overall.  Maynard had some 
interesting things to say especially to some crowd reactions, 
but people can take what they want from it.  Overall it was a 
truly awesome experience I am happy to have shared with 
the band, and plan on doing something good I haven't done 
in a while.  MY HOMEWORK!!!!!










Review written by: Matt Newton (fyredoggie@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 18:13:07 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

       Hey! I had a lower level suite, and i just want to say the 
concert was cool as hell. I've never seen tool live before, 
and i wasn't disappointed at all. 
     Sure, even if maynard wasn't in front of the video screen, 
we wouldnt be able to see him anyway. I can understand 
Tool's message here: It's not about SEEING them perform, 
it's HEARING them. 
     The way they did Stinkfist was bad ass!!!! i totally got 
into it. The video they ran during Reflection was utterly 
disturbing -- thumbs up. 
      You have to hand it to tool -- they did a nice set.

      PS: if you were there, i was one of the dudes playing 
with the rigged lighters in between songs. Oh yeah, me and 
my buddies started the "USA" chant...








Review written by: kristen smith (bettyspaghetti666@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 18:28:07 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  well this was my second tool show.  i saw a lot of people i 
know, and a whole lot more people i don't know..  i went with 
my friend jon, a tool concert virgin.  we got to the palace at 
around 6:30.  if you saw two looney kids skipping around 
the parking lot, the chick in a homemade mr. bungle shirt 
and grey pants and short blonde hair, and the guy in a 
homemade sailor moon shirt and grey pants and short dark 
hair, that was us.  we got kinda excited.  we met two guys 
from monroe in the parking lot.  

after we ran around the parking lot, we went back to jon's 
car.  i experienced my last tool show back in may sober.  we 
decided that since the resources were available, we'd 
undergo this concert in an altered state of conscious...  so 
we shmoked that, and passed the rest to our friends from 
monroe..  pretty cool guys, but i don't remember their 
names...  in the parking lot, the sun looked very cool, 
especially with the way it was shining exactly between jon's 
car and the monroe boys' car...  it was really beautiful, to 
see the sunset before the show.  very enjoyable.  

we went inside and wandered around...  we found our seats, 
section 119, row e, seats 7 & 8.  the palace is a very big 
venue...  i knew this experience would be much different 
than seeing tool at the rather small state theatre.  there was 
more of a friendly, brotherly, connected vibration going on 
there..  it was closer.  the fact that everyone had to wait 
outside in one common area at the state theatre in order to 
get in definitely contributed to some bonding going on 
before the show.  friends were made.  at the show last night, 
there was just a different atmosphere.  the impersonal level 
of everything sorta got to me.  especially the $35-50 t-
shirts.  i made my own tool tour shirt.  some people near 
our section were chanting "USA..USA..USA..USA".  that didn't 
have much effect on me.. it didn't really bother me either, 
and i enjoy the fact that they have positive energy toward 
that, but come on guys, we're at a tool concert and we're just 
trying to enjoy the music.  it ain't no pep rally.  a group of 
people came who made their own tool shirts and they were 
with magic marker; the shirts had an american flag drawn 
onto them with "TOOL" under the flag.  pretty spiffy.  good 
job, guys.  

meshuggah, the opening band, was good.  they played 
some songs i recognized.  people weren't too too into them, 
but it's not like they sucked or anything.  big ups to 
stockholm, sweden.  the ABBA of metal.  they didn't seem to 
feel the crowd very much.  i think i'm going to swear off 
sports arenas as concert venues from now on.

we left our seats and went food hunting.  at this point i got 
very dance-y and very... physical in my way of expression.  i 
really wanted to connect with the people and most people 
were just very distant.  

jon and i upgraded our seats thanks to the wonderful art i 
have mastered, called "seat-hopping".  

the first song tool played was "the grudge".  i like this song, 
and think it's a good song to open with.  the emotion wasn't 
really there though.  they were going through the motions... 
danny was great as ever, making his crazy drumming look 
so easy..  i think maynard had his black leather suit on 
again.  the place was just too big and just too impersonal.  
maynard barely spoke to the crowd.  i think he said "thank 
you for coming" or "thank you very much" twice.  that was it.  
and i don't blame the man for not speaking.  i hardly felt 
connected with the audience either.  the fans have been 
really watered down.  

the song[s] i was looking forward to were parabol/parabola, 
the tear-jerking climactic duo.  they made the night 
worthwhile.  adam jones' "solo" was also a great great part 
of the night as well.. it was very touching.  i think his "solo" 
was at the end of "reflection"..  this was the point at which 
the contortionists came out, gyrating their bodies with one 
another, and putting on a sweet show.  all nude i think.  the 
videos were good, of course.  

nothing that great to say about the show.  i don't think i'll 
pay to see tool again, unless under special circumstances.  
i've seen them twice; once sober, once stoned.  i liked the 
sober time better.  concert venues are like high schools, or 
summer camps, or colleges.. the smaller and less people, 
the better off you are socially.  and at concerts, a major part 
of the enjoyment factor has to do with the sociality.  props to 
you and i think it's excellent if this was the greatest 
experience in your life.  i'd rather have skipped last night's 
tool show and saved my energy for tonight's fantômas show 
instead though.  too bad i'm not 18.  

feel free to get in touch with me.  i like to share opinions, 
etc.  

much love, 
kristen








Review written by: kristen smith (bettyspaghetti666@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 18:43:42 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  p.s.--i would just like to extend something to EVERYONE who 
traveled out of state [or like, from the upper peninusula or 
other faraway lands] that you guys rock!  i was so happy to 
see so many canadian and ohioan license plates..  









Review written by: amy (i_spy99@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 19:34:14 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  I have never heard better sound at a concert in my life!!!.  
Tool blew me away.  At first I was disapointed that the visual 
projectors were directly in my path...could not see anything 
but the screens and a small section of the stage.  But then I 
realized that seeing the band was not the point or the 
reason I was there.  I was there to hear great music from 
my all time favorite band and they played outstanding, I 
was not diapointed with them at all.  The visuals were 
amazing and hightened the experience.  I just moved back 
from Atlanta and had tried to get tickets there that last time 
they came through this summer.  I was not lucky enough to 
get those tickets and after hearing about what had 
happened as far as fake tickets and how the people in 
Atlanta were screwed over by ticketmaster I am glad that I 
did not make it to that show and glad that I was lucky 
enough to make it to this one instead.  Even though I have 
seen better and more enthusiastic fans here in Detroit 
(which was disapointing) experience from seeing concerts in 
4 other states has shown me that there are no fans like 
Detroit fans.  Tool never the less rocked my socks and I will 
go see them again and again!!!  








Review written by: jeff michalak (djdeath@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 19:52:27 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  simply amazing!!.. 

i went to the grand rapids show also and this one was 10 
times better it might have been cause they played eulogy, 
or cause i had floor tickets this time. its prolly just a 
combination. this was the best concert i have ever been too. 
cant wait for another go! thanks to the best band in the 
world.









Review written by: Karl W (novus14@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 20:43:33 ET


This was this reviewer's 21st Tool show

  So comes the end of another exciting tool experience. 4 
shows with great music and even better friends. I can't wait 
till the next round.

Karl W

Oh the concert was good. eulogy and undertow were great. I 
acyualy broke down and spent the fifty dollars for the 
longlseeve shirt. With those prices you would think ozzy was 
playing. I don't care what other people think. Meshuggah 
was pretty good. It's funny watching people stand and stare 
at a band cause they can't keep up with their music (the 
people in cleveland were able to get into them). 








Review written
   by: Tool, not Limp bizkit, stupid fucks (myonjohnson@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 20:54:12 ET


This was this reviewer's  Tool show

  I didn't go to this show, I don't even live in Detroit.  I just 
wanted to comment on some of the stupid reviews some of 
you fuckin morons wrote.  First of all if you want to go see a 
band jump around the stage like a bunch of monkeys while 
the lead singer flicks of the crowd and spit beer at you, THEN 
GO SEE LIMPBIZKIT, PAPA ROACH OR SOME GAY 80'S 
BUTTROCK BAND!!!!!!!!! Tool is not about that, they are 
about music and art, not getting fucked and trying to apeal 
to fuckin jocks and dirthead dipshits. Adam, Danny, Maynard 
and Justin can sit down on stage with their backs turned for 
all I give fuck.  I'm there to hear them play their music.  So 
to all you bitches who are crying about maynard not moving 
form his paltform, or adam and justin not running around 
back in forth on stage and banging their heads, i have some 
advice for ya= dont go to a tool show, keep you gay asses 
home and watch TRL.  And another thing i can see if people 
get a bit annoyed when dudes mosh to a song 
like "reflection" or "Parabol", I mean come guys, you look 
stupid.  But if someone once to mosh to a faster song 
like "undertow", or "stinkfist", they should feel free to do it.  
It's a fucking rock concert, not a church.

Thanks
see you auntie








Review written by: HeadHolio (mental101@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 20:55:02 ET


This was this reviewer's 4th Tool show

  This show was different from the start.  You could tell that Tool was
aiming for a different atmosphere then before.  I was on the floor
front and center for most of the show.  Maynard did seem
pissed/annoyed, as some people already noted.  I think the USA chants
were getting to him.  And I can see why they would too.  Tool tries
their best to bring you into another world during a show.  Almost
like a different spiritual place where there are no countries and
patriotism doesn't have any meaning.  I think the chanting was
distrupting his vibe and it showed with his body language. I should
probably thank the security personel up front for giving me water
because I was on the verge of dehydration.  Plus, I left the show
soaked with what seemed like everyone else's sweat.  The visuals were
great, they definately added to the experience, and Maynard almost
looked like Till from Rammstein with his body suit.  Yes there were
pits, and yes it was pretty tight up front.  But this time, the pits
were a little less violent, and there seemed to be a lot more
breathing room up front, not to mention that there were very few body
surfers.  All in all, it was a great show, but I can definately see
how some people might have been upset thinking it was a bad one.  And
I think that's great, maybe they won't come to the next Tool show.








Review written by: Nick (nddurst@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 21:13:55 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  Ok, some insight on a couple of things concerning the show:

1) When Maynard said "This isn't a political forum, just a 
search for intelligent life on earth." (something like that), I 
think some took it wrong.  I don't think he was putting down 
those who were chanting "USA, USA".  Whether or not he 
liked that or even heard those people who knows.  I think 
he said that to let us know about the next song, Eulogy.  He 
wants us to know that Eulogy doesn't necessarily reflect the 
current national situation, it isn't about Bin Laden or 
terrorism...I think he just wanted to remind us of that before 
they played the song.

2) As for the 15 minute riff played by Adam.  I guarantee it 
wasn't 15 minutes.  But even if it was, you came to see 
TOOL.  And TOOL is what you got, whether your impatient 
ass liked it or not!  And as for Maynard not stepping out 
from the dark during the show...that's what makes TOOL 
special.  Their faces aren't shoved down our throats.  They 
have done it the right way--they are a popular band and yet 
most of them can walk any city street and no one will notice 
them.  If any of us end up in a popular band, I'm sure we'd 
kill for that kind of anonimity as well.  Some fans really piss 
me off.  TOOL is about music, not image.

Oh, the show itself?  I loved it...hearing their songs live was 
the highlight of my life.  And the imagery on the screens was 
breathtaking, added lots to the show.  Thanks TOOL!








Review written by: Beattie (caffeinedream228@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 21:56:48 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  This was the best concert ive ever been to. Maynard never 
left the front of this screen, and they didnt play sober, which 
is my favorite song of all time, it was extremely awesome. 
These people in skin tight latex were crawling up and down 
this rope. This was really cool because it looked like they 
were apart of the screen behind them, but they were real, i 
think. The music videos played behind them on screens and 
the sound was phenominal.








Review written by: liquidcow (liquidcow@theotherotherwhitemeat.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 21:59:41 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  i just want to thank you for giving me a moment of solace in 
the midst of such a tumultuous and uncertain time








Review written by: Patrick (ratm1tool1@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 22:01:21 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  All i have to say is this show kicked some major fucking 
ass.  First, i would like to say how crystal clear and loud the 
sounding was.  You could hear all of their instruments pefect 
and Maynard's voice was as clear as it gets.  The lighting 
and special effects were awesome, especially the Schism 
people.  I went to the Columbus show also and that was a 
hell of a show also.  My home town is Detroit so Im very 
happy that i got to see them in my home town.  Im glad 
that they changed the setlist a little bit because i really 
wanted to hear eulogy and undertow and i did.  So that was 
my highlight of the show, actually the whole fucking show 
was the best.  Those were the best 4 hours of my life when i 
saw them 2 times.  Tool is the best fucking band out there 
right now and the rest of phony bands suck.  No one can 
reach the potential that Tool puts in their music.  I thank 
Maynard, Danny, Adam, and Justin for being Tool and 
making the best fucking music.  

Setlist:
1.  The Grudge
2.  Stinkfist
3.  46 & 2
4.  Undertow
5.  Schism
6.  EULOGY (FUCK YA-FAV. TOOL song went crazy)
7.  Disposition
8.  Reflection

   Intermission

9.  Parabol
10. Parabola
11. The Patient 
12.  AEnima
13.  Lateralis








 








Review written by: Patrick (ratm1tool1@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 22:01:41 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  All i have to say is this show kicked some major fucking 
ass.  First, i would like to say how crystal clear and loud the 
sounding was.  You could hear all of their instruments pefect 
and Maynard's voice was as clear as it gets.  The lighting 
and special effects were awesome, especially the Schism 
people.  I went to the Columbus show also and that was a 
hell of a show also.  My home town is Detroit so Im very 
happy that i got to see them in my home town.  Im glad 
that they changed the setlist a little bit because i really 
wanted to hear eulogy and undertow and i did.  So that was 
my highlight of the show, actually the whole fucking show 
was the best.  Those were the best 4 hours of my life when i 
saw them 2 times.  Tool is the best fucking band out there 
right now and the rest of phony bands suck.  No one can 
reach the potential that Tool puts in their music.  I thank 
Maynard, Danny, Adam, and Justin for being Tool and 
making the best fucking music.  

Setlist:
1.  The Grudge
2.  Stinkfist
3.  46 & 2
4.  Undertow
5.  Schism
6.  EULOGY (FUCK YA-FAV. TOOL song went crazy)
7.  Disposition
8.  Reflection

   Intermission

9.  Parabol
10. Parabola
11. The Patient 
12.  AEnima
13.  Lateralis








 








Review written by: zamba (paul30s@yahoo.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 22:04:17 ET


This was this reviewer's 3RD Tool show

  Tool plays great music. Maynard needs to recognize that 
Tool is a band. If Maynard can not come to terms with his 
disassociation of the country he lives in, he needs to be sure 
he does not use his position to contort our young peoples 
minds into followers of something they really do not 
understand. This is no better than any of our enemies 
efforts. Please persuade our people to think for themselves 
and to NEVER trust the word of anybody. Even their most 
trusted rock star- Maynard. Please teach people to do ALL of 
the research themselves and come to their OWN opinions. 
Whatever those opinions may be... Our Nation needs people 
to think for themselves and we all need to help them do 
that.....Keep Rockin' TOOL and think.....this is tough stuff









Review written by: Patrick (ratm1tool1@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 22:06:40 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  All i have to say is how fucking amazing Tool is live and how 
the show kicked some major fucking ass.  First, i would like 
to say how crystal clear and loud the sounding was.  You 
could hear all of their instruments pefect and Maynard's 
voice was as clear as it gets.  The lighting and special effects 
were awesome, especially the Schism people.  I went to the 
Columbus show also and that was a hell of a show also.  My 
home town is Detroit so Im very happy that i got to see 
them in my home town.  Im glad that they changed the 
setlist a little bit because i really wanted to hear eulogy and 
undertow and i did.  So that was my highlight of the show, 
actually the whole fucking show was the best.  Those were 
the best 4 hours of my life when i saw them 2 times.  Tool is 
the best fucking band out there right now and the rest of 
phony bands suck.  No one can reach the potential that Tool 
puts in their music.  I thank Maynard, Danny, Adam, and 
Justin for being Tool and making the best fucking music.  

Setlist:
1.  The Grudge
2.  Stinkfist
3.  46 & 2
4.  Undertow
5.  Schism
6.  EULOGY (FUCK YA-FAV. TOOL song went crazy)
7.  Disposition
8.  Reflection

   Intermission

9.  Parabol
10. Parabola
11. The Patient 
12.  AEnima
13.  Lateralis










Review written by: Patrick (ratm1tool1@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 22:06:45 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  All i have to say is how fucking amazing Tool is live and how 
the show kicked some major fucking ass.  First, i would like 
to say how crystal clear and loud the sounding was.  You 
could hear all of their instruments pefect and Maynard's 
voice was as clear as it gets.  The lighting and special effects 
were awesome, especially the Schism people.  I went to the 
Columbus show also and that was a hell of a show also.  My 
home town is Detroit so Im very happy that i got to see 
them in my home town.  Im glad that they changed the 
setlist a little bit because i really wanted to hear eulogy and 
undertow and i did.  So that was my highlight of the show, 
actually the whole fucking show was the best.  Those were 
the best 4 hours of my life when i saw them 2 times.  Tool is 
the best fucking band out there right now and the rest of 
phony bands suck.  No one can reach the potential that Tool 
puts in their music.  I thank Maynard, Danny, Adam, and 
Justin for being Tool and making the best fucking music.  

Setlist:
1.  The Grudge
2.  Stinkfist
3.  46 & 2
4.  Undertow
5.  Schism
6.  EULOGY (FUCK YA-FAV. TOOL song went crazy)
7.  Disposition
8.  Reflection

   Intermission

9.  Parabol
10. Parabola
11. The Patient 
12.  AEnima
13.  Lateralis










Review written by: Gleadogg (Gleadogg@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 22:29:57 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  A few points I'd to comment on:

About the set list, I think they also played (-)Ions right 
before Stinkfist.

Sorry kids, but Meshuggah could have been the absolute 
WORST warm up act I've ever seen.  Now, I know some of 
you will tell me that I just don't get it or how they used to 
rock before so and so left the band... whatever, but, what I 
saw last night, was crap.

To the reviewer who thought Maynard's "...not a political 
forum..." comment may have been an introduction to 
Eulogy.... nope.  It was a direct response to the chanting.  
He said the same thing on Thursday and they did not play 
Eulogy then, but they did chant.

Musically they were sharp.  Maynard is always fun to watch.  
Although the occasional spot light illumination wouldn't hurt.  
From my seats it was impossible to tell if he was facing the 
crowd or not.  However, when Eulogy started my concert was 
made.  I was so hoping to hear that song and it certainly 
didn't disappoint.

I was fortunate enough to win tickets to see them at the 
State Theater earlier in the year and Maynard seemed more 
crowd friendly then.  But, like the one reviewer said, he's just 
a singer in a rock n roll band and he did a damn good job 
so I'm pleased.  








Review written by: Malfeasance (systemaencephale@lactation.net)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 23:03:04 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  I thought Osseus Labryrint was really cool.  All these art-rock 
visuals remind me of a scene from Spinal Tap when the 
guitar player was stuck in one of the space pods during the 
show.  I think Tool needs a stage setup that resembles 
Stone Hendge, that would be cool.   So don't hate me, I was 
just kidding. Well anyway, I like tool.



CHICKENWEASEL!!!!!!!








Review written by: Master Reviewer (bleach003@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 23:09:54 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  I went to the Grand Rapids show and the Detroit show.  
While Maynard did talk a little bit more during the Grand 
Rapids show, I enjoyed the set list more in the Detroit 
show.  Eulogy and AEnima were appreciated additions to the 
list.

When my friends and I tried to get through the ticket 
collector into the arena, they told us my seats had 
obstructed view because of the projectors and to go to this 
table and exchange our tickets.  This we did and actually got 
better tickets.  Then some girls came to our seats and 
asked if we wanted to trade them tickets for the floor 
because they would rather have seats.  So we ended up 
getting main floor instead of some mediocre seats.

All in all an awesome show.  The band plays so well live that 
it sounds better than on the cd.  Best concert I've ever been 
to.










[Despite its anonymity, which I don't like, I liked this one a lot
  -- Kabir]

Review written by: e (e@h.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 23:41:54 ET


This was this reviewer's 3rd Tool show

  I've been a fan for eight years, Tool is one of my few absolute favorite
bands.  Which is why I find something heartbreaking. One of the reviews
from the shows of last week indicated Maynard responding to the "USA, USA"
chant with, "You're going to be really bummed when you find out the US did
it."  I live in New York City, a few miles from where the Towers
collapsed. I know people who were killed. This is my home. Maynard's
remark, even in jest, or as a gesture to unify people, or to promote
compassion instead of fear, was sorely misplaced. Not good AT ALL. I hope
he was misunderstood or didn't really say that, because that's a real
fucking let-down. To even hint that our own government did it is
atrocious. No matter what end Maynard hoped to achieve. When they play
here October 1st I hope he has a little more compassion for the 5000
civilians killed. This review page is also "not a political forum", but it
IS "first-hand, immediate, from the heart."









Review written by: Paul Greiner (paulisgod33@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/17/01 23:50:55 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

     I saw this enlightening show about a week and a half ago. 
I figured that I would give myself a little time to sit back and 
reflect on what I experienced that night. Buying the tickets 
was almost as much of a memory to me as the actual 
concert. Four friends and I decided that we were going to 
have to realize that if we wanted to do what we wanted to do 
at this concert, than we were going to have to get pavilion 
seats to avoid all of the ignorance. We decided to have a 
gathering and then leave for the ticket store on May 15 
4:30a.m. and then have a little nap in front of the place. I 
recieved lower pavilion tickets and then through sheer 
kindness of ones heart,I was able to sit in the third row 
exact center. -The show- Although this was my first live tool 
experience I did know what to expect. I knew 90% of what 
was going to happen at this concert. Some people think that 
this might be deadening to the experience, but I take it as 
a sort of preperation for what was about to happen. The one 
thing that i did not expect was for it to blow away my 
expectations and basically blindside me. Don't take this as 
negative at all. I have been researching this band for 6 
years and I am 17 years old. The level that my study has 
taken me to is amazing. Tool IS actually a tool. Just think 
about what I am saying and you will know exactly what I am 
talking about. Put yourself in the same frame of mind as 
you were in at that beautiful concert you were at. Do you 
think you have ever felt like that in your entire lifetime? This 
band will teach you the beginnings of an unbelievable 
journey and that is just the beginning. I am not blabbing 
about how this band rocks. We need much more than that. 
the catchphrases and the slang belong exactly where you 
found them. Please truely think for yourself. This is only my 
opinion. Write me paulisgod33@hotmail.com








Review written by: David (seekotch@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/18/01 00:01:48 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  My first show, I was brought by one of the guitarists in my band who
knew I would dig it.  Always had trusted friends who spoke highly of TOOL
yet I never really had my moment with them.  Knew they had their act
together, so I was ready to see them.

WOW.  I can see why ignorance allows for people to write them off as a
metal/hardcore band.  There's so much more going on, the interplay is
sophisticated and refined.  Not knowing the songs (except for Schism which
I love), I got the in-your-face treatment of experiencing the show as a
virgin...which is great because you have no hindering preconceptions,
you're open to being blown away in whatever way...just raw impression.  
Being a drummer, I really appreciated the counterrhtythms among parts and
especially Danny who I always heard great things about.  He had some
serious 'fighter-pilot licks' that made me laugh and cheer.  He fucking
flogs.  ('flog' meaning rips.)

I agree with some other posts that the 'meathead' factor of alot of the
crowd was a buzzkill and somewhat discouraging.  I could see TOOL being
just as happy playing for a sitting crowd at Carnegie Hall who pay
attention to all the work they obviously put into their music.  I just
hope noone got hurt in the moshing and that it was heavy rambunctiousness
rather than misguided, violent venting.

The show was exhilarating, primal, thunderous, and smart.  The heaviness
in the music easily can be misconstrued as just another hardcore band.  
TOOL will obviously be around for a long time, and the people in the
parking lot afterwards who were complaining about Osseus Labyrinthe, and
Maynard not hootin' and hollerin'...well, hopefully these idiots won't be
there next time.  More fun for us who come to listen and not get pummelled
by drunk Goldberg wanna-be's.

I'll be seeing TOOL from now on when they come to town.  They're just too
good to miss.  And better yet, I have a new band to learn about and get
into.









Review written by: fucked over like a monkey (cunnilingusboy@narkotix.net)
Review posted on: 09/18/01 00:07:49 ET


This was this reviewer's 0th Tool show

  well now; if you want a reivew of the concert, just scroll down. 
don't even bother with this shit... if you want to read about 
the excruciatingly disasterous sorrow faced by a certain 
human being, read on. 
wednesday, august 8th, 3:00pm: while basking in the 
carcinogenic solar rays that penetrate my epidermis with 
pure, unadulterated ultra-violet death rays, my friends and i 
hear that tool tickets are going on sale on the 10th... in two 
days. since i was fucked over by ticketmaster after waiting 
for 4 hours in line (for the mini-tour earlier in the year), i 
was set to go to any extent to attain tickets for the 
upcoming show. frantically, i called my place of employment 
and cancelled my shift for friday. 
friday, august 10th, 6:30am: alarm clock sounds. stubbling, 
fumbling to wake myself; the 'play' button of my cd player 
greets me with the good-morning mantra of 'cold and ugly'. 
alright, now my ass is up. tool t-shirt on torso, cell phone 
and walllet loaded with canadian money in hand, i step the 
fuck out of the house in the summer heat, determined to 
get tickets to see my favourite band since i was in eighth 
grade (when aenima was released).
7:30am: i rendez-vous with my friend on the bus, headed to 
downtown windsor, on our way to joe lous arena, in the heart 
of downtown detroit where we aim to purchase tickets. 
8:00am: we enter the united states having not exchanged 
our canadian funds due to lack of time. we are stopped at 
customs and nearly cavity searched when we informed them 
that we were entering the U.S. to buy concert tickets.
8:30am: we arrive at the box office window of joe louis 
arena to find other tool fans waiting patiently outside for the 
10:00 on-sale time to roll around. after interrogating many 
companions, the conclusion was reached that i should haul 
my fuckin ass to try and find a location whereby i could 
allocate my canadian money into american funds. (as it was 
strongly believed that ticketmaster would not accpet 
canadian money). 
9:00am: a tall white canadian kid with 'tool' written across 
his chest and a wallet chain hanging from his war-torn jean 
shorts is literally running around downtown detroit. this 
motherfucker is me. mind you, i've ate nothing since my 
dinner the night before, and am running on water alone. i 
went back to the tunnel. then to greektown. chinatown. 
mexicantown. every fucking town in that town... and no luck. 
9:55am: at the second bank i entered, i was informed that 
another adjacent banking firm would gladly exchange my 
currency at no additional charge. as i exit that bank en route 
to my potential babylonian salvation, i consult my watch. 
9:55am: tickets go onsale in 5 minutes. i am far away. with 
no american money. my friend is waiting at the box office, 
as i have his money to exchange for him. i nearly defecate 
in my trousers. 
9:56am: my friend's cell phone rings. it's me. as i inform 
that i am running like an ethiopian in the deserts of 
somalia, he in turn tells me that they do in fact accept 
canadian money. as i stop in mid-stride, re-orient myself in 
the sprawling downtown of detroit michigan. me friend calmly 
screams 'get back to the joe now!!!!!!!'
9:57am: every pore in my body is secreting infathomable 
amounts of sweat. i gallop across construction-ridden terrain. 
i jump over scultures, dive through park sprinklers, dodge 
buicks and hurtle down escalors. 
10:00am: finally, in front of the joe, running to the rear 
ticket window, i push 'redial'. my friend is next in line. it's 
now or never. i close my eyes and breathe. all i hear in my 
head is maynard calling me to spiral out, keep going, keep 
going, keep going. as i ride the spiral to its very end, i see 
the inner light of the box office room through the battery of 
cavernous doorways. as my friend turns to see my near-
asphyxiated body stumble through the door, he frantically 
turns to the ticket clerk, "four floor tickets!!". as i withdraw 
my wallet, we are informed that the floor has sadly been 
sold out. ouch. we get seats. total price in canadian money? 
over $300. but fuck money. this is adam, justin, danny and 
maynard. 
11:00am: back in canada, and laughing all the way home. 
i'm going to see tool september 16th!!!
sunday, september 16th, 2:00pm: my fucked up neo-nazi 
parents inform me that i am unable to attend the concert 
becuase it's 'not safe'. fuck the palestineans. this is good. 
so, my friend takes his girlfriend. and they 'talk' through 
meshuggah's entire set. i would've gone just to see 
meshuggah. so that makes me feel good. not only that, the 
seats were reconfigured so that the seats on the tickets 
didn't even exist. so my friends got moved to the front row 
of the lower bowl. by the way, i play the drums. so does my 
friend who attended. the plethora of shit he tried to explain 
about the brilliance of danny carey's playing alone, nearly 
reduced me to tears. the played some of my all-time 
favourite songs. i missed it. my friends got hooked up big 
time for setas. i missed it. they got across the border in an 
hour-and-a-half. i missed it. they had the most euphorically 
mesmerizing and stimulating experience of their lives. and i 
sat home and jerked off to old nirvana records. by the way, 
as of now, i am 18 years old. 18 on the 18th. nice fucking 
birthday present too. for all you fuckers who saw the show, 
be glad  you went to see one of the most beautiful and 
precious things i've still never experienced. 
...by the way, if you've made it this far, thanks for reading.









Review written by: jeff (murphdogg30@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/18/01 02:19:05 ET


This was this reviewer's 7th Tool show

  all i want to say to the people that thought the detroit show 
and crowd "sucked"....um, HELLO! there was a little incident 
you might have heard of last tuesday which brought a lot of 
people down, so maybe a lot of people were chillin out. i've  
been to a lot of concerts around the country, and no 
audience can compare to detroit. kiss wasnt fucking around 
when they called it detroit rock city. their loud, smart, as in 
knowing when to cheer and when not to, and we support our 
bands 110%, and the bands know that!!
as far as tool goes, they were incredible once again. i first 
saw them on lallapalooza '93 when they were on the second 
stage, and i can remember me telling my friends we have to 
go check out this tool band. some roadie proceeds to juggle 
a running chain saw, an egg, and an apple, totally insane. 
then some guy holds up a wrench, the small crowd goes 
nuts. this was with the original bassist paul 
too....memorable. and all you people that think 
ticketmaster "screwed" you over for the state theater show 
need to find a ticketmaster that doesnt have a wristband 
policy, and try to get away from the suburbs of detroit. the 
one i go to is first come first serve. so what you do is get 
there 5 hours early and your golden. they did two songs off 
opiate at the state theater, but i'll gladly trade them in to 
hear eulogy. the palace show was great....adam jones is a 
genious on the guitar and the video special effects...im 
ready for my 8th time seeing them......








Review written by: chris (mrbungle419@cs.com)
Review posted on: 09/18/01 02:51:19 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  after missing tool in '96 cause i was to young i had waited 5 
years to catch these guys again.  the show was amazing.  i 
hadnt read any set list before i went cause i wanted a 
suprise.  i got mainly what i expected except "undertow"  i 
enjoyed the way the song just kinda exploded from the 
ashes of 46&2.  everything else of note has already been 
reported by reviewers.  but a few notes.
1. if ur on the floor and u bitch about people running into u 
get fucking bent.  seriously some people express the way 
the music is effecting them differantly.  usually more 
physical enjoyment occurs on the floor.  i for one am not 
a "mosher" but i was causing a rucous on the floor.  i made 
it all the way to guard rail and am still paying the price.  if u 
dont like "moshers" or physical enjoyment of music buy a 
fucking seat.  also most of the "goths" "moshers" "physically 
violent" people were very nice.  helping the fatigued, and 
smiling were things i saw.
2. i cant bitch about the set list because.... it was tool.  i 
mean like there was a song i was dissapointed with.  HA!
3.  when he said this isnt a political forum he was saying 
that in response to a USA chant..  and he was right it isnt a 
political forum.  i was not thinking about terrorism or 
anything else in the venue.  the music took me somewhere 
safe and fun, exactly what musicians make music for.  
4.  why chant USA at a band who hates government in 
general????  thats just fucking rude.
5. the extra 5 mins on refelction was great because of all 
the whiners, stop crying wussies.
6.  maynard had a black stripe painted vertically on his 
face.  i was close enough at one point when he turned and 
faced the groud to see it through the shadow.
7.  danny carey is god

basically tool was everything i hoped for and more.  it is 
probably the best show ive ever witnessed.








Review written by: Aaron (The_Saiint@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/18/01 14:28:25 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  I didn't actually go to this show. I recently attended the 
SDSU Open Air Theatre performance on August 15th, so I've 
seen Tool once. What caught my attention was a couple 
posts regarding the "moshers." I do not tend to mosh to 
music that I enjoy thoroughly. Maybe to punkrock, or death-
metal or something along those lines. But I love Tool too 
much to even move when I'm listening to them. That' s just 
me. What I don't get is how someone can listen to Tool, 
believe all of their antics, and still judge others who do 
something different than what they would do. 
While "moshers" seem dumb to you, they're having the 
times of their lives. Why even waste your brain-cells over 
making fun of their ways?  They're probably thinking, " why 
is that ass-hole just standing there to Aenema? " 

I'd hate to break it to you, but Tool is in the METAL 
category. They attract people who like bands like Metallica, 
and Pantera. There are the Tool fans, such as myself, who 
prefer more progressive, classic rock bands like Pink Floyd, 
or King Crimson. But Tool generally appeals to the metal 
fans. If you haven't already learned to accept this, then you 
are a sad story. I know that most Tool fans are not 
ponderers. They don't worry about expanding their minds, 
and such. But they all share one thing in common with us " 
free-thinkers." They love good music. After all, isn't Tool a 
great band? Are we not all there to unite and enjoy the 
show, as different as well may seem? Who cares if the dude 
next to you is patriotic? Let him be. Who cares if the guy 
behind is complaining about the "fag hug?" Let him be. 
Don't fret over STUPID things. That's right, worrying about 
other peoples problems is a STUPID WASTE OF TIME. I've 
noticed alot of the "pondering" Tool fans do that too much. 
I'm a guilty party as well. After all, what am I doing right 
now?











Review written by: Sarah (MirrorsSideways9@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/18/01 14:31:06 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  I just have to say this. I have never felt so sad as i look at 
all of the reviews on this page. It seems like the :: core :: 
of the Tool fanbase is diminishing. Some of you may take 
that as an insult, some of you know what im talking about 
and some of you probably had "daddy" get you free 
backstage passes. Any OGT knows what im talking about 
when i say that the level of comprehension for tools music 
has seemingly gone down the drain. When i read these 
reviews, these stories of frat boys and girly girls...thats fine 
if they want to go to a Tool concert. But for the love of all 
things Tool, why go somewhere that you cannot understand? 
Why go to a Tool concert when you do not understand the 
message, the idea that we are united as a PEOPLE not as a 
country, or an audience. You need to wrap your mind around 
the concept that other things exist in the universe besides 
you. For the people giving this concert shitty reviews, please 
hold your tongue about the band itself. Of course maynard 
is pissed. Look what has happened! He puts this message 
out, sells his soul to make a record, and he is met by the 
chants of USA? Perhaps you have no concept of the right 
time or the right place, but that seems to be neither. You 
talk about needing unity, needing a collective for us as a 
country to ban together. But you are the same people 
bitching about the type of people at the concert itself. You 
want unity, sure, but only on your terms. How do you think 
maynard, and the rest of the talented members of Tool, feel 
when they see their supposed 'free thinking' fans chanting 
themselves into oblivions rather than swinging on the spiral 
to The Patient or Parabol? I wish there was some way to stop 
this terrible downfall in Tool fans, but the only way to fight 
ignorance is with information. SO INFORM YOURSELVES. Find 
out what the songs mean if you have to. Read up on 
religions, experience fine art, understand some psychology, 
dig deeper. Think for yourselves. Question ignorance. 
Because nobody is born enlightened. You have to work for 
that. And to all of the OGT members of Tool Army (and you 
know who you are) keep up the good work. I know some of 
you understand what im talking about and that gives me 
hope for the rest of em.











Review written by: Mona (captainmorgan_mq@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/18/01 15:41:18 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  This was my first tool show- after tickets sold out for the 
state theater show i was pist- but then they came back and 
hell yea it rocked. Basically the show was a 2 hour orgasm--- 
i loved every bit of it. Even if they didn't play H or Prison 
Sex... who cared? It's friggin tool. At the points where i 
wasn't hysterical, my mouth was just wide open in awe. I felt 
kinda bad for the dude behind me who passed out after the 
second song... but hey its his damn fault. And who cares if 
Maynard didn't move from in front of the screen... it's tool 
remember- they do their own thing. 
In conclusion... 4 words... ONE 2 HOUR CLIMAX!!!!!!!









Review written by: Timmy O'Toole (Timmyotoole@excite.com)
Review posted on: 09/18/01 19:12:32 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  I heard that brittany spears is pissed that maynard doesn't 
like her...she is apparently planning(plotting) against 
maynard and tool...something about a pie-in-the-face....hey 
kids, be safe..your friend, peripheral









Review written by: jonny (electrovc@aol.com)
Review posted on: 09/18/01 20:06:53 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  the show was great of course! not quite as exciting as 
chicago where i was 4 rows away from the stage..i was sitting 
birds eye view on the upper level..it was still cool to sit back 
and absorb all the visuals and everything this time rather 
than being beat senseless in the pit..the things maynard 
said were very interesting..said something like remember 
this feeling and do something positive with it..well when he 
was saying that it sounded to me like there was a lot of 
deep emotion in his voice and that really reached out to 
me.almost like he was about to cry...and he also said 
something about finding intelligent beings..wich to me 
meant finding intelligent people through music..drawing 
intelligent people with intelligent music..i dont know..those 
maybe just some trivial bullshit things that i noticed but they 
are the things that stood out in my mind when i left the 
palace..this show and the show in chicago were probably the 
most spiritual journeys ive every encountered..not even lsd 
or magic mushrooms could take me where this show did.









Review written by: Sean Grogan (slicedrkr@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/18/01 21:19:08 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  I have now whitnessed two tool shows, one from the State 
Theater in Detroit, from the balcony, and one from the 
Palace in Auburn Hills, 2nd row from railing in the floor.  
State Theater cost me 190 dollars, Palace cost me 57 
dollars.  I guess you get what you pay for.  

I got there early with two friends on Sunday around 5:00.  I 
got in, got my ticket torn, and then I had to turn around and 
fill out a waiver to see Tool from the floor.  I was at the front 
of the waiver stand when they finnally got around to handing 
them out.  I passed out waivers and pencils to the people in 
the back, so they wouldn't have to wait long, and still be 
able to get a good spot in the floor.    Now I only had half a 
ticket, so I got my waiver filled out, my ticket ready, now the 
guy says I need the whole ticket.  At this point I am pissed, 
and swearing violently.   Finally after much hassel I get into 
the floor, running, and jumping down every 3 stairs.  I end 
up about 2nd row right in front of Danny's kit.   I was 
happy.  My friends being more patient walked down later 
and still got to sit near me.  (no one was aloud to stand, 
that would be unheard of).  I met a few Incubus fans while 
waiting for the opening band.  That was cool.  I told my story 
of winning an E bay ticket for Tool to the State Theater for 
190 dollars the day before the show.  I actually found a few 
people would have done the same thing.  Saw the lady 
rapped in red tape for clothes and nothing else, which was 
very hidious.  Saw some lesbians kissing a ways down from 
me.  And the repetitive techno music was inbeded in my 
head.   I was praying for the opening band to come on, 
even though I knew how terrible they would be.  Awhile later 
the band Messugah took stage.  They were about what I 
expected, some good talent from the guitar player on the 
left of the stage from my view, and the drummer was 
decent.  A mosh pit started right behind me.   Other than 
that no one really moved in the floor.  Opening band 
leaves.  Lights come back on.  People in the front of the 
floor meet the Steve look-a-like from the Springer show.  He 
promised us water and safety, as if we were going to war.  
Tool eventually came on.   As soon as the Grudge started, 
not a second later.  It all started.  The bullshit.   I was 
seperated from my two friends I came with right then.  
Shoved up front by some guy who didn't even need to shove 
at all.  This guy was about 6 inches taller than me, and in a 
perfect spot to see.  It went on like that.  I was not liking 
this much.  I could see most of the stage, but being swayed 
knocked back and forth, and screamed at in the ear.  
Proved to be quite the distraction.  I didn't get to see much 
of the visuals at all.  I don't remember the Maynard scream 
at all.  And I was mad.  Next they did Ions and broke into 
Stinkfist.   The same shit was going on.  Being knocked 
back and forth.  The notorius assholes had worked there way 
up front (what baddass's) and they were certain they could 
move this wall of people trying to watch the show.  I am 
about 5 foot 6 I'm guessing.  These guys were about 4 
inches taller than me.  I would have just let them go ahead 
of me, but if I did that, I wouldn't have been able to see a 
damn thing.  They however could see fine, being bigger than 
everyone in front of them.  But of course they persisted.   So 
during stinkfist I was trying to keep the notorious assholes 
from, well, being asshole.  So I didn't see much of stinkfist.  
But I do remember fools singing lyrics in the wrong spot 
where Tool had changed the song slightly.  Next came 46 
and 2.  Missed Justin doing the opening bass lines, because 
the notorius assholes were, you guessed it, being assholes, 
and this was BETWEEN songs.  People where surfing over 
me, and sinced my arms were wedged between people, I 
couldn't do shit about them falling on me.  I survived the 
first 2 or 3 fools to come flying over me with there pinkie 
finger and pointer finger raised high with pride.  
(dumbass's)  Or it was the scared younger teenage girl 
crying flying over with the notorious asshole's hand on her 
ass.  Next this big guy in his 20's comes flying over, I could 
hear him coming about 20 feet back.  Yelling like a mental 
case.  BOOM!  Foot in the face, another on my head.  Which 
dragged, my black Ottawa Senators hat right over the 
railing.  I really wasn't too mad, that had never did fit right.  
I was still in my position, and the notorious assholes were 
being assholes elsewhere.   I got a good look at Justin and 
Danny work 46 and 2 nicely at the end.  Which the creepy 
ass visuals.  They Broke out with Undertow next, and I 
thought it was 4 degrees at first for some reason.   Now I 
had a huge guy in front me, and next to him it was the kid 
whose hair looked like it was on fire.  He stayed in front of 
me the whole show, didn't harrass anyone, didnt swear at 
anyone.  He may have been tall, and his hair may have 
looked like it was on fire, but he watched the show and liked 
it, and didn't be an all out asshole.  So my thanks goes out 
to him.  Anyway.  I did see the undertow cage alot.  but I 
missed most of it.  Many fools were flying on top if me.   
Some of which being molested girls, which really pissed me 
off.  I had to shove a few people off me for awhile so I could 
free up my arms and take off my glasses.  My vision sucks 
shit with them off, but being so close, it was still good.  Next 
they played Schism.   They played to the video, and it was 
nice.  I was surprised not to see the Schism performers that 
I read would be there.  After this, notorious assholes started 
a "U-S-A" chant.  What the fuck is this?  Why in gods name 
would you chant somthing so ignorant in a Tool show?  
Maynard was appuled to say the least.  He said "This is not 
a political forum"  I thought that was halarious, the 
notorious assholes were baffled.  Maynard said somthing 
along the lines  that this was a gathering of people to learn, 
and to create somthing positive.  I few guys behind me 
thought this was great, and I heard farocious yells 
of "YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAH" behind me.  It was some of the only 
yelling I respected all night.  They broke into a long intro ( 
don't think it was merkaba which some people put it).  
Slowly it turned into Eulogy, and the drunken dip shits on the 
floor were not quick to catch on.   I was thrilled regardless, 
and were others.  Even about 15 seconds into it, a guy 
turned to me and said, "Yes Third Eye" I looked at him 
strange and said, "No it's Eulogy."  It came on and it was 
great.  Aside from behing knocked back and forth for 
unecersary reaons, I could still see Maynard sing great.  He 
didn't sound that good untill the last song of the night.  He 
was now angry and appauled from the crowd, and it was 
starting to show.   They started up with Disposition.  I heard 
a few great men, say "damn this is a good song"  and I 
heard a few dumb men say "play Hooker with a penis"  It 
sounded very good.  The basket ball sounds started as 
Danny banged into Reflection.  Then they were back.  
Notorious assholes at 6 O' clock.  They were in full rage for 
no reason at all.  Banging on peoples shoulders and heads, 
male and female, with no care in the world.  Saying "Move 
we are coming up front"  Obviously there is no where to go.  
One girl next to me, who I stayed next to for most of the 
show, put it nicely  "man I'm just hear to watch Tool, not to 
hurt anyone"   I was glad to be next to such civil people like 
her for the most part.  But back to the notorious assholes at 
6 O' Clock.  They were ther and they were angry.  From no 
where, some guy comes crowd surfing over me at 50 MPH, 
kicking me in the head, and knocking my glasses off which I 
had just put back on.  I bend down to find them, I just 
grapped them, and notorious assholes and company 
grabbed me by the sides and launched me back to 5th row 
in the floor.  All during the song Reflection, what good song 
to mosh to and be an all out asshole.  (sike)   I couln't see 
shit now, not even most of the big screen, and as you know, 
the visuals for reflection are some of the best.  I could see 
Adam though on the left from my veiw.  Around this time it 
occured to me why Tool doesn't jump around like animals 
like other bands.  Tool's music is not about jumping around 
like a dumbass.  It's not about molesting innocent teenage 
girls as they scramble over drunk bastards fearing for there 
life.  It's about listeing to the music, and enjoying it, and 
taking the worlds they say, the sounds they make, and 
pictures they show, and doing somthing good with it.  I 
thinkg this goes for all there songs from the hard core 
AEnima to the softer Reflection, that I had just got attacked 
listing to.  I sit there wondering why these fools feel the 
need to hit each other as I watch Adam play his guitar 
perfectly and try not to make eye contact with the obnoxious 
crowd.  It was nice watching Adam play well over the normal 
time for Reflection, it was not nice to see assholes get antcy 
and start yelling obscene comments.  I also saw Maynard 
leave the stage as soon as his last lyrics in Reflection come 
to an end.  He marched off fairly fast with no eye contact 
with the crowd.  Finally AFTER the fools yelled dumb shit, it 
seemed just then Adam agreed to leave the stage and join 
his band members in the intermission.  Now the Schism duo 
did there thing, I was most impressed, as were others, 
assholes included.  Parabol eased in, and I slipped my way 
past the notorious assholes when they wern't looking to 
about the 3rd or 4th row in the floor.  Parabola emerged 
from parabol as expected, and it was nice.  I was now in a 
spot where I could see the screen, and I was pleased to see 
that Tool, or Adam had added to the visuals since I had 
seen them in Detroit back in May.  Part of the visuals 
included the last page in the Lateralus booklet.  I enjoyed 
this song, the asshole count was low, and people were half-
ass calm, which I was satisfied with.  Eon Blue started up and 
before, it turned to patient I was back into my spot next to 
the girl that was trying to enjoy the show like the rest of the 
few sane people in the pit.  You could tell Maynard was 
unhappy.  His vocals were off, he watched the visuals the 
whole time, and he didn't do his swaying dance moves at 
all.  But Adam, well adam probally plays the same every 
time, flawless and never a move.  Adam was on.  Justin was 
doing great, if not better than normal.  Danny was a mad 
man, he beating his drums louder and faster than in the 
State Theater show in my opinion, almost good enough to 
make up for the mad Maynard.  After this AEnima came on, 
and Maynard did his vocals very good, for being so mad, 
and unpleased with the crowd, still he did not move, or 
make eye contact with the crowd.  I got a few head kicks 
here, and I was not pleased.  Morons were flying over me 
left and right, notorious assholes had came out of nowhere, 
and were pushing for no reason at all.  Maynard if I 
remember right still thanked people for coming, but it was 
not sincere, it shouldn't have been, the crowd was terrible.  
He now looked at the crowd and got serious, "take this 
expirence tonight and use it create something possitive."  
To my diguist "U-S-A" chants began.   Are people that 
narrow minded and stupid?   USA?  How in any way are 
National politics positive?  Are you going to join the US army 
is that your positive thing to do?  Go out and kill some 
people?  Real positive......Maynard had had it.  He shock his 
head and SAT DOWN on the platform.  At this point I was 
pissed, and I appoligize for anyone who had whitenessed 
my asshole like behavior at this point.  This next song of 
course is Lateralus, there is no debate, Lateralus is the best 
song written ever.  Lateralus is flawless.  Lateralus is 
somthing that I will never forget, it is a song of true talent, 
and pleassure, but notorious assholes have ruined my night, 
by pissing off Maynard with unnecessary chants that spew 
ignorance.  So at this point I am just waiting for Lateralus to 
break open, Adam and Justin are hudled around Danny, 
playing the slow beautiful opening, and when it did finnaly 
get to the slamming into before the lyrics I was moving a 
mile a minute.  Notorious asshole continued to shove me 
from behind, and for the first time of the night I turned 
around in rage and shoved them back as hard as I could, I 
think all the real Tool fans around me trying to watch the 
show like me lost all respect for me at that point, as they 
should have.  But I was fed up.  I could not beleive the lack 
of intelligence of these people.  I shoke my head violently 
through the entire song.  I did notice at one point the 
visuals had been changed for this song like in Parabola.  
Notorious assholes now more furious with me than ever 
before were kicking me in the back of my legs and stepping 
on my feet like an angy and confussed 2nd gradder.  I 
harly  even noticed, shaking my head back and forth like an 
idiot, trying to channel out all the jerkoff's behind me.  My 
hair was letting out sweat like a sprinkler system as I shoke 
my head.  Maynard sounded good, but was still mad  and 
dissapointed, with made me even more angry.   Maynard 
walked off the set after his final lyrics like he did in 
Reflection, the song came to an end, Danny blasted his 
drums, he playing better than he probally has all tour, 
maybe to steer some of the attention off the anger Maynard 
that had gave up all hope for his Detroit fans.  The band 
even did a group hug together after the show.  No Maynard 
there.  Maynard took all his water bottles with him, not 
giving any to "fans" on the floor.  Danny and Justin threw 
what   items they had to give to people.  

Later that night after I dropped off my friends at there 
houses, I took the time to drive around the derserted 
streets and highways to think about what I had just saw, and 
compare and contrast to the balcony seat I had in the State 
Theater.  I though about all the people that get tickets free 
from reletives that work the venue, most of whom are not 
Tool fans, while fans since the first time they heard Sober, 
couldn't even get a ticket in the top row for 50 dollars.  I 
thought about the comments I heard from people in the 
floor before the show started, "I like what songs they play 
from Tool on the radio, but I havn't heard anything else"  I 
hear comments like that, from a person with a close up floor 
spot, while I have another friend sitting up in the nosebleed 
section who blasts Tool cd's to help him get through 
everyday life, on a daily basis.  I got really mad from the 
whole idea of that night.  I had a good time, and I am glad 
I went, I learned alot, and I respect the music much more.  
But driving those roads well over the speed limit that night, 
blasting tool, and thinking hard, I realize.  Tool has a very 
small audience that actually understands the music.  I won't 
be seeing Tool live from the floor ever again.  I may not 
ever see any band from the  floor again.  I will pay whatever 
it costs to get a good spot where I can have my space and 
watch the band play and try to do somthing positive and 
spread it to the crowd.  Perhaps Spiral out, and do somthing 
different.  



(I would love to discuss this show with anyone who went, 
email me at slicedrkr@hotmail.com I also have the previous 
Detroit show at the State Theater, in which Maynard was 
extremelly crowd friendly, that I would like to share with you 
to compare, free of charge, if you made any sence at all 
about what I posted email me too.)









Review written by: Michelle (mturvey@voyager.net)
Review posted on: 09/19/01 12:03:18 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  I have always been a huge Tool fan, since their first release 
years ago but I have never been fourtunate enough to see 
them live until this past week.  I have never been more 
blown away in my entire life, I left the arena speechless, 
breathing heavy and smiling from ear to ear.  Tool has this 
way of hightening my enlightnement of the world around me 
and my awareness of why I am the way that I am.  Maynard 
was incrediable, his voice is so melodic that I swear he was 
singing to me almost.  The visuals were amazing, everything 
fit so perfectly. I was expecting him to say somethings 
about what happened earlier in NY that week and he did.  He 
said something that I will never forget, he said " We find it 
hard to concentrate tonight considering that we are here, on 
the eve of World War Three.  I hope that we have made 
things a little better for you tonight because there is going 
to be a lot more hurting going on in the Globe.  But I want 
you to remember how you feel right now, weither it be good, 
bad or indifferent, I want you to take those feelings and 
make something positive out of them"  If only everyone in 
the world could do so, then we would be void of all this 
senseless violence and destruction.  Thank you Maynard, 
thank you Tool.  








Review written by: The Dog (ej_111@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/19/01 13:23:00 ET


This was this reviewer's 2nd Tool show

  Amen to the guy who wrote about the freethinkers.  You are 
RIGHT ON THE MONEY!

I love Tool to death and embrace their intelligence and 
efforts to promote peace over violence.  However, I sent the 
following e-mail to the band after reading about how these 
post-attack shows were going:

Gentlemen,

I have an important suggestion for you.  I have been 
reading reviews of the concerts following the WTC tragedy.  I 
applaud you for shouting down the chants of “USA!  USA!”  I 
also applaud you for embracing world peace and advocating 
communication as a means of achieving this goal.  We ARE 
doomed to crumble unless we grow.

At the same time, I would like to point out an experience I 
had on Saturday night with the song INTOLERANCE.  While I 
do not turn to Tool with a violent ear by any means, this 
particular experience with this song in light of recent events 
served as a soul stirring release of anger for me at those 
who attacked my country and my city.    

In light of this, I would like to suggest that while you keep 
your message intact, you embrace your role as a prominent 
voice of America at this time; in these days, America itself is 
a political forum.  My suggestion is only that perhaps you 
recognize the value of this song in helping people cope with 
their anger.  Anger is okay as long as it is targeted and 
focused; we SHOULD be angry at those who committed 
these acts from behind a veil of virtue, and we should, by no 
means, tolerate this behavior.









Review written by: Meshuggah Dominates (Allanholdsworthisbeyondtoolfans@ha.com)
Review posted on: 09/19/01 16:04:50 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  FACE IT, MESHUGGAH IS BEYOND TOOL FANS.  THAT MUST DISAPPOINTT THE BAND.  
MAYBE YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO A MESHUGGAH CD BEFORE MAKING AN OPINION OFF 
OF A 40 MINUTE LIVE SET.








Review written by: Craig  (Toolarmy00@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 09/19/01 18:08:44 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st? Tool show

  .
I have seen what has only been seen in dreams.  Today I'm 
a new man, and "I will do something positive with these 
feelings and expeirence's, I will heal."  I purchased a feeling 
of immortality for $35.  And a chance to see mystic beings 
Pry open there third eyes.

                       Complete Consciousness








Review written by: Ronnie (Blah@blah.com)
Review posted on: 09/19/01 23:53:30 ET


This was this reviewer's 1st Tool show

  In response to the very first reviewer. The chanting was not 
needed. Usa or Bush none the less It was a concert not a 
political debate and I do believe maynard said something 
like "We are not here to promote ignorance we are here to 
promote healing" He was trying to make a speach about the 
events last week and was rudely cut off. He had every right 
to indirectly call the people chanting "Usa'' morons, afterall 
whos show was it?  I think the show fucking rocked, every 
song every video everything. So he didnt run around the 
stage doing cartwheels who the hell cares. Without moving 
Tool put themselves at number 1 for all my concert 
experiences. "Think for yourself" does not mean be ignorant 
at concerts...