From: (CR)

Kansas City, KS
Memorial Hall
November 11, 1996


Concert Review by CR


After waiting for three long years for them to return, they didn't 
disappoint. 


Maynard was painted half blue, half white, split right down the middle 
with boxer shorts and sandals. It amazes me that his voice sounds as good 
as it does live but it's fucking amazing. I'd be an idiot if I tried to 
describe it because you all already know. When I got there the Cows were 
just finishing up. The singer did a handstand and fell off the stage onto 
the security fellas. I don't think they were amused. I think they 
mis-took him for someone from the audience and tried to rough him up a 
bit. 
The crowd booed them off the stage with pleasant "fuck you's". As they 
were walking off the stage, he came back and said they were going to do 
another song. The crowd booed and he laughed and walked off. 

Three years of anticipation were not as long as the 20-30 minutes waiting 
for Tool to come on stage. The lights go out, everyone stands up who is 
not already standing.....a loud (really loud) rumbling bass that was 
vibrating the legs of my jeans and the hairs on my head. I am getting 
very anxious now...the rumbling continues while we wait in the dark, 
everyone screaming...the band comes out and turns the rumbling into 3rd 
eye. This song was better live than on the album....next is 
stinkfist...crowd goes nuts, I never understand why people that only have 
heard one song on an album spend $20 bucks to go to a show and listen to 
music of which they only have heard one song.

Another complaint: whoever the fuck was throwing lit cigarettes on me and 
the people below, a big fuck you to your dumb ass. I'd like to carlton 
fisk your ass with a louisville slugger. sorry for going off on a 
tangent.

I think the figures in the stinkfist video have got to be patterned after 
some of Maynard's movements. I couldn't take my eyes of him just like 
last time....next was 46 & 2...one of the best songs they played ....next 
prison sex. I'm pretty sure Eulogy was next...Maynard had either a 
mini-Megaphone or something that looked like a hair dryer to make that 
cool sound during the intro.....i didn't have a pen with me so couldn't 
write down the songs so i carved the track numbers into my arm with my 
trusty swiss army knife...the best use i've gotten out of it aside from 
the tweezers that can be used as roach clips for smoking home-rolled 
cigarettes and nothing else....anyways if anyone is still reading, 
Maynard said his thing about jimmy being a sequel to prison sex and that 
was followed by Cold and Ugly which was dedicated to Dale Carey (how 
sweet) ....Maynard said something about having two voices telling you 
what to do...devil & angel...they both think they are right but don't 
always know what's right for you... H is next, very good.... Maynard said 
something to the effect of dedicating the next song to people who should 
start taking responsibility and stop pointing their finger.....Hooker 
with a Penis.....I don't know if this was a first, but midway through the 
song a big body-builder dude with a mask that looked like the gimp from 
Pulp Fiction came out (that's something I hadn't expected)... Maynard sat 
in front of the drumset and the guy posed for the remainder of the song. 
I laughed. they played a very long intro to Sober just like last time, 
this time longer and since I knew what was coming I could see the 
transformation. "This is the last song"......(the crowd gets upset and 
screams for more................"off our first album"....the crowd goes 
nuts for Opiate, which was one of their best songs tonight. The band put 
down their instuments and huddle around joking and talking. Maynard came 
back and said they'd do another one...crowd goes wild, maynard talks 
about mythology and religion and how it's all fucked up, but all 
religions started out with basically good intentions, he starts patting 
his stomach and doing that sound that starts Aenema...what a way to close 
a show.....even better than i could have ever expected...now i have to 
figure out how to get to St. Louis tomorrow and get a ticket to the show. 
I feel really bad for all those who haven't experienced Tool's music, 
much less a live show. I can only hope that they come back in less than 
three years. 

Also for all the stupid fucks who didn't actually watch the show and were 
"moshing", you wasted your ticket. Maynard has the best stage presence 
I've ever seen and it increases the live experience 100-fold by watching 
him move.