| concert reviews firsthand, immediate, from the heart |
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05/17/2001
[all times Central Time; t.d.n is hosted in the midwest] |
Review written by: razai (shahzadeh786@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/17/01 17:27:07okay, the 5th page of the cd booklet has the word god weaved in the brain, the show was great, i have bought tickets to every one of the next 3 shows also, so hopefully the next will be just as exciting as this one
Review written by: cary (cary r fritz@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 00:05:07
I'm sure this concert was awesome, the new album is about the best thing I've ever heard. It's just too bad I couldn't get tickets to it. I guess I can thank Ticketmaster and their fucked-up lottery system for that. Pretty much the only people I know who got tickets are relatives of Ticketmaster employees, go figure. Oh well. It just sucks because my cancer will have probably killed me by the time they get back from Europe. And too bad Tool never released the Schism video, like they said they would. Instead they only play it to those already at their show. It'd be nice if they'd do something for the rest of us who don't have 300 bucks or know someone who works at Ticketmaster. I guess Tool just doesn't care about people like me and you, who buy all their cds and wear their t-shirts and carve their name all over ourselves. The only thing Tool cares about is Tool.
Review written by: johnny (opiatedtool@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 00:08:31
ok, i'm seriously pissed off. why can't people just go to a concert and just watch the band? i don't understand why everyone has to be a dick, especially up front. i was on the railing because i had been waiting outside since about 11:30, and i was totally psyched about the show. the show itself was good, tool just can't do anything wrong, but the fans for the most part sucked. i saw way too many people being carried to the ambulances that were waiting outside, because they had passed out or whatever because god damn stupid people feel the need to push as hard as they can to try and get as close to the stage as possible. i personally missed the last half of the show because i was sitting in the hallway about to pass out. if the guy that pushed his way up next to me happens to read this, and you know who you are, if i find you i promise you that i will severely hurt you. people, we're all there to see the same band, why make it shitty for everyone else? it's fuckin tool for god sakes, just chill and watch the show. i had to pay 200 bucks to see this show, and in my opinion, i would have rather just not bought the ticket and stayed home. it just wasn't worth it, not even to see the only band in the world that i would pay hundreds of dollars to see live because i wasn't fortunate enough to have gotten tickets when they went on sale. to everyone that only went to the show to see maynard, and to all of the assholes who can't just watch this amazing band live without pushing everyone and being an asshole, if you bought normal priced tickets, i hope you rot in hell. you owe me money you bastards, and you owe everyone else money that had to pay stupid prices to see this show because they weren't lucky enough like you little fuckers to get them when they went on sale. you took our tickets from us and you should pay. the set list was the same as the atlanta show i think except they played pushit instead of swamp song. i'd like to thank all of the assholes that were at the show for ruining what would most likely have been the greatest show of my life. i really wish that this review had been a pleasant one, and it pisses me off that i had to miss the last half of a great show.
Come on folks, try keeping it to REVIEWS and not RESPONSES to them, as the next few (now deleted) posts were. If you don't agree with him, fine, email him about it. People are more likely interested in reading reviews of concerts (no matter what the content) than reading people complaining about reviews of concerts.
Review written by: POSITIVITY (shahumr2@uofs.edu) Review posted on: 05/18/01 00:18:48
KEEP THE NEGATIVITY TO YOURSELVES. POST ONLY GOOD THINGS AND SETLISTS. HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR YOURSELVES.
Review written by: SeaOfNames (sbaugh@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 00:31:53
Ok, I read these concert reviews because I want a CONCERT REVIEW. Not some damn angst ridden kid who thinks he needs to be catered to. C'mon, can someone please at least give me a set list or tell what the concert, not the fans, was actually like?
Review written by: claudia (domestikated@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 00:34:09
well, i don't really think i could fully describe tonight. but i will say that a few words that come to mind are: stimulating, mind- blowing, phenomenal, beautiful, orgasmic. you get the idea. tool's pounding instruments and maynard's pounding voice combined with outstanding visuals on one large screen near the drums, along with a smaller screen that was behind a platform that maynard performed on. these aren't the usual visuals that you see at regular concerts, these were highly abstract, eerie, surreal images that you couldn't stop looking at. tool isn't an egotistical band that is so common today, so i think maybe they knew that such outstanding visuals would take some of the attention from them, because they're not about that. i really don't know what else to say now. well wortht the 362 bucks i paid for 2 tickets on ebay.
Review written by: uber (a@a.a) Review posted on: 05/18/01 00:49:34
1. the Grudge - Maynard shows up looking extra cool with his BladeRunner outfit on. i think i saw the future while listening to this song. 2. Stinkfist - all old songs are done really well but sound too much like the album (no extras) 3. 46 & 2 - rock on 4. prison sex - no extra verse!? why not play your best stuff? 5. schism - sweet....i didn't realize justin made all those wierd sounds. 6. pushit - mmmmmmmm, pushit 7. disposition 8. reflection - a good groove was made by all. schism video - Adam's one creative motherfucker. almost seems like a continuation of stinkfist characters 9. sober - drunk guys in the audience stumbling through lyrics 10. parabol 11. parabola - 4/4 time is soooo rock 12. aenema - drunk savages part 2 13. opiate - been there, stayed awhile 14. lateralis - best of the new batch, this song runs deep. great show, there's gotta be a better way to present music though...one where the audience is completely comfortable, like a 3D live show in your living room or something.
Review written by: FaithNChaos (evolution46and2@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 01:26:08
12:50 am - restate my assumptions "tool has enshrined a massive underground cultish following" "successes achieved by one or more of the band members has" "attributed newfound members among the allegiant denomination" "thus we faced with followers who are unaware of the message" Tool is trying to teach us something And it has nothing to do with ticket Prices or watery $5.00 jack and cokes Awaken the light within you and flap The wings of the butterfly for chaos 3.14 159265356939937510862803482509384460958410270193442881097827120 190911339360726488109752712019091339360726488152092010133053053 jsn
Review written by: Luke from Milwaukee (DigitlBath@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 01:31:55
After having read the reviews from the Atlanta show, I was pretty worried that the show would begin late in Chicago as well. Surprisingly, the fans were ushered into the Riviera very quickly and I only saw a few people get denied entrance due to fake tickets (a guy right in front of me actually got denied...sorry dude :( ). I took my perch in the balcony and looked around. Same stage set-up as described in many of the Atlanta show reviews. SMALL stage, SMALL venue...VERY INTIMATE!!! I felt like I could reach out and grab Danny's drums. The Riviera looked as if it was going to crumble and fall at any moment...old, peeling ceiling, but nevertheless an awesome place to watch a show. I was falsely excited at one point during the pre-show wait when the crowd began to cheer pretty enthusiastically, but it turned out that people had noticed the members of Disturbed standing along a railing in the balcony. Damn people, getting my hopes up for nothing! hehe Anyway...Tool went on at about 8:30-8:45ish (I didn't have a watch so this is just a guess) and opened with The Grudge, my persoal favortie track from the new disc. I just need to say a couple words about Danny: effortless and metronomic! I have seen tool twice before tonight, but never this close up, and tonight I was able to see clearly what he was doing behind that monstrosoty of a kit of his! UNREAL drumming by an unreal drummer. The guy's body does not move when he plays...just those flailing arms that never miss their mark. The fill at the end of The Grudge to take the song out was done flawlessly!! And the drum break in 46&2 was done to perfection...hopefully somebody else appreciates his drumming as much as I do...hehe! And Danny (if you EVER see this, which you probably won't)--nice touch with the Kansas basketball jersey :) I was happy that they played Pushit, but sort of disappointed that they didn't play anything else off of Undertow other than Sober and Prison Sex. Damn Atlantans got Swamp Song :( it's cool...can't please everybody I guess! The images shown on the two screens were amazing as well, most notably the naked swimming figures and the pryed-open eye getting squirted w/ water...weird stuff. If you get the chance to go to one of the remaining two U.S. shows...DO IT! you will not be disappointed. Tool is a great band (I'd say the BEST band) and they pull it off live--musically and visually. If you really love GOOD music and have some extra cash (or A LOT of extra cash) then do yourself a favor and go! oh yeah...to the girl with the tattoo of wings(???) on her back: If you read this EMAIL ME!! That tattoo is so awesome! And to the girl behind me in line who gave me her Apple Pie, THANK YOU it was so good and I was soooooo starving! Okay sorry for the needless info. Take care.... Luke
Review written by: Master Reviewer (theholytrinity_hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 01:40:04
Damn! I didn't get to go to the show (I live in Co), but I have been reading all the reviews to live vicariously through everyone. The reason I posted was to say that the review by jsn one (or two above) blew my mind! What the hell is he talking about? What is Tool trying to teach us? That is some weird (but cool) stuff! PS - Tool please come to Co! Daniel
Review written by: jack_shit (jack_shiznit@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 01:41:09
Well, couldn't get tickets to the concert tonight at the Riv. Tried everything imaginable short of felatio, but it was just too in demand. I'm not complaining though. I have seen TOOL three times, including the Undertow Tour at the Riv, way back when. Which incidently was the best concert of all time! It included The Flaming Lips and Failure. All bands involved were on the "must see" list for me, despite the Lips nearly getting booed off stage by all the metal types. I thought they would rush the satge when a bubble machine kicked in for "She Don't Use Jelly". It really was the ultimate TOOL joke of the day, but Paul chastised the crowd later for their bad behavior, saying the Lips were his favorite band, and Maynard refused to play on, unless the entire audience engaged in a group hug. He said something to the effect that their was enough negativity in the crowd, which was one giant mother of a mosh pit; "after all, the entire album is about love and butt-fucking." We hugged. We even met Maynard, who signed me and my friend's tickets "MOO", and refused to shake my friend Ed K's hand, claiming he once got chicken pox from doing so. Back then, there was no TOOl page either. We didn't even know what Maynard and the boys looked like, until they took the stage. We had the Undertow liner notes, but it didn't match names with faces, and I was really quite surprised Adam or Paul's body didn't turn out to be attached to those insanely sublime vocal chords. Instead it was this little mohawk wearing mother-fucker who, danced like he had MS. But, I digress. I also saw them roll through for Aenima Tour at the Aragon Brawlroom (which I have a cherished live recording of - email me if you have track 3 and/or 10, because I'm sure they closed with Aenema). Finally, I saw them at Lalapalooza, which was a nice outdoor affair. There's nothing like TOOL in the summer breeze! I have also seen APC twice, So, I really am lucky, and look at tonight as a chance for the less fortunate to see the greatest band of all time, perform in an intimate setting. The Riviera Theatre has a capacity of, I'd say 2000, give or take, and the best PA system in Chicago, next to the 1000 SRO Metro, which TOOL is just way too huge for. As to the less fortuane I speak of, I fully expect a well thought out and poetically worded review with an accurate set list, by my good friend LRRH462, A.S.A.P! Get on with it, Man! The public awaits.
Review written by: VOLINSKI (voter69@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 01:52:30
fucking awesome show people are little cring bitches it tool dosent make you freak out u should not go, the bitch from disturbed was there and sat in the balcony have fun detroit
Review written by: Andy Reitz (ajr9@po.cwru.edu) Review posted on: 05/18/01 02:08:30
================================ "An Evening With Tool" Live at The Riviera, Chicago, IL May 17th, 2001 ================================ Well, this is the first show that I've ever been to where the authenticity of the tickets was checked before I got patted down. Apparently, counterfeiting has been running rampant. Luckily, my ticket was genuine, and I was able to enter the venue... Setlist: ======== 1. The Grudge 2. Stinkfist 3. Forty-Six & 2 4. Prison Sex (sans the extra verse) 5. Schism 6. Pushit (sans extra verses) 7. Disposition 8. Reflection Intermission -- Schism Video 9. Sober 10. Parabol 11. Parabola 12. Aenema 13. Opiate 14. Lateralis MJK-isms: ========= * "We're going to be back really soon, with King Crimson" * About Schism: "This song is about making connections" (paraphrased) * "There is a war going on. Between good music and shitty music. To quote Bevis and Butthead, 'Shitty music sucks'. We're proud to be here, to play good music" (paraphrased) Imagery: ======== The band had two screens -- one large one centered over the stage, and another to the right of Danny's kit, behind Maynard. For every song, they had different "graphical nuggets" playing, most of which I hadn't seen before. I didn't keep track of what went with which song, but I'll try and describe some of the sequences that I remember. In the second set, they had a really cool 3d rendered screen -- it reminded me of a run-down dojo. It featured some slugs, thrashing about on the ground. Then it panned over to a bathroom, with an "indecisive man" standing in front of three toilets. The camera zoomed down one of the toilets -- it was cool, it looked like Maynard was being flushed. There was another sequence, depicting two lovers engaging each other underwater. And yet another sequence, featuring two emaciated-looking women, who were trying to fend off some sort of "floating spike-tail". For songs that had videos (Stinkfist, Sober, Prison Sex), cutup, dissected versions of the videos played. During Prison Sex, I remember seeing the "Undertow Ribcage" animation a lot. At the beginning, there was just a 3d-rendered "dough man", that the camera simply panned around. This sort of imagery appeared a lot, as I recall. Definitely, a lot of the animation was computer generated. For at least two songs (Opiate and one other), the graphics tended to th e psychedelic -- just flashing colors, patterns, etc. There were also some interesting graph-like images. One the diamond mesh that appears in the liner art of Lateralus (and also on Danny's two kick drums). The other a symmetric, connected graph (like you'd find in a CS algorithms class. Ahh, the memories...). My Take: ======== This show seemed very "mechanical". All of the songs were presented "as they are on the album" (with a few /minor/ variations). The show was approximately two hours long (it maybe have been a little shorter, because I'm counting the intermission). It was funny, when the Schism video came on, many in the crowd were confused ("Dude, we've already heard this song!!!"). Keep drinking beer, I say. Regarding the setlist, I was disappointed that they didn't play H. or 4 Degrees (in fact, I would have jizzed for anything off of Undertow sans the "top 40 hits"). From their new material, I was surprised that they didn't play "Tricks and Leeches". Being one of the "harder" songs on Lateralus (I'm referring to it as "Hooker part 2"), I'd think that this song would be a real crowd-pleaser. Overall, Tool didn't disappoint (do they ever). But, my expectations are too high -- I mean, I need to give up on this 4 Degrees business. They're *never* playing that again... Oh, and I could've sworn that I saw Danny helping out with vocals at one point... Did I?
Review written by: Chris (grizzlybaptist@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 02:11:14
So, the show was very good. The band came off very tight and well rehearsed. The older stuff sounded VERY strong and the newer stuff is all waiting to be classic tool. The crowd was very into the show and pretty mellow compared to the shows I've seen in L.A. Mellow, but very engrossed. The thing with Maynard in front of the screen is interesting. I saw it at Coachella and I DIDN'T like it at all. But, because of the intimate nature of the Riviera, I think it worked. I miss him being downstage front and center and locking eyes with unsuspecting audience members and giving them a thing or two to think about. So much of how that band comes off live is dependant on his charisma as a frontman. The screen thing is an interesting idea but I worry it dilutes Maynard's presence. He really is such a phenomenal performer and I wonder if him in front of the screen will work when they play larger venues. Adam's just great. Doesn't move. Play's perfectly. The opposite of the head-bobbing "look-at-my-dick" hairband guitar fuckaroos of old. He's subtle and precise and he gets the job done. Same for Justin and Danny. Just amazingly together as a rhythmic unit. Everyone an equal contributor and truely irreplacable. The lighting was beautiful and very calculated to work with the projected images. All of which were perfectly TOOL. So there it is. Go see 'em if you can. They're just damn good.
Review written by: Hook (JuSHooks@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 02:31:17
Well the show was excellent. I have two problems. Adam's guitar was way too loud. My ears are going to be ringing for a week! :) And I wish they would have played longer. Tool kicks ass. I heard from someone that works at the Aragon that they're already booked for August there. So that'll be great. great show. peace
Review written by: Adam (Givingmepriapism@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 02:40:44
Well, most of the reviews (those that are actually reviews) here are fairly dead on. I think I sat next to you, Johnny (earlier post)in the hallway after I nearly fainted due to the drunk and overly testosterone filled asses up front. However, seeing a 35 year old dirty, drunk guy attempt to dance during the more melodic portions of the songs is rather interesting (picture an old greaser with no rythem and two pints of beer in him trying to move like a snake). I'd love to rant and rave about them, but this is about the concert, not the morons who were lucky enough to get in as well. Fortunatly, I was lucky enough to get my tickets from ticketmaster for regular price, but would have paid what most others paid if I had to. Despite how much the drunken fools took away from the overall concert experience, it was still amazing. Parabol/Parabola was absolutly mind blowing. I've seen Tool once before and due to the vast distance between the band at myself (I was in the lawn at Alpine Valley) this night blew that one away. Tool did not dissapoint in the least. I found myself mezmerized by each member of the band at times. From Danny's increadible whirlwind of percussion, Justin's rythmic bass, Adam's intense guitar, and Maynard's amazing voice as he moved to the music. The visuals behind them the entire time were a brilliant touch. The songs from the new album are truly hypnotic live. The video for Schizm is my new personal favorite Tool video. Tonight, Tool reaffirmed their stance as the greatest band in existance. To quote Maynard tonight, "Shitty music sucks. Thank you for picking the good guys."
Review written by: Isaac Knoflicek (devils_minion@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 02:52:33
I'm gonna try to play the devils advocate on this show a bit just because a lot of people get caught up in the moment and miss details, which is cool but i think we've heard plenty of people say this was the best show they've ever seen Tool is flawless yadda yadda. I'll try to keep from ranting too much but i gotta get a few gripes out along the way. We showed up at 4, managed to be sammiched in by 2 relitively cool guys, quoting good movies and seemed to have their head on strait. We passed the time in line by sticking gum on the backs of quarters and sticking them to the sidewalk and laughing like crazy when bums would pick them up. There were a suprising number of pretty girls their, and also a suprising number of sucky drunken assholes. Particularly the ones on cell phones drove me crazy, some asshole was screaming a ways in front of us, drunk as hell on his phone. There was also this sucky chick who was walking around trying to get into the concert with 20 dollars. The thing that really bugged me there is that she wandered around and pissed and moaned enough (or sucked enough cock as we suspected) to get in! I was fucking floored to see this dumb bitch inside, she was a fareweather Tool fan if i'd ever seen one, she put forth no effort to actually get tickets just relied on her average boobies to get her in, and i'm so pissed that she succeeded that i could scream. The crew at the Riviera did everything right that Atlanta didn't. They started boarding about 20-30 minuets early, they sent a guy back with the blacklight (not just at the door) so that was done before they even got to the door. I was heading towards the lowest level to get nice and close to the stage when one of my friends suggested the first tier up was still relatively empty. So we were kinda off to the right but against the bar on the first tier, we had a clear view over everyones head, Dannys drums were partially hidden behind a speaker but whatchya gonna do. Yeah same set up as Atlanta guitars down front (Adam on the left and Justin on the right) and Danny and Maynard got little risers behind them. Maynards riser was right infront of a little screen which projected a reversed version of what was on the big screen over their heads. We met some more relitivaly sucky chicks, they were even worse then fareweather Tool fans they were fareweather Maynard fans, from Michigan all bragging about the dimes worth of weed they had in their car. They had car troubles and i hope they made it back safe. The one chick had pierced nipples and she showed me twice so that was nice. After about 3 songs the one chick asked all cute like if she could stand in front of me for a song or two. I didn't have the hear to say no.... so I just pretended like i didn't hear here and focused on the stage. They left shortly after (the one chick looked like she was gonna pass out) I had a wide variety of reactions to the visuals that were on during the show. Sometimes they were absolutly beautiful (the underwater scenes during Prison Sex), sometimes they were damned distrubing (the eye being operated on), and sometimes they were kinda cheesey (the chicks reacting to the metal thing during Sober). The Schism Video also had its ups and downs. There were a couple parts (particularly when the people were walking on their hands and feet shaking their heads) that were soo kick ass, but i kinda thought the little things with the mouths looked like muppets or something, got a chuckle out of me that broke the mood a bit. They got the show on at about 8:30, i was sort of hoping that because they got started so much earlier then Atlanta that maybe they'd throw an extra hour of playin' in but they didn't. I thought it took the better part of The Grudge for the sound guys to get their shit together. Maynards vocals were muddy and turned down but they got it together and it sounded very good (probably would've sounded better with ear plugs, just a thought for you detroit people). I thought it kinda sounded like Danny fucked up during the 46&2 drum solo at the end, even if he didn't he sure as hell cut it short which was a little dissapointing. He got some damn fine drumming in during the rest of the show though so it wasn't a big problem that man... is really very impressive. Back to Maynard, he gimped most of his big long notes, i know he had more then that in him. I didn't really care for the leather outfit though his explination was amusing, he must've been hot as hell! I liked after the Schism Video when he came out in the little crazy Strappey leather thing... hard to explain if ya don't get to see it. I got a big kick out of Maynard stage performance tonight too. He's such a flailing goon. Sometimes it looks like he's really passionate and into the song, but sometimes (like when he's stomping around to the beat) its just plain goofey, i love it though. The set list was very similar to Atlanta, instead of swampsong we got Sober, and we got Push It. Push it was kind of an impbred version. It started out like the album version only when it slowed down it had a much shorter version of Danny's little tribal drum solo, then towards the end it kind of slowed down and leaned more towards the mellow live version. Maynard was also abnormally gracious tonight i thought. He stoped to make a crack about how we should celebrate because "today was the last day of Danny's parole" and then he said something about how the girl didn't have ID on her. He gave some explination about why he was wearing all leather, something about some syndrome and some name (neither of which I caught sorry). Another one of my favorite quotes of the evening was "oh i'm sorry i'm being rude... nice tits". One frustrating point of the evening was right before opiate, i saw Maynard glance off to the side of the stage and tap his wrist in that universal "what time is it" gesture. He got a response from somewhere i couldn't see and started chatting with Adam. It seemed like they were debating sticking some more songs on teh set list which excited me greatly. Some other people must've sensed this also so they all started shouting song titles. That kinda pissed Maynard off a bit and he said "we are not a fucking juke box" or something like that. I don't think the argument worked out in our favor though because they just did opiate and Lateralus after that and it was over. I was very suprised when he actually thanked the crowd for comming, then he said that they'll be back soon, hopefully with King Crimson (he added something like "no not king so and so" i didn't catch the name). So hopefully all us midwest people will get another show in August aww yeah. I really enjoyed the show a lot, i got a good spot where i could grove to the music and see well. If i'd gone down in the moshpit i would've probably gotten overheated and spent more time frustrated by the idiots trying to mosh to songs that need not be moshed too (which are most of them). One thing that cracked me up was that the fuckin' idiots at the Riviera put the T-shirt stand in the airlock. That clogged up about 1/2 of the only exit, suffice to say if there was a fire, we all would've fuckin' died. I gotta rant about one more sucky bitch before i wrap this up. This curley haired chick was standing on the side of the tier next to my friend (hanging off the pole standing on the first tier). My friend was super cramped for space but anytime his elbow would go over the bar she would fucking shove his elbow back all pissy like. Later she climbed over the rail and stood behind us. Whenever Maynard stopped to talk for a second... she fucking flipped him off! Like she thought she was seeing Disturbed or some other shitty band that comes out saying "How are all you mother fuckers doin' tonight!! you all like booze and pot!! YEAH Woo". Anyway so i was tempted to grab her middle finger and break it because i have respect for the band and even if she didn't mean it as a fuck you she's still... argh. Anyway then when they played the Schism video she actually excalimed "what the fuck they already played this song!" My friend turned around and told her "yeah this is the video they're kind of premiering it". She was still all pissy about it for some reason. After the lights went out I saw her making out with this huge fucking sweaty guy who looked to be twice her age, he was so dead drunk that he kind of fell on me and wiped off like a pint of sweat onto my fucking arm. Damn if only i wasn't such a passiveist. Anyway I had to be super critical to come up with the few complaints that i managed. Enjoy Detroit. Sorry i didn't keep one train of thought in this 1/2 assed review its pretty scattered, ah well.
Review written by: DJ Slutmagnet (lenningert@ets-edge.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 03:03:45
i consider myself a really lucky person. this was my 7th time seeing the worlds best band, and i only had to pay face value for my ticket. amazing what you can accomplish if you pay attention and get to your ticket outlet ontime. all the preceeding reviews have been really accurate and i guess i dont have a lot to add except how impressed i was with the new material in the set. reflection, p/p, and lateralus all came across in such a powerful way, i couldnt have hoped for anything better or more moving. i think danny carey is some new sort of super-human being. how can someone play like that and make it look so easy? amazing stuff. "We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been. Spiral out. Keep going." words to live by. thank you Tool.
Review written by: Dustin (mypuppy666@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 03:31:58
the show tonight was nothing short of spectacular tool was as always in full form everyone seems to have hit the nail on the head with there reviews about content and set lists i just wanted to add one thing maynard said about Danny "congratulations are in order Danny was taken off parol yesterday, but we will not go into the details" this was my third tool show and we drove about three hours to see it would drive across country if needbe
Review written by: Will from Champaign, IL (wlund@prairienet.org) Review posted on: 05/18/01 04:23:57
Alright just got back in and it's 4am. I'm a bit tired and worn out, but still need a shower after I write a little. Man I smell like piss from all the sweaty bastards in the front:) I only wish more of them kept their shirts on...oh well. Besides that I didn't have any complaints. The show was awesome. My friend and I arrived a little after 8pm and I was hoping that like Atlanta that it would be delayed, but not too much. After finding parking like 6 blocks away we got to the door about 8:15 and I only went through the guy with a black light. Then went on to the guy that pat us down. We were now in. Well the setlist seemed the exact same as Atlanta but Pushit was played instead of swamp song. Near the end before Opiate was played a large amount of people up front were shouting for Eulogy and Maynard went over to discuss something and I thought I might hear one of my favorite songs. They played Opiate instead which was awesome like always. I was hoping we would hear more songs than Atlanta cause the show started at 8:30. It was a great show and will be remembered in detail. For those going to the next show besure to check out the details in the visuals especially during Reflection. They are supurb. During Reflection they have some larva looking things moving on the ground and some thing in the very back looking like a person. Later you see a closeup of the person and it's a headless person with one hand. It's tripped out. Speaking of tripped out this is the song many people pulled out their bowls and what have you and enjoyed the song and visuals at another state of mind. Anyways the larva we later see are actually torsos of what looks to be a women where her legs are missing slightly below the crotch, arms missing from the shoulder, and head is gone. It's cool. They show a lot of other fucked up shit and a nice view of a toilet. During reflection I say to pay more attension to the visuals than the band. Though the visuals are nice throughout the show. A little freaky during Sober when the two skeletal looking women are terrified by a nearby sharp bone tail thingy. All the songs were great and lateralis was the perfect closer. Maynard is bald now for those inserested. He came out in the all leather suit as described before and had those Oakley glasses that wrap above the eyes over the skull instead of over the ears. They look weird but fit Maynard somehow. After the 15 break where schism video is played Maynard comes back with a black vinal looking tanktop thing that is kinda backless. The front looks like a cross type pattern with a chain loop at the ends. Maynard doesn't seems to do as much movement as I've seen in previous tours. He does a lot really, but it's not like the stomping and swaying type motions I've come to love. Still it's great to watch him and the other bandmembers perform with the intensity they do. The show is over and my firend and I wait by the door on the side where we wait to see tool after the show. We wait about 45 min and Maynard comes out and I see his face for like 2 seconds and he looks straight into the crowd with no facial expresion. I then don't see him anymore and a black car drives away. In like 5 seconds from Maynard coming out of the door he disappears without saying a word. He drove off in a black car with 3 others I believe. I didn't even know the fucking car was there. It was fucked up, but at least I saw him very breifly. He was wearing a black dress shirt at this time. We waiting till like 12:30am and didn't see any other band members and decided to leave after the guard kept saying he didn't think anyone was left. I may have stayed a little longer, but there was another door they could have gone out of closer to the front entrance. Who knows. Anyone else see adam, justin or danny? The tour shirts are all nice as well. They are pretty steep in price but I guess all concert shirts are these days. Expect to pay $32 for a t-shirt and $45 for long-sleeve. I had to get the shirt with the 4 venues and dates on it:) Well I guess my review is pretty scattered, but that's how my mind is right now. I'm tired and need a shower. If you can see tool in concert do so! It's not often you can see Tool in a GA venue. Any questions just email me. Later.
Review written by: Nick (mangelwurtzel@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 08:40:33
Wow. So my friend and I were some of the unfortunates who got the short end of the stick in ticketmaster's lottery bullshit. We arrived at the Riviera around 4 o clock utterly ticketless, but full of faith. We've seen the band a cumulative 11 times, and i''ve never not gotten into a show. Scalpers were raping people, selling fake as hell tickets for $200. Not for me. I just resigned myself and waited for a miracle, along with a dozen or so sad faces that were also without ticket. And a miracle happened. A woman gestures in my direction, I follow. She gives me a pair of tickets. I almost shit my pants. Myself and my die-hard ticketless friends who all have the decency not to support ridiculous scalpers all got in for free. Chew on that. The content of the show has been reviewed numourous times, so I'll be brief. Schism video is badass. Smoke flowing out of eyes into mouth is too cool. It is a little strange not having maynard at the edge of the stage, but cool at the same time having him raised. I stood on the first tier until I realized i needed to be on the floor, I came to the show to be with people that physically gave everything they had to the band, and people just weren't moving or singing on the raised level. Good for all of you, I'm glad you enjoy standing and watching. On the floor was nuts. (as a side note i had not a drop of intoxicant in my blood) Entire crowd swinging to the music. During pushit things got hectic. Everyone around me found their "comfortable place" and let loose. These were not "drunken bastards" but real devoted tool fans that knew what the band is about and knew every rythym, even on the new tracks. The "moshing" came and went, but for the most part it was dancing. Yes, big sweaty guys dancing. If them trying to move made you giggle thats fine, but at least they let go. They were all mimicking the standard MJK movements that would just get more and more intense. Anyhoo. I hope that clears up all this talk of sweaty bastards. I love all of you big drunk guys. Bouncing around was the best. By the way, was the enochian majick board hiding behind Danny?
Review written by: Drowned (drowned@rcnchicago.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 09:03:57
Great show, but did anyone else notice that May screwed up the second verse of Lateralus? After the second time he sings black and white, Maynard failed to go into the infinite possibilities, then down below and above again . . . kind of a bummer. But one snafu in a wonderful show isn't too bad. As usual, TOOL was a massive catharsis, me leaving sweaty, tired, and drained. For those complaining about pushing and moshing - you're on the floor of what could be defined as a heavy metal show. If you want everyone to hold hands and scream about the band to each other, go support N'Sync. That said, I WAS in the crowd, and it was pretty darn respectful, IMO. A little pushing, a little moshing, but in general I was able to keep my space and just groove to everything but the climaxes. ("Not enough, I need more. . ." had me and everyone around me jumping up and down into each other) Spiffy show but typical to bands I love, my wish list is still unfulfilled. I'm dying to see The Patient, and for some insane reason I want to see TOOL do a cover of One More Red Nightmare by King Crimson. Why? cuz I'm a moron. And possibly the most insane part of the show was during Reflection. My favorite song on the album by a fair margin, and where I was standing, Maynard standing in front of the smaller screen meshed so well with the visuals. The invisible man looking thing was on Maynard's left, looking much like his reflection . . . pretty cool.
Review written by: Jake Manske (jacob.manske@mu.edu) Review posted on: 05/18/01 10:12:17
Last night was, without a doubt, the best night of my life. I went with my girlfriend, and we each had to pay one hundred dollars per ticket, and at first, she was worried. Afterwards, she was glad she did. Setlist, as best as I can remember: The Grudge Stinkfist Forty-Six & 2 Prison Sex Schism Pushit Disposition Reflection *Break for the Schism Video* Sober Parabol Parabola Ænema Opiate Lateralis So many songs...and they were all good. I actually preferred it when they were playing the new tunes, because fewer people knew the words, and that meant you could hear Maynard singing, instead of a herd of people yelling. My favorite song of the night was probably the Parabol/Parabola combination...that tune just rules! The visuals during the songs were amazing, and the ones during Reflection were the creepiest things I have ever seen...The whole band was so confident, and Maynard looked awesome. With Adam and Justin playing in the shadows and Danny behind his drumset this band stays true to the fact that they aren't about being rockstars, they are about ideas. What I really liked about their setup was that no member of the band was in the middle of the stage. Adam was on the far left, and Justin on the far right. Maynard was on the left, but on a platform, and Danny was on the right, also on a platform. The band looked like it was tiered leading up to the huge video screen. Best concert ever!
Review written by: Ben Jammin' (hana@pollux.imsa.edu) Review posted on: 05/18/01 10:18:59
I really dig the fact that Tool plays just as well (if not better) live as they do on their albums. This was the case last night of course. However, and maybe its just my bum hearing, I thought it was very loud and thus was a bit distorted. And to everyone that bitches about ticket prices (especially those that paid the high prices they're bitching about), take an economics class, its called supply and demand.
Review written by: J.D. (scarface73@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 10:29:27
just a comment on some of the graphs and visuals for all of you who don't. During opiate i think, in between all the acid-derived visuals they showed an image of a flower of life, a symbol signifying way too much to write here. but if you're interested, read anything by bob frissell, a huge inspiration to tool, specifically you are a spiritual being having a human experience. There were plenty of other images of sacred geometry that were indescribably mindblowing, expecially under the influence of...um...stuff. If any of you can, EAT LOTS OF ACID before this show. If you do though, try to sit and watch the show, it'll be better. I know noone wants to read about how shitty people were, but not so many people would have commented if it wasn't that bad, but it really was, people suck. All you fucking drunks should die. that said, have fun. progress
Review written by: chris (cvdolle@msn.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 10:40:21
Awesome. They put on an incredible show. The Riviara was packed in so tight and it was incredibly hot inside, sweat covered people everywhere, but it was incredible. definatly worth the rediculus ticket price i had to pay to get my ticket and definatly worth the lines outside.
Review written by: jalan (jlstahl@indiana.edu) Review posted on: 05/18/01 10:45:29
beautiful show... i can't stress enough how much innovation and passion they bring to this whole music "business", but anyone reading this is probably well aware of that fact. almost the same set list as atlanta... substitute pushit for swamp song. would've preferred either. pushit soared. in reference to maynard's "blade runner" outfit... full leather suit. came out wearing those oakley shades that wrap around the top of your skull. he said that his outfit was a throwback to judas priest front man rob halford's preferred stage attire. the similarity was a little frightening. technical aspects of the show... drums were THUNDEROUS!! how can anyone one man possess that much strength, endurance and rhythm??! as much of a fan of the loud rawk guitar as i am, i still thought that it could've been taken down a notch or two. justin and adam play too well off of each other not to have the bass and guitar at even levels. sometimes i had to strain to make out some of the bass textures. the vocal level seemed to fluctuate as well. i know i'm not alone in saying that i don't think maynard could ever be "too hot" in the audio mix. but all of this is really nitpicking. these boys put a TON of work into this show... the video backdrops synced up amazingly well with the live performance (perhaps the reason for no "surprises" in older tunes...) and all of the footage is AWESOME! involves a lot of imagery spanning their whole career. animated album art, figures from videos, images that mirror lyrics, etc. no one puts on a show of this caliber anymore. thank you for giving us all that you do. teaching love of life and expression through music (occasionally injected with their usual sarcasm...) i was buzzing with energy well into the next morning. as for anyone disheartened by the fact that TOOL only exists for TOOL and not their fans, go find another group of artists who will bow down to the masses and give us what we are expecting. when were YOU ever part of this band anyway?
Review written by: Animaldrugs (chris82179@Msn.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 10:58:35
Holy shit my first tool concert. Got to my friends around 4 p.m. started drinking of course, left a little after five, picked up 2 more 6 packs for the road, and was off. Arrived in downtown chicago and were killin beers left and right, and my friend threw a bottle out the window at some pedestrians (as we usually do when we're in chicago, we like chaos) while i'm driving down clark st. So an undercover cop pulls us over and i'm cussing my friend out (even though i did the same thing a million times before) anyways we're morons, and of course their chicago cops and we're white kids from Hammond and Cal city that don't look like we're marilyn manson fans and don't belong in a gang so they take my fucking bowl and break it, made us dump all the beer, and tore my FUCKING JOINT UP which i tried hiding with my cigarettes. We knew they were going to get off, they have better shit to do like taking naps and directing traffic. Anyways without my joint the show automatically drops from Godlike Purity Miraclulously Mind blowing, to the best show i have ever seen, i can handle that, i'll just have to drink more than i was planning to pay for. So, we get to the riv, around 7 or so, there's a decent line nothing major, everythings cool. I was worried my tickets were fake, but the line was moving very fast . ( id on't know why people get there so early its so easy to get wherever you want whenever you want, and not just by pushing, you can actually tap people on the shoulders and they will move for you (sometimes)) Oh, and every chick that walked by was hot as hell as we we were in line, which made everything go by faster. Anyways I was surprised i barely got frisked and my ticket was just glanced at, and i was let in. I don't know why that was, the weakest security i ever saw at a concert . maybe i got lucky. So we're in , what a sigh of relief So, we're in, we're drunk, and weedless, oh well. We have the smallest venue on the tool tour, and probably the smallest venue they may ever play at again, nothing can bring me down. We immediately get some drink, jack n coke for 5.50, and start pounding them, and get inside and just talk about tool with other tool fans while we're waiting. Then the Grudge came on, Holy Shit maynard just about nailed the scream, i didnt' think that was humanly possible. Danny Carey is a god.. The Second song was Stinkfist, and we can't stand being way behind everyone else, so we politely get to the rail that divides it fromt he bottom floor, and our only choice was to surf our way up front. Which my friend dove first (he's a huge motherfucker 6'3, 230 or somethjin, i'm 6'2 and 175 so i can surf myself just about anywhere I stayed up for most of stinkfist, and i wanted get down cause i was very close but i got my ass sent all the way up to the stage and fucki had to walk back. Oh fucking well, the crowd was going ape shit by this time so i rammed myself into the crowd (everyone for them selves this ain't fuckin backstreet boys or whatfucking ever) and all is good. STinkfist is awesome, then came 46 &2 which blew me away. then prison sex, then schism, by this time i was fucking physically exhausted, damn its good i'm tall so i can stand on my toes to get some cooler air. I felt sorry for the chicks beside me i was trying to help, but they were so short i don't know how they didn't suffocate, the riv gets like that. ANyways, the first four songs were fucking pandemonium and Hell, and i was dying, my last two shows were arena rock (fuck that) , adn this was taking its toll, and so were the jack n cokes, and so was not being able to breathe, and so was not eating anything since lunch. Schism comes on, and it definately made me appreciate the song alot more, , oh one other thing, its fucking unreal how in time the music was with the video's in back, tool can do this like nobody else, they are gods., And this concert made me realize how fucking horrible every other band out there is compared to them.. Tool obliterates everyone. in musicianship to style to art to Each individual of the band, I wouldn't want any other guitarist, drummer, bassist or singer, if i put together my own band.. So, sooner or later reflection comes on i believe, i'm not sure, i'm fucking trashed, and i find this a good way to get the fuck out of the hellhole i'm in , and stagger myself to the back hallway. There i sit down and begin to calmly throw up, people around me start backing away immediately, once i'm done, i Smile as largly and evily as i can , look up with puke drooling down my chin, get up, and walk back in the concert. Hope nobody slipped on my puke. WHen i get back on the images there's a nasty ass toilet that keeps going in and out like your head is going in and out of it, good thing i didn't see that before or a may have vomited on the hot chick in front of me. God i wanted to fuck every girl there, even the fat ones i think there were 2 fat ones there, i don'tknow why, but whatever i was drunk. So , i get back in the middle of all the shit, sometime during aenima i get kicked in the head and it was my friend, i'm like holy shit, and all is good. I was really hoping to hear undertow, got opiate though, and lateralus, and aenima, awesome set, almost the same as atlantas, but i'll take prison sex over swamp song any day, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! AND WE HAD THE SMALLER VENUE , FUCK YOU AND YOUR FIRST SHOW. that was pointless. i didn't mean that i love all tool fans. when lateralus is done i knew the show was over, which it was, and that was a great song blew me away.. one thing, they played all songs pretty much exactly like on the cd, which is somehting i have never heard a band do before, and nail it, i thought tool had great production, but jesus fucking christ this is a testament to how good they are, that they can sound like their fucking cd with no help at all. From Aenima's breathing, to the timing of every song to the scream in grudge, to adam's guitar playing. Unreal, why would you complain about it being the same? Anyways, by the time the show was over, i couldn't walk, i was dripping wet. We are all walking out, some ghetto chick asked us if we just saw a concert, everyones like yeah, and i say no. She heard me and i was like no it was ballroom dancing. i hate stupid questions, especially when they live right next to the riv. I hate stupid people, tool fans are the most intelligent out tehre, for the most part. Greatest show i ever saw, can't wait til they come back, this time i will not get pulled over and nearly thrown in jail, i will have weed, and i'm out i'm tired as fuck. Hope my review made sense.
Review written by: Tom (metalman5k@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 11:20:20
OK, first of all, Tool's one of my absolute favorite bands, if not my favorite, and yes, I like them even more after going to their Chicago show. Their visuals were amazing. Some of the creepiest stuff I've ever seen. They're even freakier in person than I thought they would be (I was a Tool concert virgin before last night). I think most peoples' favorite visual was those two women fighting underwater. I believe that was during 46 and 2. I could go on, but it's something that needs to be seen to be believed. Nice, long set, about a couple hours. Good picks, too, but there was some stuff I really wanted to hear, too. Oh well, can't please everybody I guess, not when there's so many awesome Tool songs. I think it would've been nice had they played Ticks and Leeches though. I wanted to see Maynard scream like that. Oh well, the way he did the beginning of The Grudge was brilliant. Stiff and scary- looking, nazi-like, clad in leather. Yeah, nothing too special about what he was wearing. Appropriate maybe, but I think some people might've had higher expectations. After they showed the Schism video and the band came back out, he was wearing a pretty freaky bondage outfit or something, but I've seen crazier pics of him. Still fun to watch! I have something to say and I want people to respond to it. OK, does everyone know about how Tool and Rage Against the Machine were pretty close? Now, Zach said the band broke up due to poor communication (and I'm sure what Tim did). Kinda pissed everyone off. Anyway, Maynard was talking about the war going on between good music and shitty music. He said the good guys won, but there were those lost in battle, sometimes due to LACK OF COMMUNICATION, shamefully. Then they played Schism and I was just like, "WOW!!! Was this song really dedicated to Rage Against the Machine?" I don't think many other people got that. C'mon guys, let me know if you agree or disagree with me. That just blew me away. And I just wanted to do one brief follow up: to that guy that got pissed off by drunken assholes, welcome to concert land, buddy. There are dickholes everywhere and yes, there were some at this concert, but there were cool fans too. My biggest regret was probably getting my camera confiscated at the door. Oh well, whatever makes Maynard happy, I guess. Crazy, insane, dangerous, fun as fuck and worth the near $200 I spent. Rock on, Tool!
Review written by: Cpt. Wigglesworth (ccombs2@bsgky.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 11:49:20
Everything has been pretty well covered anyone who may want some pictures e-mail me and give me a little time and I'll get some to you. If anyone has a place to post them let me know and I'll get them to you.
Review written by: shawn (TestEkels@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 12:30:33
I Went. I Saw. I Lived. This being my first Tool concert, and Tool being my favorite band since 97, this was a very special night for me. I won't go into much detail, since most of it has already been said, but last night was the best night I have ever had. I was on the floor, and sure.. the moshing got annoying at times (I really didn't expect that much moshing), but it didn't take anything away from an awesome expirience. The band was phenominal and it was such an amazing expirience to be there. I will never forget last night, and will cherish it forever. P.S. - To that girl I spoke to that saw Tool in Minnesota. E-mail me some time. Try and keep in touch.
Review written by: michelle (shell430@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 12:34:10
F***ing amazing!!! I can honestly say that was the best concert I have ever been to. They played a lot of songs...Schism, Parabol/Parabola, Lateralis, I don't have the song titles in front of me, but also tracks 9, 10, and 11 off of Lateralus, Sober, Stinkfist, Prison Sex, Ænema, forty-six & 2, Pushit, and Opiate. It was awesome, they played for about 45 minutes, then they left the stage and played the new video for Schism (which is awesome!!), then they came back out and played for almost another hour. They sounded so unbelievable. I can't believe how amazing they are live. Anyways, Maynard said that he would be back around soon touring, so all of you who didn't get tickets for these 4 shows, don't panic!!
Review written by: Joe (joe72@surfree.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 13:05:42
As expected, one of the greatest shows the Riv has offered in a long time. The sound was actually very good for once at this venue. I won't bore anybody with the same banter you've already read. If you have the chance, (Rumor is August 17th at the Aragon Ballroom with King Crimson), you must see them on the second leg of the tour. But $42 for a t-shirt??!?? It really couldnt have been a better evening.
Review written by: Jean Claude Garay (garaj01@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 13:42:30
My Buddy Marc drove from Indianapolis to my house in Bourbonnais Il. We shot the shit and headed out to the show. When we got to the Riviera @ 6:00, doors opened at 6:30, the line stretched out around the block. We were hoping that the Concert people had learned from the atlanta show. We decided to wait instead of in line but at a bar across the street called The Green Mill. There were some obvious tool fans in there, some from I.U. Bloomington. We bellied up to the bar and ordered. There was this dude sitting next to us and he was looking for a ticket, all bummed out. He had hopped like 3 trains to get downtown and had 40 bucks to spend on a ticket. I was like "Good luck" thinking of all the outrages prices going around. Me and Marc were able to get face value tickets. Dude was pretty cool and so I bought him a beer and said that if he didn't get in, at least he got a free beer. We could see the line moving and headed out to get in. Suprisingly the line went pretty fast. Kudos to them for not making the same mistakes. We saw a couple people in front of us get turned away. My god, the look on these people's faces when they were denied entry. The dude with the black light said "I am not kidding, I know how much you paid, and I wouldn't kid about that." Man I don't know what I would do. We get in with no problem. They make me tuck my necklace in my shirt. God, what the fuck? Then they sell me Beer? Anyways, me and Marc decided to grab a shirt now, in fear that they might sell out. All the merchandise is crazy expensive. The best one of the lot, in my opinion is short sleve, black, has the new tool logo on the front, the back on the left side has a black and white flaming eye and in the connected letter style, has at the top, "in concert pre semiinal 2001. and below that the four city/dates all writen in the connected lettering. Pretty phat. $32.00 phat? sure. I was screaming at people the whole night, 1 of 4!!!! We go in and get Blown away by Tool. But that is what to be expected. The setlist can be found in other reviews. Didn't expect to hear pushit, and for some reason, it sounded like superbadass? The visuals were cool, but I think they just compliment the music, and that is what I was there for. Maynard looked all leathery and bald, reminded me of the hellraiser dude, minus the nails. I liked him off standing in front of the smaller screen off to the side, cause you get this sort of sillioute maynard, which seemed to dampen his presents and homogenized the band. Adam and Justin were unassuming off on the sides of the stage, just jamming. Danny Carey, was "Bad Ass Vince." I am not a drummer and couldn't tell ya anything technical about drumming but, that dude was bad and could not be ignored. The crowd around me was not too enthusiastic. I can't say for the rest of ya'll. I was on the floor way back by the bar. Jamming out with Marc, each of us a million miles away in our own little Tool enduced euphoria. I had my eyes closed for most of Pushit. Parabol/Parabola came on. It jams so bad. My Buddy David Morris who couldn't make the show said to make a toast when that song came on and think of those who couldn't make it. I had Marc hold my shirts and instead poured that overpriced beer on my head. Sorry if anyone got messy around me. Some young TOOL fan thought I was Kabir. I had a toolshed.down.net shirt on with "you pal" Kabir on the back. The youngster looked up at me all wide eyed "Are you him?" " Naw" I said, just a fan of his site. They ended with Lateralis, wich was grand, we got out quick and headed back. Enjoy the rest of shows detroit, new york. You are in for a treat. I am looking to hook up with someone for TOOL-PINKPOP 2001,Landgraaf Holland, email me.
Review written by: jalan (jlstahl@indiana.edu) Review posted on: 05/18/01 13:45:01
already posted, but wanted to add a couple things for all those "living vicariously" through the reviews... Maynard semi-quote: "we'll be back soon... possibly with King Crimson. If you're thinking of a funny looking guy with makeup.... that's King Diamond, not King CRIMSON." i also thought i saw Mr. Carey handling some vocals... i just thought it was the sweat in my eyes making things blurry. can anyone verify this??? to all in attendance last night, thank you for your presence. we should hang out again sometime (august 17th???) ps... for those of you who were on the floor, who was the rock star up in the balcony (not the female from disturbed...)? Dave someone? i couldn't see. just wondered.
Review written by: shenanigans (skeeziks7@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 13:59:02
TOOL is the most powerful band I have ever seen. Imagine a drummer who looks totally out of place, a guitar and bass player that stand motionless with their feet together and head down, and a lead singer that has his back turned to the audience half of the time. It probably sounds stupid to most people. Screw that, TOOL has something magical going on that no one else can even come close to touching. The sound in the riv was great. Everything was so driving. I didnt know what to do with myself. I didnt know whether to watch the mystery band perform or watch the unbelieveable visuals on the huge screen. Maynard also had a smaller screen on his platform behind him under the big screen. He kind of performed along with the screen at some points. The performance was absolutely flawless. Every member of the band was outstanding. They opened with the grudge. Hearing these songs live off of Lateralus was great. Seeing TOOL live made me understand a few of the songs a little better. After hearing Maynards comments before they played Schism, then seeing the video, totally enhanced the experience. The 16 bar scream at the end of the grudge just blew the place apart. i already knew then that this was the best show that i have ever seen. Ever since i have heard Lateralus i wanted to hear parabol/parabola done live. Absolutely amazing, it is such a happy song for me. to see them perform this flawlessly was just unbelieveable. Stuff was falling from the ceiling because the place was shaking so much. The whole audience was swaying melodically during disposition/reflection. it was such a beautiful eye opening experience. Seeing the girls being tortured by an evil little machine on the big screen in sober was great, everything on the screen went great with every song. I could listen to Maynard forever. HIs talking between the songs made me want more. Even if he was just sputtering out half words and expressions (which he probably did to get the audience back to reality and slap them in the face). Maynard pulled off his jacket to reveal the bra and fake tits during pushit i want to say. i could go on for hours about this show. if anyone who went to the show wants to talk, email me privately ben p.s. the schism video is the best yet. i posted an email about it on topica
Review written by: Valerie (spaa649@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 14:15:26
I thought the show was awesome. It was the first time I ever saw tool(tried many other times it just didn't happen) and i must say what a great place to see them. we got there at about five from ohio and stood in line with some pretty cool people. we sat i the balcony and thought the show was starting but it just turned out to be people from disturbed. when tool did come out they looked and sounded great. i was completely floored by how awesome they were for not playing a show in about 19 months. the show was great i hope everybody likes the detroit show if you were lucky enough to get tickets.
Review written by: mindnumbedbyTHC (dishman@qtm.net) Review posted on: 05/18/01 15:18:54
All in all A good sonic expirience. Tool really has their shit together. Not the best TOOL show I have ever seen though. I have seen them a total of 6 times. The best being(UnderTow Tour) at Club Eastbrook(now the Orbit Room)in Grand Rapids where Maynard stated something to the effect of Morrisey was he and Liberaces love child concieved out of Elvis' asshole(I got an original set list from that show), by the way does he really have a tattoo of a spine on his spine?. Anyway back to the matter at hand. They played as if they never stopped practicing together tight as hell as usual. I think some people take TOOL too serious and I believe Maynard feeds on that type of behavior and kind of caters weirdness to them. Ugliness can be beautiful also. I wish they would have played my weed stealin bitch of an ex-girlfriend song (intolerance)which fits her to a tee Lie,Cheat and Steal, but time constraints won't allow bands to please everyone all of the time. The guitar sound is amazing I wonder if he really freezes his amp heads for that sustain. Anyway they put on a hell of a show sonically and visually. I will definitly be going to the next show. And people please boycott scalpers legit or not that is what causes tickets to be so hard to come by not the bands. let em get stuck with some. do something or quit yer bitchin. Purple Kush/OC compliments Tool so nicely. I need a nap.
Review written by: Joe Haggard (overclocked@gallatinriver.net) Review posted on: 05/18/01 15:48:36
Alright, I was waiting outside the Riviera since 10:45 am, and the show started at 8:30 (not 8:00 as originally planned). So far so good, I was right up front next to the steel baracade, people were REAL excited. Tool arrives on stage, everyone is hollaring, carrying on, it was definitely a moment that cant really be described. They hit the first chord for "The Grudge" and everyone up front was just about broken in half from all the idiot fans in the back trying to PUSH us through the damned baracade. You know..we have to breathe up there. After sitting through that torture for about 5 - 6 songs most of the people in that front line (including me, i was the kid w/ the orange shirt and black ecko hat if anyone wants to contact me..) either went over the baracade or pushed our way to the back of the auditorium just so we could breathe and get away from the idiots in the crowd who's only apparant intention was to ruin the experience for the more die-hard fans who got their WAY earlier than themselves. Tool was phenomenal, they obviously had no way of controlling the crowd and they put on a GREAT show, with videos / psychedelic equalizers breathing life into the huge screen above the stage. This show could have been 50x better if it weren't for the so- called "Fans" who decided to ruin the show for everyone up front. Next time i'll sit in the balcony.
Review written by: straight-butter (choptatron@yahoo.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 15:50:29
I'll save all the hoopla because you've heard it already. My point is about what the band is to me and what it probably is to most 'true' Tool fans. Tool is a great band that transcends music, poetry, and philosophy into one living experience. For moments, sometimes hours, you can escape life as a human, and feel what it means to be another existence (whatever that existence is). And if they're message doesn't intrigue you, then their musical perfection will. Danney is just about the most amazing creature I've ever seen. I've been watching live bands for a long time and I've played percussion for a long time, and nobody comes close to Danney. He's a freak. His style is so diverse it's scary. He covers ever fundamental rythmn, from samba, to jazz, to rock & roll, to funk, to metal, to tribal/egyptian, etc. It's a style unto its own. I haven't heard of anything quite like him since Neil Peart of Rush. The only other guy that has those kinds of chops is that drummer from Dave Mathews Band. Anyway, Adam Jones is a musical and artistic freak. And nobody can right lyrics like Maynard. The parts are great and the whole is greater. I don't know if ever a band has existed that has asked so much from the listener in terms of participation. You truly need all your senses to take it all in, and sometimes even that isn't enough. And then you go the show. This isn't LimpBisqshitz or Korn or some other thrashing band. Not that those bands suck, they're good. But they're not Tool, and they certainly don't demand that kind of attention when listening to their music. Six months from now, you won't remember who Limp is. They'll be like Vanilla Ice, lost and forgotten. Why the heck do people feel the need to jeopardize the lives of themselves and everybody around them? This isn't about being a square. Nobody's saying don't have fun at the show. Transform your mind a little bit. Have fun within yourself. Let the experience draw you into yourself. Blend in with the crowds' mind and let the band guide you through the journey. Don't beat the fuck out of each other. It's senseless and mindless. The body wants to move with the music. But somebody explain to me how breaking heads to get two feet closer to the stage betters your experience. Oh, and how can you be watching a show when you're facing away from the stage looking for someone to knock your head and shoulders into (ie. mosh pit). You guys are fucking morons and ruin what is the greatest experience in music. Next time you feel like bumping heads and breaking arms, invite 10 people to your house, everyone go in one car, turn a Tool CD on real loud, then scratch your eyes out and kick your heads in. That way you don't have to jeopardize the rest of us that just want to be takin' away for a while and absorb the experience the band has to offer. Hopefully, you thrashers decide to go to another concert next time you want to surf or whatever it is that you do. We we're first tier railing and I know most people were like who the fuck are these people and why are they here. Mosh at a $30 show, not a $200 one dumbshits. Hopefully that didn't offend the true fans.
Review written by: Kate (PryingOpenMyThirdEye@Music.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 16:26:44
Hey everybody. Sorry to those who weren't able to make the Tool show, or ended up paying a shitload of money to go. I was able to get tickets by being the first in line at Ticketmaster, and I showed up 15 minutes before 2:00. That's only because I went to a Ticketmaster in Wisconsin, where I live, so there wasn't a line really. I was very lucky to get 2 tickets for $70. I couldn't believe it when I got the tickets; it was surreal. I had to keep looking at them and I was shaking. I was so happy to know that I was going to see Tool. I've liked Tool for a long time, but in the past year they have really grown onto me. I think this is because I'm not in such an aggressive-kill-everyone-hate stage. Tool really brings me inner peace and expands my mind, and I can just say they do wonders for me. So, I went three hours from Wisconsin to Chicago to see Tool. We got a late start and finding parking was hell, but eventually we got there. It was past 8 already then, and when we got to the door there was no line. As they checked our tickets, I had this extreme paranoia that they'd find something wrong with them, even though I bought them straight from Ticketmaster and I don't know how that would happen. After getting in, the concert started about 10 minutes later. I was incredibly relieved to find it hadn't started yet, since I was grealy fearing it had. It was incredibly packed there, but I was determined to get up front. I guess it's easier being a girl, then people are more inclined to let you through. I think the farthest to the front was about 4 people from the barrier. It was cool though, since the Riveria was such an intimate venue. You could be at the back and still have a good view of Tool. I loved that fact. I followed my basic rules for concerts, which I thought I'd share with everyone. They really can help to keep you from dying there. Be nice to the people there, getting others pissed off will do you no good. Chew gum to keep you from getting completely dehydrated. Dress cooly to keep from overheating too much. I wore a skirt and tank top and fishnet shirt (maybe you saw me!) which I managed to stay pretty cool in and I didn't get molested! Also, always remember that when a crowd pushes forward, it's all gonna get pushed back, so just try to hold your ground. Otherwise you may end up falling which can suck. Wear shoes that aren't going to fall off and that won't hurt you too much if your feet get stepped on. I wore my boots. They work wonderfully. Lastly, this is tip that I treasure. If you have long hair, wear it up. It sucks if you don't since you'll end up at the end of the night with a mass of sweaty snarled hair, or even worse, your hair will get pulled, since people like to latch onto things when they're stumbling. Another possibility is your hair getting stuck to some fat shirtless sweaty mans back, and thats just fucking sick. Now that I've talked about everything else other than the show, I suppose I could review it now. I don't remember what the setlist is, but countless other people have written it so I won't worry about it. I'd just like to say that Tool puts on an amazing show. They sound just as good, or better than on their CD's. I always love to hear that. The huge screen and the smaller one behind Maynard made great eye candy. Adam Jones is an artistic genius. It was mighty awesome to see the sillhouette of Maynard against such trippy creative animations. If I could change one thing about the concert, it'd be more songs. I was thinking they'd play Swamp Song like in Atlanta, but hey, I was plenty happy to hear them play ANYTHING! I would've definitely liked to hear Third Eye, my favorite song, but I'm not going to complain. It kinda annoyed me when people decided to chant song names as if they would suddenly change their plans spontaneously for them. That's pretty much pointless. What also annoyed me were the people dancing all stupid. Yes, I really get into the music, but there were people in the audience trying to move like Maynard does when he sings, but they justed ended up looking pretty damn queer. I guess I can't complain though, I saw Tool and I am so damn glad. After last night, I said to my friend, I can die happy now. Tool is so amazing and seeing them live enhances the aura of awe around them 100%. Tool will be back soon, Maynard promised. I'll have to see them then too. I must also say, I was kinda scared of that neighborhood, being that I live in a tiny Wisconsin town where I could leave my door unlocked at night and it would be safe. I was so scared of getting mugged or raped. The people who live there are incredibly brave. Well....I think this is enough of my writing. Email me if you want or something! Kate
Review written by: Demented Jimmy (fatsak_666@yahoo.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 17:05:07
Well i feel the need to say hi to my fellow Tool fans out there.The Chicago show ruled!Hardcore!I got there like 5 hours early.I also happened to get in line right in front of this old crappy garage door lookin thing,that just happened to be where Tool was warming up right on the other side for like an hour!The show of course Rocked as only Tool could.I really missed Eulogy though bad!!!But no matter what they played, they unfortunately cant play it all like we all would have liked.I have a whole new feel for Lateralus now after seeing it all live.Thats nice.The line outside was even cool,i met lots of cool people from all over.I met 4 people from Detroit.Also 4 people from Seattle,who drove here with No tickets I hope they finnaly found some!Also i met people from minnisota,Kentucky Everywhere pretty much.Anyone else remember Maynard calling out Disturbed and saying no contest sort of making a joke at disturbed singers expense?He also told him"don't worry she didn't get it",talking about his little blonde girlfreind.All in all i loved the show i tripped nuts so the visuals were just crazy!!I love Tool i always have for years and i hadn't seen em since 98 Ozzfest i missed em.Maynard sends me on this spiritual journey each time i see him.The most intense actually was APC the 2nd time i saw them,when the headlined with Snake River Conspiracy which rules live by the way!I am the guy w/long brown hair from Hoopeston IL bout 100 mi south of Chicago.Hi to all u i met.I bought my ticket for 250$ off of Ebay plus 60$ gas running around to find tickets all over the place.I feared they would be counterfeit after the crap all over the news and shit but lone and behold the true fans rule!I love u tool and i'm not mad and admired the small tour idea even if i didnt get in.Later-Chris-E-mail me if u wanna know more about what Tool has to offer spiritually and intellectually.fatsak_666@yahoo.com
Review written by: Not Just Brian (kraven7@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 18:55:46
I wont review the actual show because that's already been done a hundred times above me. I thought i should comment on the ticket situation though. I thought the fake ticket situation was handled pretty well compared to Atlanta. The show only started about 30 minutes late. I think people were a little more informed on buying fakes too. I saw two people actually drag a scalper up to the gaurds at the front door and have them scan the ticket he was about to buy with the blacklight. When they OK'd it, he bought it. The scalper wont object if the ticket is real, trust me! Don't rely on the burntest, my friend went home empty handed and 125 dollars down because he trusted the burn test and it turned out to be fake. ( i was lucky enough to have a friend in security who got me in the show rockstar style). Speaking of "rockstars", i saw the singer of Disturbed with his nasty twig of a slut...i mean girlfriend. He walked right in too. However i got a better spot then him haha! Maynard said they'd be back soon with King Crimson, most likely in August. I heard from an inside source that they have already UNOFFICIALLY booked the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. I shall begin counting the days....NOW.
Review written by: J.R. (j-scott@nwu.edu) Review posted on: 05/18/01 18:57:13
So here it was, my first time ever seeing Tool play live. Just bad timing and circumstances for most of their other shows, but I have to admit that I was pretty happy to see them in a venue the size of the Riv for my first time. I'm not going to regale you with tales of my adventures waiting to get in, so I'll go ahead and skip to the beginning of the show. First off, I've never really understood the chants for the band before a show starts, they're gonna come out when they come out, and people shouting "TOOL, TOOL, TOOL" for all of about 30 seconds doesn't seem like much dedication to getting them on earlier to me. But then I'm a cynical little piece of shit, so what'll you do. Moving on. The show began at about 8:30 and they broke directly into the Grudge, which was far better live then it is on the album in my opinion. You've all read about what the stage looked like, what Maynard was wearing and all that kind of stuff, so I think I'll go ahead and leave that out as well. What I do have to say is that by half-way through the Grudge this became one of the best sounding shows I've ever been too. Massive props to both the band and the sound crew. The projection during this song was extremely cool, some sort of morphing face that was very cool and extremely eerie. They then broke into Stinkfist, then I believe 46 & 2. Unfortunately at this point there were a couple Meats that decided it was time to start moshing and it got a bit uncomfortable down in the front. I have to apologize to one kid though, he was thrashing around and bumping into me a lot and I kinda lost my temper and back- heeled him. If you read this man, I really am sorry, I didn't mean to toss you to the floor, I was just pissed at getting jacked up during this of all concerts. Anyway, after the first 3 tracks or so, all the drunk morons lost their steam and the concert became much more pleasurable. Like I said before the sound was amazing through out and the projections were very appropriate for most of the songs, and really added a good deal to the show. Before I go into the highlights of the show for myself, I just have to mention how extraordinarily cool almost all the fans at that concert were. There was a lot of pushing and shoving around, but people were really looking out for one another, and I there was a real communal vibe unlike anything else I've experienced at a concert before. Most people knew the lyrics to every song, even the new ones, and everyone sang along to the songs off of the first three albums. You'd turn around and be face to face with someone singing along with Maynard and you'd just sing back and forth at one another for a couple of seconds...then go back to flailing around to the music. It definitely added to the concert for me, and a big thanks goes out to all you boys and girls down on the closest tier with me. Now for my highlights of the show: Stinkfist - It was the first song that everyone new all the words too and we were all just singing are lungs out. This was the moment I realized how glad I was to be at this show. Prison Sex - What a powerful song. Its beautiful and painful, and accusing and justifying. I didn't get to hear the extra verse, but what I did get to hear was amazing. Dispostion/Reflection - God these are beautiful pieces of music. I had the phrase "Watch the weather change." floating across my head for the rest of the evening, and I kept singing it too myself on the El ride home. Parabol/Parabola - This is quite possibly my favorite piece of music that Tool has ever written. Its actually much more simple than most of what they write (as far as I can tell its in 4/4 time) but it just moves so well...and the two counterparts are just perfect for one another. The line "Celebrating this chance to be alive and breathing." sums up my feelings of the night. I love this song. Lateralus - Yet another song that just blows me away. The inital bass riff is hypnotic, and the lyrics are excellent. Its also the perfect way to end the show. So I suppose those are my reflections on this show. I came away completely satiated, but upset that it won't be until the end of this summer that I'll get to see this band again. And even then its unlikely I'll ever see Tool in such an intimate setting. My thanks to the members of the band, your music reaches a lot of people at a much deeper level than anything else that is being put out today. Peace.
Review written by: Andy Johnson (jonceywoncey@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 20:29:55
This show was absoluty amazing. Pure magic. The venue was small, the crowd wasn't totally drunk, they played a long set, everything was great. Well worth the 8 hour drive and the 5 hour wait. The whole thing was great, but one moment that stood out was when the played parabol/parabola, the crowd was ready to get crazy at that point and at the very second when the first beat of parapola, a huge pit opened up and everyone went crazy, it doesnt sound as cool reading about it, but it was cool to see. Also when Maynard stepped onto stage he was wearing the new wierd ass pair of oakleys. They look really stupid if you the average person, but he look just awesome with a shaved head and all leather. I'm sure other reviews went over the other basics so I wont. but it was great
Review written by: alisa (missworld39@cs.com) Review posted on: 05/18/01 22:34:33
Tool is one of the greatest bands ever and i'm happy i got the chance to see them....even though it costed me my right arm. The band put on an AWESOME show. Maynard, Adam, Justin, and Danny could never fail me but they exceeded all my expectations thursday. I even got to hear them practice from outside the riv....that was cool. The schism video was bad ass. adam is soooo creative. i've been waiting and waiting to see that video, and let me tell you it was well worth the wait. i can't wait to see them live again....though hopefully w/ less assholes in the crowd. oh and i stayed at the best western down the street from the riv and the clerk guy said that some guys from tool stayed there. he obviously doesn't know who they are cuz he couldn't say for sure if it was the band(wishful thinking) or just guys w/ the tool crowd. i made him read me off the names. i didn't recognize any of the names but he said they might have used an alias....hmmm. A(j)Jones was one of the names....aj jones,adam jones, aj, adam....hmmm. let me live in my fantacy world ok.
Review written by: Bill the Katt (bilkat90@yahoo.com) Review posted on: 05/19/01 00:43:39
Not gonna say anything that's already been said. My main thing is...Opiate. I was never really a fan of the EP, nor the song, yet, in Chicago, the way it was performed was...epic...stunning...deconstructive. Small venues may actually be best for this band. After seeing them in the Riviera and comparing to Riverport Amphetheater...the Riv was WAY better...5 hour drive was a bit excessive, but, still better. Kudos to Dixie for the killer food. Or am I just jerking off? ...people should hafta get a license to breed...
Review written by: Gabe C. (saba@nwu.edu) Review posted on: 05/19/01 01:21:02
Note: Most AMAZING show I've ever seen This was my first Tool show. I paid $150 dollars for my ticket; it was worth every penny. First Half: Tool opened with The Grudge, which was a good choice. On the video screens they played what could have been a music video. Maynards scream with the aliens head blurring was amazing. I cant possibly describe the feeling I got when I heard it. Maynard was Cracking jokes between songs, you could definately see his background in standup comedy shine through. I couldn't hear exactly what he said, but I'm 80% sure that he dedicated a song to Brittany Spears, which struck me as really funny. And again, the visuals on the screen were amazing. Adam Jones is a genius. I would've liked to see more stop motion animation. It's a lot more visceral than computer animation, less glossy, more dirty, which I think works so well for Tool. Schism == Intermission: A lot of people were confused when they played the video. Fortunately I knew before hand that they'd be featuring it, so I was at full attention. Watching that video I wished they had released Salival after Lateralus, so the Schism video would be included on the disc. It's really creepy and atmospheric. At one point two of the characters in the video did a "spider- walk" that reminded me of The Exorcist. One of the characters looked a bit like an evolved/deformed version of the woman from the Stinkfist video. The only stop-motion animation I can remember from the show was during this video, which I appreciated. I will say that when the black stick-men were biting the woman's face, you could tell that she was just shaking rubber dolls, which looked, suffice it to say, retarded. I can look the other way on flaws like that though. All in all the Schism video was amazing. Second Half: Many times during the second half I lost complete track of time and location. I got stuck in the music and visuals. Extensive use of trippy color effects and patterns created a hypnotic atmosphere that honestly felt incredible. The version of Lataralus that they played was amazing. It felt at least ten minutes longer than the album track. Maybe it only felt that way to me because i was so completely obsorbed in the absolute essence of Art onstage that a song could seem so endless and amazing, it was incredible nomatter how long. I was kind of hoping that they'd play Hooker With A Penis. I dont know why, but I felt that this would be a great song live. I also though that there was a sort of irony in talking about how much certain fans suck complete ass right to their faces at a live show. I was also surprised by how many people knew the words to their new material. I only had a chance to listen to Lateralus once by the time i got to the show, and I only knew the choruses. I felt kind of left out, but that's alright, because Tool made up for it by putting on one fucking awsome show. :-) ocean of nouns
Review written by: Luke from Milwaukee (DigitlBath@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/19/01 01:42:11
Hey all...sorry I've already posted a review, but something just occurred to me that I forgot to mention. In the song The Grudge, has anybody noticed @ about 7 minutes into the song that Maynard emits this blood-curdling scream for about 24 seconds in length? If you haven't noticed this go back and take a listen. What amazed me about Thursday night's show is that he pulled that scream off live, all 24 seconds of it! That's quite a bit of lung capacity and I hope there is somebody else who appreciates that for what it's worth. Very difficult thing to do because so much air is expended...just another thing about Mr. Keenan that makes him so intriguing. p.s.----> I'm with the people who thought they saw Danny doing the lower vocal part for Schism while Maynard sang the higher part. I couldn't see if there was a microphone by Danny's mouth b/c from where I was at, Danny's left china cymbal was in the way. But I swear I heard another voice in there...
Review written by: Fred Durst Is The Devil (freddurstisthedevil@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/19/01 02:27:14
Let's see here.... ah yes, the Tool concert. I was one of the few lucky individuals who bought tickets from Ticketmaster the day they went on sale. (I find that if you're informed, prepared, and respectful to others, things will go your way.) For those of you who bought tickets from scalpers... good for you. At least you can say you saw one hell of a good concert, eh? Anyway...all the previous reviews are fairly accurate in their details. One thing that I think most people may have missed is when Maynard discussed his leather outfit. He said he was doing his part for the whole foot and mouth disease. I thought that was pretty funny. Speaking of funny, perhaps Tool should consider having a comedy act open for them at shows. I think David Cross would do an excellent job of warming up the audience prior to the band's performance. Sometimes I like to laugh. Like when shit-ass bands think they're great and they totally suck asshole (take note, Freddie.) Sorry. I just had to get that out of the way..... Please, read some more reviews. Just keep on scrolling down. It won't hurt my feelings. Honest. (They all say the same thing, buddy.)
Review written by: Master Reviewer (eyesofstranger2001@yahoo.com.) Review posted on: 05/19/01 03:23:38
TOOL is undoubtably the best musical talent in the world thus far.... I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to see them in Chicago like I had hoped to(could not seem to get tickets,I live in Colorado). I have Seen them 6 times,and seen APC 4 times. A musican myself I am drawn to this band like no other. I have seen about 200- 250 shows already in my life(I'm only 25)........and the last time I saw tool was at Red Rocks here in Co. and of course was the best show I have ever seen. I run my own photography business besides my day job........and my dream in life is to have the opportunity to take live pictures of Tool.........If anyone could give me any Contacts to make that a reality I would have to make it "worth your while" in one way or another. I never thought I would ever be so strongly moved by anything like this in my life. But I can feel the Push. Thank you for letting me voice my desires. Sean Kuncis EYES OF A STRANGER PHOTOGRAPHY
Review written by: michelle (shell430@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/19/01 11:06:30
hey mindnumbedbyTHC... Yes, Maynard does have a tattoo of his spine on his spine. When I saw him with APC, I had 5th row seats, so I could see him in all his glory. It goes down his back and includes his hip bones. It's a really cool tattoo. At the APC show, all he wore was bikini underwear (that were being pulled really low because of his mic pack), so when he danced, you could see the tattoo move with his body...pretty fucking cool! ~michelle
Review written by: Tony (Toolboxx@msn.com) Review posted on: 05/19/01 13:01:51
This was my first Tool show and it was the absolutely mind blowing. Everyone I knew who had already seen them told me that this would be an incredible show but nothing could have prepared me for the awsome spectacle put on by the guys. They played a great mix of old and new and it all sounded perfect. I came down from Minneapolis for the show and after seeing it I would have driven to Detroit to see them again if I could have gotten tickets. It sucks for all of you that had to pay 300 bucks for a ticket but that is a small price to pay to see the greatest rock band in the world. We sat up in the balcony and the fans up there were great. It was really hot but we had a great view of the band and the screens behind them. Fantastic visuals by the way. I wont say too much about the show. If you have seen them you already know. If you havent, you must see it for yourself.
Review written by: Aric (aricpaul@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/19/01 14:37:53
the show was great what can i say. I waited inline forever just to get in the front of the stage and wait ther for another hour which sucked ass because in this old ass theatre they were in it was sooooo hot no ventilation whatsoever. As soon as they started played everyone crushed to the front like I have never seen and i have been to quite a few shows in my day including other TOOL shows and i have never been so crushed by a crowd ever. I think tool may have created a bit much of a demand people are itching for tool hard. anyway my highlight was aenima Danny's drums sounded like a damn earthquake you just can not touch that guys sound. Maynard looked like old school rob halford he even said so himself. The new stuff was unreal reflection was not of this earth. They played like a hybrid sort of version of pushit where in the breakdown part adam played the opening riff of the slow version from the box set, but mainly it was played the album way. I was surprised to see how still and calm the band seemed you see a lot of acts theese days that every time the song goes crazy so do they but not tool i guess the music speaks for itself no reason to jump around like an ass. all in all the show was good the crowd was CRAZY to say the least and all the people who got bunk tickets my heart goes to you that sucks!
Review written by: Not a stupid 25 year old drunk man (cailinltj1@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/19/01 14:58:24
Alright, I have to agree with that other guy that was talking about how many asses were at the show. Half of these people obviously screwed over other REAL fans by getting tickets more for the fact that they GOT tickets to this show and less for actually seeing Tool. I heard some of these people claiming how much "this place is gonna fucking blow up man when tool comes out!! yeaaaaa!! tooollll!!!! Look at these pathetic short mothafuckers in the back wishing they were up front!" THen the show starts and they procede to shove everyone as far up front as possible, all the while obviously not knowing a single song except for Schism and Aenema. Don't you have anything better to do? No one seemed to realize TOOL IS NOT A HARDCORE BAND. I was also beyond disgusted at how these masochistic dickheads treated some of the women that were there, blatantly walking up to them and saying, "Damn, you've got some great tits." Have some damn respect, they are actually people too. Amazing that these guys suddenly got very bored during the quiet mellow parts (who woulda thunk??). Despite all this, Tool played an amazing show, just simply beyond words. I've decided Tool has transgressed from music, they are now only their own separate entity.
Review written by: J (cr_bass@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/19/01 16:05:25
15 hours total of driving, 4 hours of waiting, 2 hours of music. Definetly worth it. I attended this show with five other people and we all got our tickets for the regular price. Sweet. Most of the songs were played exactly like their studio counterparts. However, Pushit was somewhat of a mix between the Aenima and Salival versions. Also, Opiate had something of a really distorted guitar solo at the end. I must say that Tool performed almost flawlessly. I heard them screw up a little during Stinkfist and 46 & 2, but nowhere else. Of course, this was the second live show that they have played in two years, so you have to expect them to be a little rough. I loved the way the new songs sounded live, especially Disposition and Reflection and Parabol/Parabola. Those of us who made it to this show have experienced something that many will never get the chance to see: Tool in a tiny theatre. Absolutely incredible. My only complaint is that it was really hot and everyone was using drugs around me. I can't imagine smoking or drinking anything that would screw up my memory of this experience. Snoochi Boochies
Review written by: Andy Augspurger (faaip_de_oiad@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/19/01 16:15:28
I just got back from Chicago and I'm fucking beat. Setlist: 1. The Grudge 2. Stinkfist 3. Forty-Six & 2 4. Prison Sex 5. Schism 6. Pushit 7. Disposition 8. Reflection Break-Schism Video 9. Sober 10. Parabol 11. Parabola 12. Ænema 13. Opiate 14. Lateralis This was my 5th time to see Tool, and of course, it was absolutely amazing. The Riviera is a small venue with a great setup and is a perfect place to see a concert. The night began with my friend and I performing our Tool concert ritual of dropping acid. We both dropped 5 hits each, so it was going to be a rather intense experience which definitely was that and more. Then we hopped in a cab and arrived at The Riviera. After getting a full body cavity search cause I was extremely fucked up and having to throw my necklace away (which is fucking bullshit), I was finally in. I found the position where I wanted to stand and just watched all the people and the hallucinations I was having. I feel sorry for all you die-hard fans that didn't get tickets, because there were some fucking morons there. I even seen some dumbfuck wearing a Limp Bizkit shirt. Then after waiting which seemed like forever, the show began. I was instantly transcended into "The Tool Dimension", which all of you fellow psychonauts know what I talking about. Seriously, if you trip acid/shrooms, or want to, then I highly suggest you trip the next time you see Tool. The images that were displayed on the screens were unreal. They were the most craziest, unbelieveable graphics that I've ever seen. They could make a sober person trip balls, so you can imagine how I was feeling. And then they took a break and played the 'Schism' video. WOW! It was fucking incredible. Adam is such an amazing artist and visionary. I really wish they would make something like "The Wall" now after seeing this video. I think it is their best one yet. The only thing that I was disappointed about, was that they didn't play 'The Patient' or 'Ticks and Leeches'. 'The Patient' is the song I like most from Lateralus at the moment and 'Ticks and Leeches' is just fucking bad. I figured they didn't play 'Ticks and Leeches', because it's probably really hard on Maynard's voice and they have a big tour to do. But I have no idea why they didn't play 'The Patient'. I'm not complaining what so ever. Just getting to hear any of their songs live is a wonderful gift and I consider myself very lucky and am grateful. I'm just a little disappointed. Anyways, after jam dancing the whole concert and still tripping balls, I could barely walk after the concert. All in all, it was a once in a life time experience and I couldn't have asked for a better time or experience. Oh, and I also got to meet the band. Well, everyone except Maynard, who I guess was off getting laid. What a surprise. LOL. Anyways, they are so fucking cool and nice. I wish that I would've had a chance to really talk to them. I got Danny's autograph, but didn't get either Adam's or Justin's. I started talking to Adam when there were about 8 of us there, but didn't get an autograph before he got fucking raped by all the fuckheads. He was extremely nice and shy, so I felt sorry for him and didn't even ask. What really pissed me the fuck off though, were these cocksucking autograph sellers who didn't even like Tool that were there. They were just there to get their autographs so they could sell them to idiots who are dumb enough to buy them on ebay. When I was around Adam, one of these fucks actually said to him, "Now be patient when you write" while getting his autograph. I wanted to knock the fucking shit out of him. It pissed Adam off too, but he still signed it anyways cause he's so nice. I didn't ask Justin either because he was already getting raped by the time I got over to him. I can't believe that I actually got to meet them. I just hope that one day, I'll actually get to have a meaningful conversation with them. see you auntie
Review written by: TL (terry@geeknix.com) Review posted on: 05/19/01 23:28:51
I refrained from listening to Lateralus for a couple of days after the show, just to let the effect sink in... I threw it in the CD player again tonight, only to have a revelation: When I first heard Lateralus, the first track, the Grudge, did not impress me at all. While in the concert, it didn't quite register with me that that was the track that they were playing. The song was absolutely breathtaking live; the rhythm section had a *visceral* effect, to say the least, the vocals were haunting, the solo guitar rants (my favorite feature of tool music) was crystal clear. So then, the realization is this: the tracks on the CD do not quite live up to the quality of the live sound this time around. I don't know whether it's the mixing of the album -- Aenima has to be one of the more brilliantly mixed albums I've ever heard -- but in any case, the studio versions of the Lateralus tracks are disappointing compared to the live performances. Another factor in this equation may have been the Riv sound system -- I recall a couple of years ago a stellar show by Underworld there, that was largely due to the acoustics of the place. So I guess all I'm getting at is that after the live show I think I understand where the band was coming from when they picked the album's first track. It's amazing how this show redeemed the shortcomings of the studio versions for me. Umm... and I know I'm going to get flamed for being critical of the album's mixing, but I'll take that risk. The rawer live sound of Aenima's mixing suited the tool sound a bit better, I think. Amazing show! I hope the guys had someone record that show, and I hope they sit down and listen hard; try to figure out how to convey the sheer power that is the tool sound a little better on the next CD.
Review written by: Mister Beefhead (msegers@megsinet.net) Review posted on: 05/20/01 01:16:19
This will probably be the most negative review posted so far, so let me just start out by saying: I really do like Tool, I wouldn't say that I am as huge of a fan as some of the posters here but the music really moves me. Some of my favorite stuff. Anyway, I can't say that the show was all that good - The sound system was just bad, bad, bad. It sounded like a home recording made with the level turned up too high. This was the most impersonal show that I have ever been to - you got no sense of personality whatsover from the band. The video system was nice, but having a rigid display system to go with a live preformance does not leave a lot of room for anything spontaneous. I thought that the whole Schism bit was just ridiculous - I mean why play the song live with no imagery (except for a few spotlights moving about on the white screen), and then play a recording of the song with a video? I think that I would have been much cooler to have the new video play along with the live preformance, thus leaving more time for another song or two (man, it would have been nice to have heard Eulogy). As has been said, the crowd down front really sucked - I sincerely hope that no one was hurt. There seemed to be an awful lot of little girls up front at first - i wonder if they knew what they were in for? Probably not, as the vast majority of them got pulled out by the bouncers within about the first ten minutes. On that note, a specific apology to the little girl plastered to my back by the massive crowd, screaming like was being crushed to death - I would have liked to have helped, but even though I'm a big guy, I couldn't even bring my arms up from my side, let alone help you get the hell out of there. I hope you're all right. I also felt that Maynards preformance was pretty plastic - the whole "lurching in place" thing was interesting for a little while, but I started to feel like his part could have played by a puppet being shook around. Maybe they're just not "that kind of band", but you just knew that there were not going to be any suprises it this show. The one good thing about the show matching almost exactly the descriptions of the Atlanta show was that as I remembered the set list, I was able to make a run for it as soon as the last song started (I don't care much for "Laterlis" - maybe it'll grow on me) without fear of missing anything. This was one of those shows where the band really mailed in their preformance - I don't regret going too much, as I got my ticket for $30, but taking into account the gas money and time spent, I would have rather have just stayed home, put on some Tool albums, and spent the $150 that I could have got for the ticket. Man, I really would have been ready to hurt someone if I had payed as much for my ticket as some prople did. and beat the crowd.
Review written by: Mister Beefhead (msegers@megsinet.net) Review posted on: 05/20/01 01:20:32
This will probably be the most negative review posted so far, so let me just start out by saying: I really do like Tool, I wouldn't say that I am as huge of a fan as some of the posters here but the music really moves me. Some of my favorite stuff. Anyway, I can't say that the show was all that good - The sound system was just bad, bad, bad. It sounded like a home recording made with the level turned up too high. This was the most impersonal show that I have ever been to - you got no sense of personality whatsover from the band. The video system was nice, but having a rigid display system to go with a live preformance does not leave a lot of room for anything spontaneous. I thought that the whole Schism bit was just ridiculous - I mean why play the song live with no imagery (except for a few spotlights moving about on the white screen), and then play a recording of the song with a video? I think that I would have been much cooler to have the new video play along with the live preformance, thus leaving more time for another song or two (man, it would have been nice to have heard Eulogy). As has been said, the crowd down front really sucked - I sincerely hope that no one was hurt. There seemed to be an awful lot of little girls up front at first - i wonder if they knew what they were in for? Probably not, as the vast majority of them got pulled out by the bouncers within about the first ten minutes. On that note, a specific apology to the little girl plastered to my back by the massive crowd, screaming like was being crushed to death - I would have liked to have helped, but even though I'm a big guy, I couldn't even bring my arms up from my side, let alone help you get the hell out of there. I hope you're all right. I also felt that Maynards preformance was pretty plastic - the whole "lurching in place" thing was interesting for a little while, but I started to feel like his part could have played by a puppet being shook around. Maybe they're just not "that kind of band", but you just knew that there were not going to be any suprises it this show. The one good thing about the show matching almost exactly the descriptions of the Atlanta show was that as I remembered the set list, I was able to make a run for it as soon as the last song started (I don't care much for "Laterlis" - maybe it'll grow on me) without fear of missing anything. This was one of those shows where the band really mailed in their preformance - I don't regret going too much, as I got my ticket for $30, but taking into account the gas money and time spent, I would have rather have just stayed home, put on some Tool albums, and spent the $150 that I could have got for the ticket. Man, I really would have been ready to hurt someone if I had payed as much for my ticket as some prople did.
Review written by: Joshua Bergstrom (Metal_n_me@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/20/01 01:53:48
Nothing could have prepared me for what I witnessed Thursday night. The restrained power that Tool displays on stage provides for a dark, mysterious, and uncontrolled show. I arrived at the Riviera Theatre at 7:00 to find a line of people wrapped half way around the theatre. It wasn’t long before I found myself in the theatre taking in the sights of the lobby. From the looks of the dark and aged walls of the lobby, I could tell this was the type of theatre Tool belongs in. Once I found the area I was to be seated I began to observe the stage. The first thing I noticed was how small the stage was and how close the crowd could get to the band. It was this kind of intimate atmosphere that allowed the band to give off and receive the emotions of their music. On the right of the stage stood Adam Jones’ three guitar stacks with his effects peddles at the front of the stage. On the left side of the stage was where Justin Chancellor’s two bass stacks were with his peddles at the front as well. In the back of the stage stood two elevated platforms. The one on the left held Danny Carey’s drum kit. The right platform was empty with a large video screen behind it. The stage had a background of a huge projection screen, which would show images and clips throughout the entire show. As I sat there taking in the sight of the stage, I noticed a commotion down on the floor below. I looked to my right to find David Draiman and Fuzz of Disturbed sitting only two seats away from me. I quickly rushed over to shake David’s hand and wish him luck on Ozzfest this summer. I then waited for Tool to come on. After about thirty minutes the crowd began to chant for Tool and one by one Adam, Justin, and Danny went on stage and claimed their place and instrument. Then finally, Maynard James Keenan came on in a long black trench coat. He walked to the front of the stage to taunt the crowd and then went back to claim his spot on the platform in the back. He removed his coat to reveal his outfit of a full leather suit covering all but his head with long black boots. The band instantly broke into the first song of the evening, “The Grudge”. After which Maynard took time to congratulate Danny. He said, “Yesterday was Danny’s last day of probation. We wont go into too much detail, lets just say she didn’t have any I.D. on her.” After a short pause, they played Stinkfist and 46 & 2. This was the point where Maynard took time for his “Shameless self promotion”. He reminded the audience that they had a new album out and told everyone to tell a friend to buy one or two. They then played Prison Sex, Schism, Swamp Song, Disposition, and Reflection. As Reflection ended they left the stage one by one leaving Adam alone to finish the guitar finale. Once the stage was motionless the giant screens amazed the audience with the video for Schism. Adam, who makes the Tool Videos, did a great job on this and amazed the audience with twisted images of deformed figures in an almost love-like story. As the video ended, the band came back on to finish the show. The last half of the show consisted of Parabol, Parabola, Sober, Aenima, Opiate, and finally Lateralis. The visions displayed on the screens during the show were some of the most creative and beautiful pieces of art and computer animation I have ever seen. MTV would never be worthy of playing a piece of art like Schism. One of the most impressive sights of the evening occurred after the show. In the alley behind the theatre after the show, Danny came out to greet fans and sign autographs. I was amazed to see him so appreciative of his fans. This was the greatest concert I have ever witnessed. I am anticipating Tool’s return to the U.S. this fall.
Review written by: evan (lunati1114@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/20/01 03:29:53
absolutely stunning, this was my third tool show, from lollapalooza to ozzfest to this,if tool continues to progress at such at alarming rate, i am afraid for everyone's sake at what they will become. complete mental systems overload. wonderful.
Review written by: THEBULLETINMR.DICKHEAD'SEYE (INDPLS4473@AOL.COM) Review posted on: 05/20/01 11:01:00
HOPE THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED! HOPE THIS IS WHAT YOU HAD IN MIND!! THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE RECIEVED!!! I HOPE YOU CHOKED ON IT!!!! I SURE DID!!!!! TIFOECEIPYREVEDEVOLDNA FOR COMPLETE REVIEW SEE JEAN CLAUDE GARAY
Review written by: nag champa (mauiwowiman@seductive.com) Review posted on: 05/20/01 14:57:14
the show was an awesome experience , it was my first chance to see TOOL live . they started off with playing "the grudge" and it was amazing even though it was as hot as hell in the riviera and people were passing out and having seizures the only thing that mattered was TOOL , they did an awesome job and kept the show interesting the whole time thank you TOOL
Review written by: mslisa (mslisa100@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/20/01 18:36:28
I've never gotten tickets to such a small venue before. All I can say about the ticket situation is, you had to have a plan. I drove to a ticketmaster outlet in a small town with a lot of conservative religious types living there. There were only 4 of us in line, and the dude that worked there clued us into the fact that he could draw tickets faster if everyone paid cash, so that's what we did, and we all got tickets. That said, the show was so awesome, I just about died. My ears rang for 2 days, but boy, was it worth it. I gotta say I like Maynard on the platform with the visuals behind him, but I would also like to see him spotlighted for a couple of songs, too. I also love his little Maynardisms. The visuals were mesmerising. I just wish they would have played more, but I understand that's not always possible. I can't wait for August. I also have a favor to ask. I sent my brother out to look for t-shirts, and he came back and said he didn't see any for sale. I saw on this site that there were shirts and I really would love to have a shirt. This was my first Tool concert although I've been listening to them since Undertow. If anyone got an extra shirt they could part with, please e-mail me. It needs to be at least XL. Thanks.
Review written by: TwoJosh (Millakall@aol.com xversetx@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/20/01 18:55:44
2:00 PM: Arrive Chicago After having found the Riviera and seeing a score of people wrapped around the block nearly five hours before the concert, we decided to take a little walk down to Lake Michigan. Chicago is quite a beautiful city, however, the people are like a menagerie, there's good breeds and bad ones. After we had walked nearly four miles we finally returned to the Riviera. 5:00 PM: Standing in Line We assured ourselves that we were not going take place in the in the line that had wrapped itself around all corners of the block the Riviera sits on. We therefore took place in what you might call the "scalp yard." Everyone we stood next to were like ticks and leeches trying to score some tickets. The prices were ranging frm $50 - $250. We heard of one girl that gave head for a ticket, and then bragged about it. Gradually we made our way from the conglomeration of parasites and engaged ourselves in a conversation with a few guys, one of which claimed to be formerly a member in a band with Soulfly's drummer. Regardless of the veracity of his statements, we secured ourselves a spot in line just moments before the security guards told everyone to rise. Hardly no time passd before they allowed us to begin entering the theatre. Being practically strip searched wasn't so bad, it was the fact that by the time we entered, the baracade was all taken, but we accepted our spots with one person between ourselves and the barrier. 7:00 PM: Waiting for TOOL The girl standing in front of us allowed the time to pass much more quickly, telling stories of both TOOL and APC. The two gentlemen behind us claimed to have seen TOOL a total of four times, and gave us stories of Maynard's elaboate costumes and gesticulations. 7:45 PM: The Mullet Technician and Disturbed With the cheesy hardcore 80's music blaring in the backgrund, no doubt meant to eulogize TOOL's peformance, the picture would not be complete without the 80's technician. We were appeased when a man came from out of backstage sporting a "Joe Dirt" style mullet. The crowd cheered, "MULLET...MULLET...MULLET." When the mullet left, the crow screamed, "Bring back the mullet...Bring back the mullet." He came back moments later for an encore appearance, which pleased the crowd. Rather this was before or after, I can't remember, but at some point the crowd directed its attention and began cheering/booing the lead singer of the band Disturbed. Our neighboring fans were cussing and threatening the vaincontemptuous (insert name here) by his audacity to sign autographs to teeny-boppers that came scurring towards him. After his ostentatious performance had passed, fans re- directed thier attention to the stage as the last of the guitar techs tuned and re-tuned and re-tuned and re-tuned Adam and Justin's instruments. The music grew louder and the crowd began to chant, "TOOL...TOOL...TOOL...TOOL..." 8:10 PM: An Evening with TOOL Begins Enter left: Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Adam Jones, Maynard James Keenan. Danny wore a Nicks jersey and a pair of khaki shorts. Justin wore a black polo shirt and a pair of black pants. Adam dressed in a pair of black pants and a green and white, long sleeve, button up, collared shirt. Maynard boasted a pair of black leather pants, black boots, a black leather jacket, and some really neat glasses ala Rob Halford. The crowd rushed forward literally crushing those of us in front. There were a couple of times where I swear I felt the baracade about to give way. The Riviera filled with cheers. The flash of the 30 ft. tall screen with the beginning of the powerful "The Grudge" set the crowd screaming. This experience cannot be summed into words because half the show resided in the visual aspect of thier performance. With the ingenious video clips that overlayed each song, we were further brought into the more intimate side of the music, being trapped by the melodic beat and seduced by the erotic, yet distrubing images. There is no way for anyone that wasn't there to understand what it was like to be front row. Within 20 minutes, both mine and my friends hand's were pruney from our sweat. There wasn't a single person up there that wasn't saked to the bone. But it didn't matter. I was standing 10 ft. away from Adam studying every move he made, hoping to catch something I didn't know how to play. The first three or four rows were okay, as far as not being pushed around, however, from row five back to maybe 40 ft. from the stage, standing in one place would have been impossible. Everyone up front was there to watch and to listen, not to let the enviornment take control of our actions. We were there for TOOL, not for the people, as compared to others. After finishing "The Grudge", they then followed with "Stinkfist", excluding the steel drum beginning. Exerpts of the video and other disillusioned images from Adams mind flooed the theatre. Next came "Forty-Six and 2". A stellar performance with only one error by Adam at the very end. When playing the finishing power cords, Adam accidntly added an extra note, but quickly fixed it. His quick glance over to Justin and a faint smile gave him away. This mistake was quickly made to be forgotten, however. After "Fourty-Six and 2" they played "Prison Sex". When finished, they went back to Lateralus with "Schism". Schism was brought in with Maynard speaking nostalgically of music back in the old days. He said, "There is a war going on; a war between good music and shitty music. Not to quote Beavis and Butthead, but, shitty music sucks." My friend, being an intense RAGE fan, immediatly associated his eulogy with RAGE's recent break up. I think it seemed that way to a lot of us. After "Schism" came "Pushit", followed by "Disposition" faded into "Reflection." At the close of "Reflection", all the band members except Adam made their way off stage. Adam remained behind playing he end of "Reflection" in repitition, then finishing by setting his guitar against Maynard's podium letting the feedback take control. 9:05 PM: Intermission Questioning fans looked frantically at each other, "Is that all? I sure hope not." We were shortly reasured by the figure on the cover of Salival roatating up on the big screen with strange music/feedback being played. Perhaps five minutes later, the music cut, the screen went blank and the lights were killed. In a brillian burst, the stage turned white and we watched enthusiastically as we were one of the first to see the long awaited video for "Schism." Nothing can be said to describe this video other than awesome. Adam dissapointed no one with his wonderful writing and directing. I don't want to summarize the video, I want the reader of this review to experience this with an unadulterated mind. 9:20 PM: TOOL returns Back with a fresh change of clothes, TOOL captured us with one of thier greatest songs "Sober". The video being played was nothing like that of the actual video. It showed two naked girls, arms wrapped around each other screaming, for fear of a robotic scorpion. Once again, I say words cannot summarize, only bastardize. After "Sober" they performed the complementing "Parabol" and "Parabola" with perfection. These two songs invigorized the crowd even more, giving energy to an exausted people. After this, Maynard said that we were a good crowd and that they'd play us an extra song. Our added bonus was "Opiate." The crowd cheered. After "Opiate" came "AEnima". This sounded so perfect, in fact, I'd say it sounded better than on the CD. While screaming, "I can swim... I can swim... I can swim..." the lights flashed black and white, strobe-like. After playing two of thier CD's title songs, they finished with their newest title song, "Lateralis." The intense drum beat that transposes the lyrics filled the auditorium and became the metronome for the beat of our hearts. With the finish of this, in an energizing sequene of power chords, Maynard thanked us, the other members waved. Exit left. Th et wo jo shs
Review written by: Drewdogg (bozobuttz@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/20/01 21:54:21
I don't know where to start. There are few words powerful enough to describe last night's show. I want to share my ENTIRE experience with you. Please bear with me if you want to read a good story. Well anyway, let me try to tell you my long tale. 1. Getting Tickets Since I live in the Chicago area, it seemed that the Tool concert would be a must attend event. And when I woke up early on that May Saturday morning to go purchase tickets, they sold out in about 30 seconds. Within 10 minutes, my friends were on the phone with a broker and we were ordering 4 tickets @ $75 a piece! We were going to see Tool! (Then 10 minutes later, they called back saying that they didn’t have tickets nor would they be getting any!) Dreams smashed again. Now I figured I wasn’t going to see Tool at The Riviera, and I would have to wait at least until August to go. So I gave up on the whole ticket situation and I pushed it away from thought for the next week. Then I gave Ebay a try on Sunday. My limit was $100. I placed several bids, and kept getting outbid because people had copious amounts of money to spend. I did have a few options though. The one that worked was this: On Wednesday, I received an e-mail from an Ebay member saying that the winner from his auction backed out on him. I hopped on that shit and emailed him! We then exchanged several emails and he gave me his phone number. Nothing was final yet. I needed to call him on the phone to set up everything so it would be good. The problem was he didn’t provide me with an area code. 2. The Concert Day Over night I was having crazy dreams about Tool and the concert. I woke up early and my top priority was to email this guy and get his complete cell phone number. Since I had to go to school, this was going to prove difficult and scary because of time constraints. I sent the e-mail off and I was off to school. I was able to check my e-mail from one of the school’s computers once, but I had no reply yet. Also, I had one other option to call a guy at work from my school. During my lunch hour, I went to use the pay phones. I tried dialing multiple times using different methods and could not call him. This plan was eliminated. I would be unable to contact him after school let out because he would be already on his way to Chicago. I was now mad because I had nobody to contact for tickets. I went to my next class and faked sick. I asked to go to the nurse and was written a pass. I went to the lunchroom to meet up with my friend, Matt, who was definitely going to the concert. He bought tickets through a broker and he was helping me to get a ticket. We talked a bit then his lunch hour was over, and we had to finish up the school day. The bus ride home seemed to take forever. I entered my house and luckily there was no one occupying the computer so I instantly checked my email. His reply was there and I copied it down onto my list of various ticket info and phone numbers. AMEN! It was 4pm, the time that he and I agreed I’d call him (Nate). I called Nate just to get in touch and everything was still good, I was his only customer. We agreed on $100. My friends called and said they would come and pick me up around 5pm. I walked around my house all nervous until they got there. The two picked me up and we proceeded to Mike’s house (one of the friends in the car:- ). Once there, Mike’s brother, Tim, was asking us about our tickets. He wanted to go, he didn’t have a ticket, and Nate had 2 for sale. So now Tim and I were in it together for those tickets. We were back on the road headed for Chicago, an hour drive away. We had many a good conversations on the way about Tool, etc. First thing in Chicago, we needed to stop at Gold Coast Tickets, which is near Navy Pier. Dan and Mike went in and came out with the real deal tickets. We fondled the tickets for a little bit in the back seat. Nate called at 6pm from outside The Riv saying that the doors were open and people were getting in. I told him we’d be there ASAP. Once on Laurence, we passed the Aragon Ballroom, where Dan, others, and I saw A Perfect Circle on March 23, 2001. That was my first concert ever and it was awesome. One block later was The Riv. This would be my first going there, but the other guys have been there before. Dan pointed out the 2 tour buses parked on the street. We paid for parking and I was already on the phone with Nate. We located each other quickly. I met the man who made everything possible. I shook his hand. He made me happy and allowed me to see my first Tool concert at this intimate venue. For the 4 of us, this was our first Tool concert! We checked the tickets for realness and they were all good. We exchanged and departed, but we all ended up in line next to each other. The end of the line was at Laurence and Magnolia, and once we were in it, it moved rather swiftly. One crazy bum walked down the line and was carrying a booze jug in a brown paper bag. He was asking for a ticket. We talked to Nate and his girlfriend and they were both very nice. A security guy came up and was checking tickets with a black light. I got scared but in a matter of seconds he checked it and told me “OK”. There was nothing stopping my buddies and I now. Our friends Matt (from my school) and Anthony passed by and we stopped them. Matt and Anthony have been to Tool concert(s) before. All six of us were so excited. 3. The Concert We were patted at the door, I passed through and my ticket was torn. We grouped back up and waited for Matt and Anthony. In the meantime, we spotted the shirt stand. I anxiously viewed what they had to offer and was very pleased at what I saw. We all bought the very special “Pre-seminal” shirt. It has the dates and the four U.S. cities on the back. We put our shirts on and everyone began asking us where we got the cool shirts. Matt and Anthony came in and saw our shirts and instantly went and bought theirs. I said to Matt, “We are the ELITE”! He said, “Yes, the ELITE”! We walked into the theater itself, went down toward the front on the right side and started working our way in. The stage had a giant screen taking up almost all of the back. At the lower left, underneath it was a smaller screen. At the right was Danny’s drum set. There were no microphones in sight except for the ones on the drums. We were standing around talking when everyone started looking up to the balcony. Apparently someone spotted the lead singer from Disturbed, a Chicago band. The moment was now here. We anticipated a FULL 2 HOURS OF TOOL! I would guess the show started at 8:20pm. The music stopped and the crowd silenced. Then the lights dimmed and the mass of people compressed forward. Danny came out from the left first and climbed up behind his massive drum set, which has impressive dual bass drums. Justin walked to the right side and picked up his bass. Adam followed and also got into position. Then, as usual Maynard came out last. He came to the front and center of the stage. He wore a leather suit and no wig. He then moved to the back and directly in front of the smaller screen. He picked up his mic, and everything started. The music started and the crowd began to go wild. They lit up their blunts. The visuals on the screens also began. They were the same on both screens. I personally don’t remember the songs in order, but I know the setlist was great. Stinkfist and Schism were in the beginning of the show. The crowd was going nuts. It swayed to the left the jutted back roughly and almost knocked me off my feet. A dozen or so people bodysurfed. The on-screen images throughout the performance were crazy as hell. For some time, a reddened eye expressing pain was shown, and it really creeped me out. The music slowed down for a while at one point and I could tell that most of the crowd was tired. Maynard didn’t talk a lot at all. He did mention that Danny had his last day of parole! The entire night, only one woman flashed her tits. A few minutes later, Maynard said something like, “Nice tits.” Also, at another moment, he said something along the lines, “There is a war of shitty music versus good music.” At this point I was soaked in my own, and other peoples sweat. Someone had spilt their beer on my back. I was so hot and gasping for oxygen. I was tired all over, and my neck was killing me the most. Tool took about a ten minute break, and I knew the music video for Schism was going to be shown. They all seemed to disappear from the stage. This is where things got a little hairy. My vision was getting dark and I felt like I had to puke. I made my way out of the crowd and was about to barf on myself when I spotted a garbage can. I got to it and let ‘er rip! A security guy sitting nearby moved his stool far away from me. I had barely anything to eat or drink all day. A woman near me offered to buy me a water but I refused. I heard the music video being played and I missed about 95% of it. DAMN! – Now I have to wait to see all of it on MTV. Just as I was done, a large man with red hair quickly emerged from the crowd, ran up to me, and began puking in the same can I just used!!! The water women and I gave each other a funny look. He finished throwing up and I told him, “Your not the first one to do that!” He responded, “I’ve been barfing all night. I barfed over the railing [in the front].” I said, “Oh man!” WHOA – that’s pretty messed up. By the time Tool came back out, I felt fine, and was already back in the crowd with my friends. The concert resumed kicking ass. The songs were back in full force. My ears were ringing very badly. Whenever the crowd cheered, there was pain in my ears and I had to cover them. It was now Sober’s chance to be heard. A most special note: I was about to piss and shit my pants when Sober was played. Performed live, it sounds spectacular, and there is so much more to it than the recorded version. The sound is heavy and hardcore. Listening to Sober from a CD doesn’t serve your ears justice. Aenema was toward the end of the show. This is when the crowd got the most violent. I had my arms in front of me, defending myself most of the show. There were fat sweaty guys with their shirts off. When one jammed into me, his fat back slid across my forearms. YUCK! The moshing was out of control. The floor was slippery with spilt drinks and peoples sweat. Some big fat dudes pushed through the crowd to get in to the mosh pit. I stayed right at the outside edge of it. I used all the energy I had so stay on my feet. Word is that Lateralus was last and the concert was over. The band left in reverse order than the beginning. Maynard threw bottles of water into the crowd. Danny threw his drumsticks out also. I looked up to the balcony and saw the guy who caught one of them. The lights came on and I found my friends. Most of the people cleared out. Regular lights were turned on the stage and I could get a better look at it. I saw Danny’s drums were an orangish wood color. The roadies swarmed the stage and began taking stuff down. One guy at the front of the stage said, “Get outta here. Nothing to see here.” Yeah right! We rested then we went out into the hall where I was about to fall over because getting out of there was slow. Once outside, the air was MUCH better, but it wasn’t as cool or fresh as I thought it would be. Lets just say that there WAS oxygen. We sat on the curb then went back to the car. Matt found a counterfeit ticket torn up on the ground. I looked at it and it was really bad! Some of our friends parted and we got in the car and drove home. Once we were out in the suburbs again, we stopped at a White Castle to get some water. I got out of the car and barfed again. Some rowdy people outside were cheering me on. And guess what happened. A cop pulled up and asked Tim if I had anything to drink. Tim took care of everything for me, and the cop left. They dropped me off at home where I puked 2 more times and got barely any sleep. My family thought I was stoned. The whole experience was so UNREAL! THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE, EVER, CAME TO AN END. I owe Nate from Michigan a many great special thanks for making it all possible. The experience was worth every cent. Thank you for reading, Andrew “Drewdogg” Walters
Review written by: Shaleen (saghi@uiuc.edu) Review posted on: 05/20/01 23:41:15
incredible show. i cannot believe maynard sang from the back left corner of the stage. what singer does that?? i also cannot believe the way adam plays. you know how most guitarists will headbang and yell and basically compete for attention with the singer? well adam never once even looked up, playing with the precision and accuracy of a humble guitar guru, if there is such thing. it was really cool of them to do long beautiful songs like pushit that seem like they'd be a pain in the ass to play live. the show didn't have many extras like most bands' concerts; the way they play, they really didn't need any. we got there around 7:45, i was scared to death after reading about the whole fake-ticket fiasco in atlanto but thank god the scalper we got tickets from wasn't that shady. we didn't have much trouble getting to the front, probably on account of our looks and gender. maynard's scream in "the grudge" just floored me. if i had any doubt that he was the best singer in the world, it's gone. i would recommend not doing any drugs, especially if you are planning on being in the front because it gets pretty fierce up there; i'm really glad i didn't do any beforehand because i wouldn't have remembered or enjoyed it as much. yeah the visuals would be mindblowing on acid, but are you there to see tool or the screens? during stinkfist and 46&2, there was this killer atmosphere where you just knew you were surrounded by a thousand sweaty fans just as die-hard crazy about tool as you, and everyone was just blissful and singing along. sure there were a couple assholes that were into pushing and shoving everyone around, but for every one of those there were five cool people that wouldn't mind my clinging on to them for dear life. i was soooo overjoyed and caught off guard to hear pushit because it wasn't on the atlanta setlist. disposition and reflection were absolutely beautiful (but HEY! AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO MISSED THE INDIAN-SOUNDING INSTRUMENT ON REFLECTION??? a cittar or something? shame on me for not knowing) the schism video is very well-done, it looks just like all the other videos as far as setting and figure construction and movement. i'm so glad other people caught a rage reference!! i thought i was the only one and no one around agreed with me. the end was kind of unceremonious, danny threw his sticks and the others waved and walked off.. i was just standing there open-mouthed in sheer incredulity. i would have done anything to hear 4 degrees or swamp song or h., but hey i'm not complaining.
Review written by: Clyde (don'tem@il.me) Review posted on: 05/21/01 00:51:59
Okay, Everybody's basically mentioned all the quality aspects of the show. They sound incredible live. Maynard's scream in the grudge is otherworldly, inhuman... I'm jealous. I had no problem getting tickets the fair way (I guess I was lucky). I flew up from Kansas City. Well worth it. My only complaint. To much smoke. By the time the show started there was a haze throughout the entire hall. Didn't obscure too much, and made for a cool effect, but dammit, I don't smoke and felt sick. It all went away with the music. There were times when I felt the universal consciousness throughout the room. my heart beat with the bass, the room pulsated and moved together. It was beautiful, more than even I expected. This is what music should be.
Review written by: Josh from Cal (joshc@onwelfare.com) Review posted on: 05/21/01 04:36:43
It was worth everything and was even more than expected. My girlfriend Jen and I flew out from California to feed our addiction to Tool. We have seen Tool many times together and every time has been great but this was something special. Not only was it our ten year anniversary but we were in Chicago to see Tool. Everything seemed to fall into place for this trip. We got cheap airfare, hotel, even got tickets from Ticketbastard, i.e. no scalpers. ( I am sorry for all the people who got skunked on tickets). We did have to fly standby on a redeye though. We even got bumped in Houston and had to sit there for half the day with no sleep. None of this mattered by the first note of "The Grudge" though. Anyway, the setlist is described in other reviews but I can tell you that after the first four songs everything we went through was worth it, the rest was just gravy. Tool is in absolute spectacular form. This show was the best I have ever seen and I have seen too many shows to count. True that they did not do any alternate forms of the songs, and no Third Eye or No Quarter, but they played so much at this show it that it didn't matter. The art displayed along with the awe inspiring music only adds another dimension. I truly can not put the whole experience into words. You just have to see it to understand. Tool has helped Jen and I open up to possibilities we had never even thought of, and for that I say thanks. I would also like to say thanks to all the ecstatic fans and great people we met at the show. On another good note, it seems as though the meathead factor seems to be dying off somewhat at the Tool shows now and giving way to more cerebral and introspective fans. Nice to see that more fans are catching on to Tool's conscience expanding message. See you next time. >JC
Review written by: superberry (timakopacz@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 05/21/01 06:23:48
Musical mastery. An awesome experience of perfection in music. That show was two hours of pure ecstacy. Every minute was excellent and better than the rest. Tool played a great set... Stinkfist, Prison Sex, Schism (and the video), Parabola, Opiate, Pushit... I mean, how can you go wrong. I'm glad that there was no opening band to degrade from the 2 plus hours perfection that I was treated to that night. I've still got my beer ID bracelet on! The entire day leading up to the show, I was so pumped that I was shaking. The ride home was great - a huge smile, and tales of the best show I've ever seen. Thank tool very much for playing a small venue, the more personal the better.
Review written by: John C. (Johnshed2@aol.com) Review posted on: 05/21/01 08:27:28
TOOL was AMAZING, one of the best shows I've seen them put on in a long time. However, I do have to agree with some of you...the crowd was horrible, as a whole the show was undeserved of the people that had tickets. You ruined it, plain and simple. There's something about a bunch of homophobic redneck fucks getting their kicks off of being all sweaty and pressed up against to each other. Stay at your Kid Rock and Pantera shows. It's a free country, and I respect that you can go where you please, but you're not welcome until you realize that moshing and pushing for the sake of pushing is not what TOOL is about. I know there were a lot of you out there who did not get tickets and deserved to...just want to let you know that you didn't miss as much as you think you did. TOOL was great, and Adam really outdid himself with the visuals, but I can't stress enough that crowds can make or break a show, and it destroyed this one.
Review written by: toks (grayswim@usa.com) Review posted on: 05/21/01 09:58:30
Line moved fast. Got felt up by a gay security guard. Walked in and found a spot. Stood and waited for the band. They got on and Maynard was wearing some blackish (maybe blue) suit. Later he took it off and wore some type of hybrid bra/vest. "Oh sorry for being rude, thanks for the tits" - MJK. haha. Danny Carey is the most accurate-precise drummer out there, or at least that I've heard. Wonderful show, i could not tell that the band had made a single mistake throughout the whole thing. Everyone around me toked up before and I had gotten a bit of the smoke so throughout the whole show everything seemed a little 3D. The music was powerful. The crowd was nice. I just wish I went up on the balcony but thats my own fault. Thank you TOOL for a really really really good show. Nice visuals, Justin: nice hair. See ya when you come back. -toks
Review written by: craig (cpeck@mn.rr.com) Review posted on: 05/21/01 15:52:15
Hey all. The show was, of course, unbelievable. I haven't had a chance to see them since the Undertow tour in '94, so it was great to see them in a club this small. The people at the club were cool, with few exceptions. The club sounded great, as well. The people bitching about the venue size are nuts...you simply cannot get sound like that in a big arena. If ANYONE has a recording of this show, PLEASE contact me, I'll pay whatever. cpeck@mn.rr.com Also: people who weren't at the show have no business flaming the reviews posted here. Read what Kabir wrote on the posting page. Be nice.
Review written by: Koree A. Smith (koree@ameth.org) Review posted on: 05/21/01 16:27:21
Tool May 17, 2001 Chicago, IL The Riviera --------------- I'd have to say that this was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. All of the members of Tool are exceptional musicians. The band seemed to draw attention away from itself through the use of two large projection screens. These screens had images and video displayed on them throughout the show depicting the content of the song they happened to be playing at the time. I'm not going to go into the set list, as the list has been in previous reviews. The videos were great, the music was great. I remember hearing a couple of goofs by the band, but this is to be expected, since this show was basically a warm-up show. What I didn't like was the crowd. I was on the floor because I had never been close to the stage for a Tool show. I was basically in the equivalent to second row. People were pushing, elbowing, punching, shoving.....everything you could think of. I simply tried to keep my footing and not get dragged away or down to the floor. It was still enjoyable, however. After Aenima, I had to get out, as I was going to pass out from the heat. This bothered me at first. But, I then thought about something I had read in an Adam Jones interview. The band is more interested in the music speaking for them, not in them being rock stars. They're more concerned with the music than anything else. So, not only did I get out of "the pit", but I moved back to where all I could see was the screen and the band was completely out of view. I listened to Opiate and Lateralus and watched the video and just tried to enjoy the music while I sucked down a glass of water. Danny's drumming is one of my favorite parts of the band. The odd time signatures, fills, etc, are one of the first things I noticed about Tool the first time I heard them in 1993. From that time, I have always paid close attention to his drum parts. Well, I got to thank him for that after this show. We were miling around the area where the Riviera is trying to find somewhere to eat and get some water. We walked back by where they were loading the equipment, and there was Danny!!! He was talking to some fans, and signing a few autographs. Me and my friend told him that he played an excellent show, and he signed out ticket stubs! A few people were being very rude. One guy had him sign a guitar, and asked him to write "Stinkfist" on the guitar also. Danny said no. What I noticed after we walked away was that these guys had about 20 guitars in bags with the necks taken off. They were getting guitars and drum heads signed by all of the members of the band except Maynard (which took off in a Mercedes (I think) right after the show). I don't know for sure, but it looked as though these guys were getting all of this stuff signed so they could sell it (probably on Ebay). It's sad, really. I'm glad there were some real fans there, though. They made sure Danny knew that he was appreciated. After that, we ate at a little Mexican joint right near the Riviera. We then went to a bar called "The Green Mill". There was a jazz band there playing big band music. It was really enjoyable. A bit pricey, however. After we had been there about an hour, Danny walked in!!! This was great, because not only did we get to tell him how much we appreciated the show, and how much we appreciate his music, we got to show it by buying him a beer! We asked him if we could buy him a beer, and he said, "A Guiness would be nice". So we bought him one, thanked him again for a great show, and he went to sit down with some ladies and a guy that looked like a manager/business guy. Danny is one of the most gracious celebrities I've ever met. He was very nice to everyone that approached him. This was a great experience for me. The show was great, meeting Danny was great. Even the little Chimichangas I had after the show were excellent. I urge you to go see Tool ASAP.