| concert reviews firsthand, immediate, from the heart |
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06/07/2001
[all times Central Time; t.d.n is hosted in the midwest] |
Review written by: the stinkiest one of all (sickle13@yahoo.co.uk) Review posted on: 06/07/01 19:00:55well i must admit that i think that was just the best gig of my life!! (well the suppord band 'cyclefly' were poop) from start to finish it was just amazing,the atmosphere in the s**thole of a venue,the lighting the band...wow. couldn't hear maynard sing for a while..either the crowd was too loud or his microphone was messed up.but the crowd sang for him. he said something about looking around dublin and wondering why so many people left it for america...again muffled sound. humm heres what i remember them playing anyway:(in no order) grudge schism parabol/parabola prison sex sober aenema lateralis stinkfist disposition and reflection i think..dont quote me on these,i have the memory of a goldfish. and well the band looked amazing..maynard dressed very normally in jeans and shirt..played perectly,i can still feel the drums shaking me. and well the all seemed very happy and smiley at the end of it all,they really looked like they enjoyed themselves. and i think its now bed time for me..all i can smell is moldy beer and sweat and its comin offa me. i will be in so much pain tomorrow. toodles
Review written by: ntto (gcolligan@enterprise.net) Review posted on: 06/07/01 19:59:19
And I quote..... "This is like a homecoming for us, some of our great grandfathers were from here, and looking around, it seems strange why they left". That was awesome. It's now 2am and I've just got home, well worth the trip from Belfast. I'm no longer a Tool live virgin!! It was all so dark, atmospheric and mysterious, more of a mood or a feeling than a one dimensional stimulant. Setlist was: The Grudge Stinkfist Prison Sex Forty-Six & 2 Schism Pushit Disposition Reflection Schism Video Sober Parabol Parabola Aenema Lateralus; so we didn't get Opiate. Thought the acoustics were very good, sound was excellent, Maynard needs brought into the mix a bit more. I couldn't get over how good Justin actually is - it takes you to see him play all the new stuff live to fully appreciate how "big" his sound actually is. Danny was superb, visuals were stunning. Shame it couldn't have lasted longer, just enough to bring us down... After Parabola Maynard said something along the lines of "stop and think about how you are all feeling ight now, think about it in a couple of weeks time, and go do something positive with it".
Review written by: Malbdes (Malbdes666@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/08/01 02:37:52
Wow, that's the only thing I can say. I started crying about 20 seconds into The Grudge, and repeated the experience 3 or 4 times throughout the gig. I was right up against the barrier (I'm just developing the distinctive "Strip across the chest" bruise). Best moments were The Grudge, Prison Sex, Sober, Aenema and Lateralus. Graphics were excellent, flirting very dangerously with Ireland's censorship laws, musicianshi was almost uniformly excellent, although they seemed to fall out of sync with each other on some of the more awkward syncopated moments. The one thing that annoyed me was Maynard playing the guitar, or rather standing there with a guitar on. It really seemed to affect his singing, to the point where I could hardly hear him. When he didn't have the guitar, he sounded as good as we've come to expect. He wore it during Schism, Disposition and Reflection, and I only saw him play two riffs on it, so I would question whether the addition to the guitar sound is worth the diminuition of the vocals. In any case, that's a minor quibble about what was possibly the best night of my life. I'm off to Manchester now to see if we can't get a new champion!
Review written by: Canada Yann (e_trip2000@yahoo.com) Review posted on: 06/08/01 03:36:07
Well after a grewsome five years of waiting I finally got a chance to see TOOL. The only words that come to mind it "WOW", you couldn't ask for a better show. I knew there was a reason I moved to Dublin, and seeing this band was just the cherrie on top of the Sunday (PERFECT). The atmosphere was perfect (dark, mysterious, left you wondering when your mind and body were going to come back together). The acoustics were perfect mind you in some cases you couldn't hear what Maynard was saying, but it was all good no less. Adam was doing his thing in the corner, concentrating on the music being played. Justin...shit, he was amazing, like previous people have mentioned, you just have to see him play to really appreciate his talent. Danny...when he played 46&2, again "WOW", and last, Maynard.....speachless, no words to describe. If your going to see TOOL in the future then your in for a treat, but if not, to bad, it's defenitly a show you want to go see. "Pushit" was for you Chuck. cheers, Yann
Review written by: VH (eleventh_commandment@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/08/01 04:45:28
SETLIST WAS THE USUAL BUT INCLUDED BOTH PARABOL/A The following were played -not in order: Opiate, Prison Sex, Sober, Stinkfist, 46+2, Pushit (original), Anaema, The Grudge, Schism, Parabol & Parabola, Disposition, Reflection. SAW THE BAND BEFORE HAND The band all walked in/out of the front of the venue..the joys of the SFX! I just saw Danny -seemed nice, firendly to people who approached him but a bit techy when someone got his photo. Apparently, Maynard ran inside as usual without contact & when one girl asked Adam for a photo, he shot back sternly "we dont do photos"..I guess all those magazine covers were optical allusions then! Actaully the band had signs up flattly warning that flash cameras would be confiscated. Justin was apparently the most friendly of the lot & is really down to earth - actaully he arrived seperately from the band in the huge tour bus....after the concert they were equally as shy...Maynards body could be seen crouching down on to the floor of the van, while the rest of the band @ least waved good-bye. HEARED THE CONCERT TWICE What was amazing was that we heard the entire concert before the show started, when they sound checked for over 2 hours!- as the SFX is like a school hall, u could hear everything! In fact Maynards vocals were probably best heard from that vantage point. i was front row & the vocal acoustics were so bad at times that people were chanting "sound man vocals up!". The instrumentals couldn't be faulted - Adam as always is an amazing guitarist & Justins bass lines are far more intricate and profound then the last album ..but Adam would constantly be staring over at Justin like a Dad, to make sure that Justin got the timing etc.. right. I guess he didn't want a repeat performance of him fucking up Schism like a few days ago...actually they practiced that song a lot in sound check. I'm convinced that Danny is the focal point of Tool..the man is so enigmatic and in a league of his own...you've all seen it, I was gobsmacked. MJK has a voice so serene and pure that words would never do it justice. MAYNARD LOOKED NORMAL! All the band came out as usual & MJK wore...wait 4 it...a pair of jeans & a shirt! No disguises at all!..it was kind of weird seeing him look so ordinary. He only took his top off before Pushit & that was about as provocative as it got. VERY FEW MJK'isms Ok, so we all got the impression that MJK/Adam, weren't in the best of moods before the show, so it was no surprise then that MJK only stared at the audience ONCE for the entire show..& that was a pretty aimless stare, he spent the whole time focusing on the band, his dancing, the screens. But he hardly spoke @ all!!! After about an hour he just said "Dublin"...& that was pretty much it! He also said a brief sentence about channelling positive energies blah, blah.. & mentioned how they loved Dublin because they were from there/had a bit of Irish in them, r something to that effect! but thats sarcasm 4 u because then they launched in to Anema & chaged the lyrics 2 "Dublin". Danny seemed to be absorbing every aspect of his environs, Justin was smiling & moving! Adam (nice haircut!!!) was his usual static self but i caught him having a few sneaky glances at the audience.... there's only so much hiding u can do under that fringe! The concert itself was fantastic & it was so great to see them on these shores, as 1 guy on the way out said " that was the most spiritual & sensual gig I've ever been to"...& he was probably right but.. MESSAGE TO THE BAND a female only mosh pit at the front would be appreciated as I'm not impressed by the predominantly Beavis & Butthead fans who insisted on: thowing cups of piss on to the front row, moshing to EVERY song & nearly giving me whiplash when the X amount of guys have to be dragged out!, 4 perving me..which was sad in itself but even more disturbing when it started during Prison Sex. A brilliant night that filled me with pure wonder reverance & awe, lets hope it won;t take them as long to return to the Emerald Isle!
Review written by: Gary (Freak_on_a_leash_23@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/08/01 06:53:09
3 words are used to describe this concert, "Oh My God" it was probably one of the best concerts i have ever been to and was altogether visually stunning. Maynard looked the perfect frontman on his podium dancing, which he never left. Although people may not appreciate it, this to me is far better than seeing 9 men in masks just jumping around a stage and wrecking it. Tool are an amazing band, and its altogether amazing to see them in such a small venue. I have set myself the task to see Tool again soon, whether i have to go abroad to do so. It will be well worth it. Thank you Tool for the most amazing night of my life.
Review written by: I've a massive tool (bigtool@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/11/01 07:28:43
I have to say I was very disappointed with this show. Apart from Stinkfist I felt that Tool did not live up to their billing or reputation. Maynard was very poor, at the time I wondered why his sound was so low and why he wasn't brought into the mix very much until later in the show it dawned on me - he can't actually sing!! He stood at the back wriggling in front of a small screen of disturbing images looking decidedly uncomfortable with his own perfromance - no wonder he refused to speak with us afterwards!! However Justin was outstanding and the visuals, although not to my taste, were innovative and interesting. The atmosphere was non-existent and I couldn't wait to get home to put Lateralus in the bin where it belongs.
Review written by: gj (garyirel@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/12/01 07:37:10
surprising, i booked to go see the manchester show too in case they walked off stage due to their (previously enforced) no mosshing stand there and take it in rule. plus the fact that the sound of every other gig ive seen there has been comparable to chineese tourture. but this is tool and they did a great job with the sound, although maynard was indistinguishable at times(esp his guitar parts), and wasnt performing 100%(probably due to that topless drunk tit screaming at him from the front, you know who you are).the show had no surprises (meriakaba type)and no song blending nevertheless as a whole they were tight as drum tuned by danny himself, the visuals were hypnotic, and mind blowing and very well syncronised to the music. justin came up with the best bass sound ive ever heard live, adam very cool and reserved and his performence was infalable, danny was danny. the only contemperary comparison to jimi. the bast show this side of saturn.
Review written by: derry tool fan (mccannet@hotmail.com) Review posted on: 06/13/01 10:51:10
I won't bore you with the set list. I originally went to see TOOL perform at the Feile just after the release of undertow, but they pulled out for some unknown reason, and all I can say is it was worth the fucking wait. One of the best concerts I've been to in my life, alright the sound wasn't exactly superb but then if thats what you're after stay at home and listen to the albums on CD. The atmophere was excellent and the band were as tight as fuck. I only hope I don't have to wait as long to see them again.