Review written by: Ryanboy (dinosaurboy@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 08/29/98 00:28:29

I like to say that Tool was AWESOME.  It was a well done concert.  I
couldn't hear anything after, I was right in front of the fuckin speakers.
Damn, talk about loud!  Tool performed amazingly, its always worth the
drive to their concerts.  I really wanted to hear Hush, and Third Eye
though.  They had a wicked video on behind them when they played Sober. 
It showed someone's eye, with the whole pupil cut out!  It went well with
that song.  I don't really recall all of the songs they played;  (I was
really fuckin stoned the whole time.) I sort of got mad at the drunk guys
next to me too.  But one of them rolled a joint about 5 inches long.-Where
do get the paper for something like that?  Oh well, it doesn't really
matter... I'm always too lazy to roll a joint, I just use a pipe. bbyyeee

PS-don't forget to buy opiate, AND undertow

				Ryanboy







Review written by: Ryan Kile (TGP4LIFE@aol.com)
Review posted on: 08/28/98 23:43:24


First off, I want it known that Tool was awesome, they gave a great show.
Their set was comprised of Hooker With A Penis, Sweat, Eulogy, Stinkfist,
a cover, (in which King Buzzo of the Melvins came out and played) 46&2,
Sober, Pushit, (the sorry ass version) �nema, and Jerk-Off. Awesome, no, I
have no problems with Tool. The fans on the other hand...I was very
disappointed. Moshing...Uhh, make me sick for god's sakes. Also, even if
you think a band (The Melvins) suck, never yell that at them. Shit, so
rude. One thing I do have to say about Tool, though. The new Pushit, it
sucks shit. A lot of it too. One of my favorite things about the song
Pushit was the opening riff and now it's gone. Kudos to Tool, though for
playing Jerk-Off, I love that song. But, back to Pushit, I am so tired of
all you Tool fans who will not admit that the new version sucks. Just
because it's Tool doesn't make it good.

-Ryan

P.S. Don't copy Maynard's dance, any of you, no one can do it like he does.







Review written by: Dan Delanoy (udelad01@mcl.ucsb.edu)
Review posted on: 08/28/98 17:43:11

This was my fifth time seeing tool, and I think that this was 
my least favorite concert so far. This isn't to say that TOOL 
wasn't great, rather it may have been the drunken assholes 
around me that now drag down my review. Things that i loved 
were (as usual) the new Sttinkfist bridge, the slow version of
pushit, and fact that they played Jerk-Off. I always left thier
shows wishing that they had played that song. Finally, I got to 
lose my mind off of Jerk-Off. The subtle ways that they changed
some of the songs was interesting but threw me off a bit when I 
was flowing to the music. Compared to most shows that I've been 
to, this was amazing.....compared to other TOOl shows that I've
been to, it was ok. The hollywood shows were the best so far 
for me. Until the next time that I see them (probably in Santa 
Barbara) keep trying to augment that DNA chain!

 






Review written by: RAGING TOOL FAN (rick.moss@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu)
Review posted on: 08/28/98 03:50:39

Mine might be the last review but its mine. Me and big Lou went and 
got our butts kicked by TOOL!Say what you want but Maynards the best
dude singing in an evening dress and high heels out there!Can't say 
enough about the show.TOOL hit us like a German blitz.


                    TOOL IS GOD!






Review written by: Zach (XSunConure@aol.com)
Review posted on: 08/28/98 00:05:33

Melvins suck.  hitting two strings for one song is not cool.  neither is a
whole song dedicated to feedback.  This was my first time seeing Tool and
Im hella sad i didnt go see them the second night.  When "Hooker With a
Penis" was played the second time (different version) on the screen with
the naked chick singing from her vaginal area... ROFLMAO!!! Hella funny. 
Also saw a shirt that said "Rub Some Beaver on your Lips."

Oh yeah.  The Tool crowd is totally different from other crowds.  At first
I didnt believe that if someone falls, they are picked up, cuz i never saw
it happen.  when they fell, moshing was put on pause to pick em up.  when
someone crowd surfed, they lost a shoe.  that shoe was held up til the
owner got it back.  ya dont see that often.  most of the time the asshole
throw it as hard as they can at the high hats hehe...  Go see em!! 

[Um, I hate to point out something which used to be obvious, but all
 pits used to be like this a few years ago.  I think most non-modern-
 rock pits now still are. -- Kabir]






Review written by: josh (yousuck@concerts)
Review posted on: 08/27/98 12:14:51

We all know the conscert rocked.  I was embarrassed a little though. 
There were a lot of goddamn moshers.  I think these thick headed 
brutes who pay $23 to see expierence a show and just mosh all the 
time and don't PAY ATTENTION to what is going on are a bunch of 
goddamn freaks and if they want to mosh they should do at their local 
$5 punk show.  TOOL was something to experience, to stand and let 
the music flow through you.  Didn't MJK hint to something when he 
gave his ANGER v. HATRED and VIOLENCE speech.  Wasn't he saying that 
moshers suck in a way.  I wonder if moshers even remember the set 
list.  If you mosh at TOOL, you miss the whole GODDAMN POINT!.






Review written by: Paymon Ghamami (Flydian@ns.net)
Review posted on: 08/26/98 19:31:53

First of all I read everyones review for this show and personally i 
am dissapointed!!!   Who gives you the fucken right to say a band 
sucks or to boo them off stage or anything.  Personally i thought 
The Melvins were pretty damn good and i was happy to get to hear them
finally!!!!  

I was one of the lucky ones to be front row center for the most of
the concert besides aenema and jerk off (went to the mosh pit :) )
Maynard came out in a evening dress on that had a slit almost all 
the way up and a black curly wig on!!!  They opened the show up with 
Hooker with a penis.  And for all you fuck heads who only have one
cd by them ( Aenima ) and became a fan of Tool just because of that 
album,  Hooker with a penis was dedicated to you!!!!  Damn go out and
buy their other albums. 

Besides having the metal railing jamed into my chest and about 100 
elbows in my back it was the freaken best concert.  I was hoping they
would play Third Eye!!!  or No Quarters for all you guys who have
Tool Boots.   And to the person who got the plastic blow up pig that 
Maynard threw out you suck i wanted it :).   Sacramento fans are so
lucky they opened another show the next night (which i just bought 
tickets to see them again!!!!)  But overall this was a very heavy set
for Tool and for anyone that has never seen them before you are lucky
this was an extremly long set list 11 songs!!!  Usually they only 
play about 9 or so and barely ever play an encore.  Well i am off to
the next concert tonight and i am looking forward to see The MELVINS
AGAIN!!!!  I will be back with another review for tonights show
tomorrow.

A Loyal fan from the begining

Paymon

PS  Go Buy Fucken Opiate and Undertow Tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!







Review written by: Master Reviewer (toolfan@toolfan.com)
Review posted on: 08/26/98 18:38:09

Hi everyone, great show!  Energy was great, and most of all they played
the new version of Pushit that I've been waiting for for so long.  Maynard
is a beautiful human being and the way the music possesses him makes him
an even more outstanding performer. 
  I have one question: did I count right?  Only one song off Undertow?  If
I'm wrong please correct me.  What's up with that?  C'mon, the Tool fans
that have been around a very long time would like to hear at least a few
older songs.  I'll see everyone to night again, in Fresno on Friday and
San Jose on Sunday.  Let's have a good time and keep the peace.  Watch out
for each other.







Review written by: Kid kotch (kidkotch@jps.net)
Review posted on: 08/26/98 17:27:19

Drove up from San Jose to see Tool. Yes, we are going to the S.J 
show. It just isn't enough to see them only once. Seemed at first 
like the meathead factor was kind of high but it turned out to be a 
pretty cool crowd. Most seemed to be into absorbing everything 
thrown at them (music, lighting etc.) rather than taking others 
heads off. My girlfriend and I were able to stake out right in front 
of the soundboards without any problems at all. The Melvins played a 
set in normal fashion; slow grinding rythms that fuck with your 
head. I did like the faster stuff they played. If you don't like 
them fine, but show a little respect. Don't boo and tell them to get 
off the stage because they don't agree with your tastes. Besides, 
Tool sees something in them so in disrespecting The Melvins you are 
disrespecting Tool. Anyway, Tool came out firing with Hooker. The 
sound was earth-shaking, tooth-rattling loud. It was a little 
muddled because of that fact but all things considered it was still 
very clean. I hope the sound tech can bring it down a notch in San 
Jose so we all don't have to choose between wearing earplugs (hate 
em) or going deaf. Tool played with great intensity and focus. 
Maynard gets more out of the music than the whole crowd put 
together. You can see it in his movements around the stage. Danny is 
an unreal drummer. I just wish you could see him behind his set. 
Justin brings the heaviest bass around and seems to totally lock in 
with Danny. Adam just seems to get into his own space with his 
guitar and deal out the fullest range of sounds. Tool is simply the 
best live band around. The set was great. You Lied was so heavy it 
was unbelievable. Stinkfist with Buzz is also super heavy. The new 
Pushit was great to hear live with it's slow build up. Jerk off as a 
encore was perfect. All around a great show. I can't wait until 
Sunday to see them again.    

P.S. To Tool: Please play Third Eye in San Jose. 






Review written by: Craig Hensley (chensley@hdrinc.com)
Review posted on: 08/26/98 15:22:42

Well, this is the second TOOL concert I have been to and they have proven
again to me that they are the best live act on the road today.  I recently
saw Slayer and Fear Factory at the same venue and it was a good show but
the energy level and the crowd's reaction were nothing compared to TOOL
(might of had something to do with alchohol being served at Tool when it
was not served at Slayer).  Maynard came out in a black dress and wig and
went right into Hooker with a Penis.  TOOL is like Christmas when you were
a kid.  You can't wait for Christmas morning to come, and when it does,
you don't want it to be over.  That is how I awoke this morning after the
show, kind of depressed that it is over.  Maynard seemed like he enjoyed
playing in Sac.  Hopefully the re will be more Sac shows in the future,
and soon.  See you all tonight for the second show! 







Review written by: John (tree_bass@hotmail.com)
Review posted on: 08/26/98 13:57:25

Overall I'd have to say it was an AMAZING show.  I was, frankly, 
baffled by the Melvins' set and suspect that they do what they do to 
piss people off.  It worked.  Still, I say it's lame as shit to tell 
any band "you suck", "go home", "get off the stage", etc.

My wife and I were one of those many couples that other reviewrs are 
bitching about.  Sorry, but BOTH of us love TOOL - are we supposed 
to go seperately?  Anyhow, I'll blame her for the bright idea of 
getting ALL THE WAY up front.  The problem with being in the very 
front of the pit is that people move but barricades don't.  I was 
busy trying not to get crushed (I'm 6'2", 225# - my wife is 5'0", 95
#) and barely remember the first two songs.  After that, we went up 
to the balcony -- sorry if that's lame but I wanted to experience 
TOOL first and the crowd second, not the other way around.
 
Anyhow, all of that is peripheral - the band came out kicking ass 
and played exceptionally well.  The sound was a bit muddy and had a 
really annoying peak in the mids that made me wish for earplugs.  
Anyhow, during the long interlude/drum section/"- ions" portion 
preceding Sober, it seems like they tweaked some things on the board 
and the sound improved.  Hopefully, the show tonight will sound 
better.

Sorry if I've dwelled on the sound a lot - it just bugs me when what 
I CAN hear and see tells me that the band is in top form but it all 
sounds like they're playing in a cave.  Most of what the soundman 
was doing was making the problem worse.







Review written by: Jonathan M.  (jmraz@csus.edu)
Review posted on: 08/26/98 13:10:42

Normally, I say Sacrameto's rock crowd sucks big time, but it was
quite apparant to me last night (Aug 25th) that Im dead wrong! TOOL
ABSOLUTLY KICKED XTREME ASS!!! Maynard and the boys put on a great
and thought provoking show - you could really "see" the music flowing
in the room, and the crowd was taken wholely in by it...
Maynard came out on stage a little after 8p and told every to "take 
their shoes off and get ready for a cleansing.." -then the Melvins 
began their gig..(*hack*) 
After waiting for the Melvins to finally finish their (songs?), 
Maynard came out wearing a long, black dress, and a black 
wig; the stage was set up with a Giant CIRCLE thingy, (youll see this 
in the piX I smuggled) and there was a giant Vid screen thing in the 
back of the stage..
I was down on the floor prolly 3 feet away from the Event Staff, and 
lemme tell ya, ITS LOUD!!  Oh..before I forget, I have a play 
list..and Its accurate..Maynard wrote it himself =p
-Hooker with Penis
-Sweat
-Eulogy
-Stinkfist "song about deeeep penetrating love" -MJK
-You Lied
-46&2 plus (Video)
-(-)Ions Mix plus (Video)
-Sober
-Pushit .. "were gonna sing a different song, a different way, to a 
different crowd, with a different style" -MJK
-Aenema "Thanx for being so patient with us"  -MJK
-JerkOff
-New Video from Hooker...hehe...was the one with Vaginas with mouths 
=p .. yep, I got 2 piX from that..should be interesting =))

In between 46&2, there was a drum riff by D, and MJK and Justin were 
sitting 'round the CIRCLE thing taking in the rythmic beats of the 
drum..I dunno if its something that they are working on as a new 
song, but it sure as hell ripped.. 
As far as being a concert goer, I can tell you this-this is not a 
show for the weak of heart-my voice is gone, hearing is basically 
nothing, throat hurts, and eyes are blurred =)  *BUT DAMN WHAT A 
SHOW!!!*  Tonight is the last night to see them in Sacto, but it wont 
be the last time that I see them in concert; definatly better than 
any KWOD show, or MetallicA show; TOOl needs to play more songs tho, 
and the crowd wanted MJK to take his bra off, and there was no Back 
stage (crap..and I tried to get in..); the lights and viDz rocked 
with the music, and everyone in the seats were up on their feet if 
not on the floor moshing, jumping, yelling, screaming, singing, 
fighting, or body surfing...and yes..I did all of those..I got the 
fat lip to prove it, and a scratch on my arm ;)  hehe..ANYWAYS, TOOL 
ROX CALIFORNIA, AND THIS WILL NOT BE THE LAST TIME THEY GET TO PLAY 
HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In closing, Id just like to point out one more 
thing; I know why TOOl has the Melvins on the road with them...the 
Melvins suck so bad, that it makes the crowd want TOOl more and more 
til it becomes desire...The Melvins make TOOl look like gods compared 
to them...hehe..yes..the Melvins suck..and TOOL ROCKS!!!!!  Watch for 
the piX from the show, as Im prolly the only red-headed dood that 
came out with any (unconfiscated =PP) !  

-Somewhere deep in the borderline...
Jonathan...

PS..finally met this chick that I know at the bank, and maybe shell 
read this =))  I was glad to meet her, and her friend =)) YOU 
ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  hehehe =p






Review written by: Lucky Tool Fan (AUDI5ooo@aol.com)
Review posted on: 08/26/98 04:22:48

All I can say is, it was the best show that I've ever been to.  I won't
bother going throught the setlist again, since others before me have
already posted it for you viewing pleasure. 

Highlights:
Maynard in a long black prom dress.
Opening song: Hooker with a penis
Encore: Jerk-off

Autographs: Yes, Maynard and Danny both autographed the setlist I got from
the soundcheck man.  Unfortunately, some chick thought it would be cool if
she took a picture of Maynard outside after the show.  The security guards
where talking to her and telli ng her that she needed to give them her
film.  She was all sad because she had pictures of Korn and others on that
roll.  Hey, I'd be sad too, but next time, please don't ruin it for the
rest of us.  Well, it's been said before, but I'll say it again.  It pays
to wait around after the show. Totally awesome. 





Review written by: Dan Seaman (dnut@fcmail.com)
Review posted on: 08/26/98 03:14:54

Well, this was my first Tool show, and I must say, it kicked ass! The 
Melvins have to be the worst band I've ever seen...and that list 
includes the Goo Goo dolls, Bush, and Suicidal Tendancies. Anyways, 
Maynard came out in a black dress and brown wig and said, "We haven't 
been here in a looooong time. Did you miss us?" Crowd went nuts, 
everyone was so happy the Melvins were over. They kicked in to 
Hooker, which was real surprising, because they haven't been opening 
eith that on this tour. Their setlist, compared to others, was REAL 
HEAVY, as they played nearly every fast song that they have. The 
highlights were 46&2,Sober,Aenima,and slow Pushit. I really wanted 
them to play 3rd Eye or No Quarter. For their encore, Maynard said 
something like, "We don't do this a lot"....and I thought it was 
gonna be No Quarter, so I was all pumped, and then he said, "Some 
people don't know the difference between anger and hate, anger is 
controlled and hate isn't. This song is about anger." Then I knew it 
wasn't No Quarter....JERK OFF! What a fucking pounding encore to the 
hardest, loudest concert I've ever been to(includes 
Pantera&Metallica). Tool had a mission to Rock tonight and they did. 
Yeah, there was a shitload of COUPLES there! pretty funny...
Setlist:
Hooker
Sweat(see what I mean by heavy first 2 songs???)
Eulogy(perfect)
Stinkfist(with Buzz, extended version)
You Lied(couldn't hear vocals real well on this one, good though)
46&2(most energized song of night)
Pushit(slow version, green&purple lighting,awesome!)
Long Drum solo
Sober
Aenima(crowed loved this one)
Encore:
Jerk-Off

Like I said, the heaviest setlist on the tour. I can almost guarantee 
they will play No Quarter tomorrow night here, because Maynard seemed 
to really like this Venue, Tool Just wanted to fuck shit up tonight!








Review written by: Dan Wright (dan123@jps.net)
Review posted on: 08/26/98 03:04:24

Obviously, the show kicked major ass.  Before tonight, I had never heard
the Melvins play, and after tonight, i dont think i will ever want to
again.  Their drummer is pretty good, but the basist is rather un-inspired
and the guitar player/singer just lic ks.  Maybe i'm comparing them agains
Tool too much, but i'm not totally sure. 

as far as the actual concert goes/went, the set list was pretty good.  the
only song they played off of undertow was "sober", and i would have liked
to hear a couple of others.  They did manage to play quite a bit off of
the new album, only passing on "h ", "jimmy" and "3rd eye."  i did really
enjoy the "relaxed" version of push-it.  i consider myself a fan of the
band, but i dont know opiate backwards and forwards, as many of you do. 
they played around 2-3 songs i didnt recognize right away, so i 'spose
 they were off opiate. 

the lighting and what not were really cool, but I'm not totally sure on
why Maynard came in drag, if he was just goin to strip down to his
underwear anyway... 

I'm thinking about going again tomorrow night, mostly because it was so
damn loud that it was hard to really enjoy/make out what was going on. 
Don't get me wrong, loud is good, i like loud.  But does it have to be so
loud that everything gets muffled tog ether??  anyway, if you saw either
of the shows and want to say anything, id like to hear it. 






Review written by: Sam Rifkin (scrifkin@ucdavis.edu)
Review posted on: 08/26/98 02:50:02

Well this was my second show and let me say it really KICKED ASS!!  

The Melvins were the Melvins and they were a little better than when 
I saw them earlier this year in Hollywood and I'll give them credit 
for sticking around but sometimes I dont know why they bother.

Tool came on and opened with Hooker.. than moved on to Stinkfist then 
Eulogy.  The whole set list was amazing and also had 46&2, pushit, 
Aenima, Sober etc.  The modified version of pushit was a little worse 
than original as the first half was almost done on just Maynard's 
vocals alone and no guitars.  Overall the sound quality was superb 
and the Memorial was a great venue and the best air conditioned 
building I have ever seen a concert in.  Maynard came out in a black 
dress which he soon took off but left the stuffed bra on the whole 
concert.  

The only conmplaint I had was the crowd which didn't consist of too 
many die hard TOOL fans.  A very small percentage knew the words to 
the songs and the energy just wasn't what you would like it to be.  
There seemed to be a lot of high schoolers and since when did TOOL 
become just a great date concert with more couples than I could shake 
a stick at.  What really sucks about couples is that male always 
feels its his duty to protect his "girl" with any violent means 
possible.  This became really annoying and I'm not sure what these 
guys expect when they are standing with thier girlfreinds in the 
middle of the floor at a sold out TOOL concert.

Anyway the spirit and love for the music was there, you just had to 
look for a little harder than usual.  To TOOL i say thank you for 
your enlightenment once again and see ya next time.

 Sam Rifkin