F O U R T H E Y E

Not Tyson wrote:Danny doesn't even play the accordion

Yes, but he IS the "holder of keys". ::esoteric::

Thus concludes my time on this tour, and show number 22 for me, overall. Having seen the shows in Portland and SF, I was thrilled with the seat I ended up in tonight. Arrived to my ticketed seat in row 19 of section A and the guy sitting next to me asked if I would mind trading my seat so that his friend over in section C row 2 could sit with him. Instant seat upgrade. Having been on the rail on Adam's side (my personal preference as a guitar player) both nights in SF, it was a nice change to see things over at the rhythm section. Also, had a perfect line of sight to Maynard and he looked to be watching the people around me all night long. Unfortunately, my view of Danny was obscured. I've seen a handful of shows at Valley View in the past, but try to avoid it due to the horrible quality of the sound. That said, since the casino took over management they have definitely upgraded the speakers in that place because the show tonight was probably the best I have ever heard at a Tool arena show. I also appreciated how high Maynard's vocals were in the mix. Kinda bummed that we didn't get one of the additional songs they played in the last five shows, but I can't complain too much since I saw both nights in SF. While in hindsight I wish I had purchased VIP, at least now I can afford to see Nine Inch nails this summer in Vegas, Red Rocks, LA, Irvine, and Chula Vista. I enjoyed this short tour while it lasted for me, and I hope those who attended any of these shows had as much fun as I did, and to those yet to catch a show this time around, I wish you the best.

http://www.concertfy.com/concertfy-revi ... san-diego/ Review of the show.

I wonder what happened here?

Can you be more specific?

Ettan wrote:I wonder what happened here?

Adam either screwed up of there was a technical issue with the guitar. This kind of probably happens pretty much every show at one time or another.

Being silent that long it certainly is a technical issue. Hard to tell from a camera video, but I swear I could hear guitar in spots but very quietly during the "down time," which would lead me to believe it's a PA/mic issue. There's literally like 50 different things that could be. Adam didn't seem alarmed either which makes me think it may have been an issue with the PA and not his rig.

And yes, happens all the time. Touring... it's stressful on the gear.

joeypants wrote:Being silent that long it certainly is a technical issue. Hard to tell from a camera video, but I swear I could hear guitar in spots but very quietly during the "down time," which would lead me to believe it's a PA/mic issue. There's literally like 50 different things that could be. Adam didn't seem alarmed either which makes me think it may have been an issue with the PA and not his rig.

And yes, happens all the time. Touring... it's stressful on the gear.

That reminds me. His tech was fairly amusing in the SF Q&A. He was giving Juan, the coordinator (who was regaling us with Deftones stories before Adam showed up), a lot of shit "What, are you warming up the crowd now?" while he was getting Adam's rig together. I asked him if he was jealous of the "Schleyer" lyric replacements and he just gave me a "Yeah, right" look.

He told us that they have backup gear for just about anything that could go wrong, sometimes 3 or 4 deep.

He was wearing one of the white lab coats during the gig, and while there were no major issues he was ready to go.

By the way, I got to play Adam's very first Silverburst. Did a few Jazz Fusion "wheedlies". Heh.

Kittaan wrote:

joeypants wrote:Being silent that long it certainly is a technical issue. Hard to tell from a camera video, but I swear I could hear guitar in spots but very quietly during the "down time," which would lead me to believe it's a PA/mic issue. There's literally like 50 different things that could be. Adam didn't seem alarmed either which makes me think it may have been an issue with the PA and not his rig.

And yes, happens all the time. Touring... it's stressful on the gear.

That reminds me. His tech was fairly amusing in the SF Q&A. He was giving Juan, the coordinator (who was regaling us with Deftones stories before Adam showed up), a lot of shit "What, are you warming up the crowd now?" while he was getting Adam's rig together. I asked him if he was jealous of the "Schleyer" lyric replacements and he just gave me a "Yeah, right" look.

He told us that they have backup gear for just about anything that could go wrong, sometimes 3 or 4 deep.

He was wearing one of the white lab coats during the gig, and while there were no major issues he was ready to go.

By the way, I got to play Adam's very first Silverburst. Did a few Jazz Fusion "wheedlies". Heh.

That's awesome. Was it the one with the mirror on the headstock/Stimpy on the back?

hellboy wrote:

Ettan wrote:I wonder what happened here?

Adam either screwed up of there was a technical issue with the guitar. This kind of probably happens pretty much every show at one time or another.

Regardless, that was great performance...maymay sounded great as did the rest of the band

yeah Maynard sounded incredible when he sang the "shine on forever" part.

Got down to SD around 5 or so and despite my earlier, somewhat, bitching the drive down was beautiful and there's some great landscape to see/enjoy. Plus, was rocking some Truckfighters so all-in-all can't go wrong.

Plan was to meet this guy from Reddit, Taylor, down at the Stone Brewery Liberty Station and have a couple beers before heading over to the arena. Got there and I didn't think of it until I was walking up to the place, but it was the day before St. Patrick's Day and I all of a sudden expected to walk in and see a bunch of idiots all dressed in green drinking and being dumb. Turns out I was totally wrong and the place was somewhat empty. Side note, if anyone ever gets a chance to visit this particular Stone whenever visiting, or living in, SD do it. Very nice outdoor area plus a 2nd outdoor area where you can play bocce ball (though all my knowledge of bocce ball comes from 1 Cosby Show episode), and a very nice, laid-back indoor seating and bar area. Saddle up to the bar, order a beer and wait for my blind date to show up. 2nd side note, one beer I ordered was a Bitter Chocolate (mmmmmm) Oatmeal Stout (mmmmm) aged in Bourbon Barrels (hmmmmm) and it was borderline awful. The bourbon flavor overpowered any other flavor and I must've nursed that thing for 30 minutes or so before we left. Gradually watch the bar/restaurant fill up with other people obviously going to the show and everyone kinda makes that camaraderie, small talk and trade Tool-related stories. Taylor shows up and our blind date is off to a rousing success. Turns out it's gonna be his first show, is more than excited to be getting a ticket for face value and that I'm not some butt-hole raping scalper. Neither of us are freaking weirdos and actually have a lot of common interests outside of Tool which is nice since we don't have to just sit there and be like "Oh yeah, that one part in Eulogy is soooo cool." "Yeah, I think that too. I also like that part in Cold & Ugly where they do that thing." "Dude, me too, totally." So that was cool. We drink a couple of beers and drive over to the arena.

Parking wasn't too bad, I pour a beer I had in the trunk into an empty Monster can, meet up with Taylor and we make our way to the arena. Line to get in is long but moves fairly fast, faster than I expected so I'm forced to chug-a-lug my "energy drink." Get through security and get into the arena. Another side note, but not once was I told nor did I hear anyone being told, that video/picture/phones out/cameras out/etc./etc. was prohibited. Dunno if I just missed it or if the folks working at the arena didn't get the bands memo or just didn't care. So we get in, Taylor and I hit up the merch booth. He grabs a poster and I grab a tshirt for me and 1 for the old lady who couldn't make the trip. I debate getting a poster but don't want to have to sit with a rolled up one for the next 3 or so hours and pass. I grab a beer and we make our way to the seats. Section 19, dead center, about 3 rows up, right in the center of the row. Good spot to see all the stage/light/laser stuff.

We get to our seats about 1/2 way through Failure's set and they weren't bad. Kinda reminded me a bit of Weezer and the lead singer kinda reminded me of the dude from Green Day. They finish up, Taylor and I make small talk with this couple next to us who've been to the past 3 shows, the lady tries to talk about previous set lists but I stop her since I've actually avoided 'em (best I could) for this tour, I go pee and come back and Tool comes on. They play their set, some good songs, some snoozers in my opinion, lasers, videos, video screens, disco ball, confetti, yada yada yada. Will kinda get more into that in a bit. Show finishes up and we wait for the arena to kinda clear out before we make our way out. Before exiting the arena we walk by a merch booth and I see they still got a fair amount of posters so I spring for one. Not a bad deal since I don't have to carry it around for more than 5 minutes. We get to our cars, Taylor and I exchange pleasantries and high-5's and fist pounds and the like and we part ways. Get in the car and am able to avoid 90% of the traffic in the parking lot, get quickly on the road and head home. Now, the drive home, my aforementioned bitching about the drive in the earlier thread whenever I made it, is totally spot on and I hate life for the next 90 minutes because the drive is boring as hell and I want to go to sleep.

As for the Tool show itself, highlights:

3rd Eye. Really can't go wrong with this one.
Pushit. The guy I came with, Taylor, had been saying he really hoped they played this, as it was his favorite song, so I liked he got his wish. Plus it's an awesome song too.
Lateralus. Always fucking rocks and I liked how they didn't bring out the other drummer for the drumsturbation in the middle.
Danny's solo. I guess this is partly where he diddles with that new toy of his too?
and surprisingly Stinkfist. Honestly thought I'd be over this one but I still dug it, plus the OTRM always gets a lot of people so it's funny to hear them all singing out of sync.
Danny was a monster, per usual, so you can't go wrong watching him, which I did 80% of the time.
Towards the end, either on Ænema or Stinkfist, or both, Justin was just going fucking bonkers which was cool to see.
The mix was good and MJK sounded really good.
The lasers and all the video screens were/are cool and I liked the disco ball and I also liked the screen the put in front of the stage during, I think, 46&2. That was a new one for me, reminded me of some NIN shows.
Helping a fellow Tool fan, Taylor, attend his first Tool show.

Now, not the the lowlights, but more of whatevers:

Vicarious. Totally over this one and I wouldn't care if this one was dropped (though it probably won't be) from the set list in the future. They played it 2nd and after it was done, I literally thought to myself, "Well at least they got that one out of the way early, should be good stuff from here on out." Plus MJK pulled the ol'e let the audience sing the last bit and then he chimed in with the "much better you than I." Har-de-har-har there.
The little bit before Schism was neat but I'm not ready to masturbate over 30 seconds to a minute of cool "newness." Don't get me wrong, I liked it.
Schism. Meh, m-e-h, meh. The breakdown/OTRM in the middle is always kinda neat and cool, but again, kinda over this one.
Intension. Yawner of the year. This was almost an "intermission-esque" song. Speaking of which....
"Intermission." WTF? Really? I'm not gonna say them turning on the house lights, showing a big countdown and all that killed "the mood" of the concert but it was just one of those "Really?" moments. I mean I'm sure they have their reasons, they're all up there in age and maybe they all do, genuinely, need a pee-pee break. Maybe they want to give everyone, themselves and the fans, a chance to go pee-pee, get a drink or whatever. Sure, cool. But it was like, "You guys have been on for little over an hour and we're taking a break?" I will say it was funny to sit there and watch like 1/4 of the arena all make their way to the exits for beer/bowel relief. But part of me was thinking, This isn't fucking Death of a Salesmen here. C'mon."
Jambi. Not as over this one as I am with Vicarious and Schism but I wouldn't be disappointed if it was replaced with something else. Again, it probably won't though. Plus, it's one of those things where you see the talk-box set-up on Adam's side you already know it's coming at some point.
46 & 2. See above Jambi comments, though Danny kills it here.
Ænema. Insert typical Maynardism here before song. Probably another staple on the setlist at this point, but again, see Jambi comments.


No HWAP or Opiate for us. Hell, we didn't even get Sober and I would've taken that over some of the other songs.
Not many Maynardisms. Think he said something after 3rd Eye or Vicarious and then before Ænema he goes, "See you all again real soon............unless there's a big earthquake."

I've been reading comments from other people at the show and the consensus almost seems to be this was THE BOMB show but I don't think so. And I'm trying really hard to not be a cynical old fuck or anything (because if I was I'd give the show a 6/10). At the same time part of me thinks any show that has 3rd Eye, Pushit, Lateralus, and a cool DC drum solo is probably worth the price of the ticket alone, so don't bitch and give 'em a 9-10/10. I'll split it and say, for me, it was a 7.5-8/10.

I get the whole, well if you wanted to hear song x or y or z you should've gone when they were touring on those albums and that's a 100% correct stance. But leaving this show, me personally, didn't feel "the vibe" I've felt leaving a few other Tool shows in the past. So who knows, maybe I've become even more cynical and jaded and warped in the almost 4 years since I saw 'em last but I know I've seen better from 'em. Though hearing/seeing/experiencing live music in any way is always cool and this definitely wasn't the "worst" Tool show I've been to. All in all, a fun night, fun concert, just, in my mind, could've been better somehow.

Good review, Poop.

I get your POV, and I'm usually as cynical as the next guy, but I still dug both of the SF shows quite a bit. Nowhere near as much as any of the Lateralus shows, but considering how many 10KD shows I've seen I can be happy with that experience.

The number one thing Tool can do to improve the live experience is switch up the setlist. I was hoping they would use this tour to go at least a little bit deeper, but clearly that ain't happening. When (if, I guess) the new album drops they will definitely be dropping some of these classics for the new material, but I can pretty much guarantee it will be Third Eye / Pushit / Hooker / Opiate left on the floor with the "tired" staples remaining. And that's a drag.

Ettan wrote:I wonder what happened here?

I was in row 2, Justin's side and had a perfect view of Adam for this section. Adam, in fact, was not playing. There was no movement from his hands. I don't know what was going on, but he was stationary looking towards Maynard. At the time I assumed he just missed his cue, which while odd, seemed the only plausible explanation. I tried to ask my buddies after the show but couldn't remember which song it was. Glad you posted this video.

Show rocked it was much better than sf2 and felt about 15 mins longer. Hadn't been to sd in 4 years and had a real good time

Kittaan wrote:Good review, Poop.

I get your POV, and I'm usually as cynical as the next guy, but I still dug both of the SF shows quite a bit. Nowhere near as much as any of the Lateralus shows, but considering how many 10KD shows I've seen I can be happy with that experience.

The number one thing Tool can do to improve the live experience is switch up the setlist. I was hoping they would use this tour to go at least a little bit deeper, but clearly that ain't happening. When (if, I guess) the new album drops they will definitely be dropping some of these classics for the new material, but I can pretty much guarantee it will be Third Eye / Pushit / Hooker / Opiate left on the floor with the "tired" staples remaining. And that's a drag.

I, unfortunately, agree with this.

teedub wrote:I've seen a handful of shows at Valley View in the past, but try to avoid it due to the horrible quality of the sound. That said, since the casino took over management they have definitely upgraded the speakers in that place because the show tonight was probably the best I have ever heard at a Tool arena show.

FYI: The speakers are carried with the tour and have nothing to do with the arena. Most arena concert tours do this.
At festivals and in many theaters, the speakers are provided by the event/venue.

In Tool's case, the tour sound has been provided by a company called Eighth Day Sound since about 2006.

That said, the venue can certainly affect the sound quality in other ways, such as too much open, empty space and hard concrete surfaces. Some arenas have sound-baffling materials, such as curtains and other soft surfaces, that help for music presentations, but most arenas want that "boomy" sound for sporting events since it makes the crowd noise louder.

That's really interesting info, and it makes sense about the shared concert/sporting events arena shows. The sound in SF was excellent. I have seen probably dozens of shows at BGC over the years and can't think of a bad night sound wise.

On the other hand, I've seen even more shows at The Fox in Oakland (the venue of the first SF Puscifer shows) and that can be extremely hit or miss. Mostly great sound wise, but for ex: the last two Soundgarden shows there were nearly unlistenable. I saw the first night in the pit, center, right behind the rail. I could hear the individual instruments and vocals fairly well, but the mix was shit. I attributed that to the proximity of the stage monitors vs house sound. The second night, from really decent loge seats, basically right above the board, it was so muddy we were almost guessing at what it should sound like. The previous show I saw since SG reformed was at BGC and sounded amazing. I would be interested to hear from somebody who worked those gigs as to why the sound was so poor.

Thanks for posting, always good to hear your perspective.

markuspoop wrote:We get to our seats about 1/2 way through Failure's set and they weren't bad. Kinda reminded me a bit of Weezer and the lead singer kinda reminded me of the dude from Green Day.

I know people that have been water-boarded for less offensive statements

Kittaan wrote:That's really interesting info, and it makes sense about the shared concert/sporting events arena shows. The sound in SF was excellent. I have seen probably dozens of shows at BGC over the years and can't think of a bad night sound wise.

On the other hand, I've seen even more shows at The Fox in Oakland (the venue of the first SF Puscifer shows) and that can be extremely hit or miss. Mostly great sound wise, but for ex: the last two Soundgarden shows there were nearly unlistenable. I saw the first night in the pit, center, right behind the rail. I could hear the individual instruments and vocals fairly well, but the mix was shit. I attributed that to the proximity of the stage monitors vs house sound. The second night, from really decent loge seats, basically right above the board, it was so muddy we were almost guessing at what it should sound like. The previous show I saw since SG reformed was at BGC and sounded amazing. I would be interested to hear from somebody who worked those gigs as to why the sound was so poor.

Thanks for posting, always good to hear your perspective.

I forgot a few other variables: Good (or bad) sound engineer, and the fact that some areas of the room just sound better/worse no matter the efforts of said engineer. It's almost always going to sound best where the mix engineer is standing, because that is his/her point of reference. Some sound engineers "walk the room" during the show to try to average out the discrepancies they can't hear where they stand. Sometimes there are parts of the room that just can't win, either from bad luck or other factors. Most sound engineers do what they can during soundcheck to make it similar everywhere in the room, either by re-aiming speakers, or adjusting levels on speakers pointed at different parts of the room. It's more scientific than it used to be years ago, but there are still going to be some spots that lose out.

junior the show in Portland was great.....great work.

'break a leg' for the remainder shows... you know what I mean.


yes I'm the dude you met outside Portland hotel.

much love to what you do.

The Eugene show sounded amazing. Although that was probably helped by the fact that it was in Matthew Knight Arena, which is brand new and built by Nike, so every seat in the house is amazing.

Danny in SD with his pup. And the set list...

Love that face!