Tool at the Mandalay Bay Events Center

Check out my photos of Tool at the Mandalay Bay Events Center over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

Tool at the Nokia Theater

Check out a few pics and a review of Tool at Nokia Theater over at OC Weekly.

Tool at the Pearl Theatre in the Palms Night 2

One can never go wrong seeing Tool two nights in a row. After sitting a few rows back on night 1, I had pit tickets for the second night. The doors opened early and my brother and I managed to secure a spot on the rail in front of Justin Chancellor (Bass).

Justin appeared with an afro wig as he tore into "Jambi". Justin later tossed his afro out into the first row for an interesting souvenir. Danny Carey (Drums) was sporting his Kansas Basketball jersey with his name on the back. Maynard James Keenan (Vocals) returned to form on this particular night as he moved around more during "Jambi" compared to his statue performance on Thursday. Since I was on the rail, I basically enjoyed the show and didn't take too many notes.

It was interesting to watch the Tool image patrol in action. The Tool image patrol is Tool's security team that has ear pieces and mini red lasers to spot any cameras in the crowd and threaten to kick people out if they take pictures with their camera phones. The staff from the Pearl was running back and forth at the discretion of the Tool image patrol nabbing patrons taking renegade photos. I would love to see their job description when applying for the position.

Maynard did manage to let it rip for the ending scream of "Stinkfist" which gave me flashbacks to the good old days of Tool shows. "Rosetta Stoned" had Justin swinging his bass all over place for different shades of feedback. The visuals during "Rosetta Stoned" featured planets swirling around the universe. "Wings For Marie" and "10,000 Days" was astounding in that I watched Justin shred on the bass. The fingerpicking that Justin does on the song is jaw dropping. The usually problem of Maynard's vocals being too low haunted the band again. "Lateralus" had some humorous moments when the bass tech gave Justin a banana. Maynard peered over and asked Justin, "You hungry?". Justin would later get another banana and offer it to Maynard. Maynard tried to offer the banana to Adam which he reacted with a chuckle. Maynard would later toss the banana out to the crowd. Maynard closed the night saying it was the last night of the tour but it would not be their final show. I still think it will be a few years before we hear from Tool again.

Tool Setlist at the Pearl Theatre at the Palms (12/14/07)
"Jambi"
"Stinkfist"
"46&2"
"Schism"
"Rosetta Stoned"
"Flood"
"Wings For Marie"
"10,000 Days"
"Lateralus"
"Vicarious"

Tool at the Pearl Theatre in the Palms Night 1

2007 has been a busy concert year. I am amazed that I managed to see Tool six times this calendar year. Tool sounded superb when they played the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. I was hoping for a repeat performance of their concert in April when I saw them at the Pearl.

I was fortunate to have my brother roll out for both nights of Tool in Vegas. I am still jealous that he saw some earlier Tool shows back in 1992. The one specific show was when he saw Tool and Rage Against the Machine at Club Lingerie. There were no opening bands so the audience was subjected to a random batch of songs. It was funny though when they played Iron Maiden’s “Number of The Beast” and the light technician would trigger some flashing lights during Bruce Dickinson’s screams.

Tool took the stage about a quarter of an hour past nine. Danny Carey (Drums) was sporting a Kobe Bryant Lakers Jersey while Maynard James Keenan (Vocals) had a Orange Puscifer jacket. I was not surprised when the rumbling riff of “Jambi” filled the theatre as the crowd roared. Adam Jones (Guitars) knocked it out of the park with his improvised Heil Talk Box solo. The sizzling electrode sounds served as a premonition to “Stinkfist”. Adam was employing his wah pedal frequently as a filter for his guitar tone. Adam walked over to Justin near the end of the song to signal the part of where they speed up the song to really finish out the tune with a bang. “46&2” never gets old live and is one of the better groove based Tool songs. Adam seemed to be using a combination of a phaser and a flanger for parts of the song. “Schism” is a showcase for Justin’s stellar bass skills. Justin stomped his foot to lead the band into the song. “Rosetta Stoned” had Justin using his pick to scrape the strings for added noise. Maynard’s vocals for the next three songs seemed to have been turned down a pinch. It was not mixed as well as the Nokia Theatre show. “Flood” is always worth the money as Justin teased the audience with various bass notes before launching into the crushing bass line. A slew of blue lights and water visuals filled the Pearl fitting the mood of the song extremely well. The Tool stool was pulled out for Justin for the epic “Wings for Marie” and “10,000 Days” combo. “Lateralus” was simply off the charts. It was a showcase for Danny, as he didn’t have anyone to drum off against. Danny crushed his drums effortlessly and would make me quit playing drums because he made it look so easy. “Vicarious” closed out the show with Maynard pointing the microphone out to the crowd for the final verse and using he hand as guide to mimic the vocals. I was desperately hoping for an extra song but was not surprised when they turned on the house lights.

Tool Setlist at the Pearl Theatre at the Palms (12/13/07)
"Jambi"
"Stinkfist"
"46&2"
"Schism"
"Rosetta Stoned"
"Flood"
"Wings For Marie"
"10,000 Days"
"Lateralus"
"Vicarious"

Tool at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live

I was surprised that Tool added another leg of their 10,000 days tour. I figured I had seen the last of Tool for many years after catching two nights of Tool in San Diego. I am eagerly looking forward to the two shows in Las Vegas at the Pearl because their show in April was outstanding.

After paying the outrageous $25 to park, I was curious to see check out the Nokia theatre. The lobby was extremely cramped with the beer lines overflowing. The bathrooms had two levels which I thought was intriguing. The lobby is very small but inside the theatre it was cavernous. I had a fifth row row seat right in line with Adam Jones (Guitars).

Trans Am opened the show with their Battles meets Rush vibe. I was directly in line with the house speakers and overall the sound was very clean for Trans Am. I had heard conflicting reports about the sound quality at the Nokia but I am sure the sound was different for those in the upper deck. Trans Am had lots of instrument switching as they ran through a quick set. I did like one of the songs that they used a vocoder on a Nord Lead keyboard. Another song had a twin bass attack that reminded me of the band Ned's Atomic Dustbin.

The roar of the crowd when the lights went out reminded me of why Tool shows are one of a kind. I was surprised that there was so much light on the stage as the band members could be seen very clearly. I could also see Adam's triple half stack of two Diezel amps with Mesa Boogie cabinets and a vintage Marshall half stack. Danny Carey (Drums) was representing with a Los Angeles Clippers Elton Brand jersey while Maynard Keenan (Vocals) had his Puscifer jacket on. The rumbling drums and fire visuals in the background signaled the song "Jambi". Adam Jones (Guitars) laid down his blistering talk box solo as a brilliant white spot light shone down upon him. Maynard then baited the crowd into jeers when he said the crowd wasn't nearly as loud as San Francisco and they have not even played there yet. "Stinkfist" had the video running on in the background as Adam engaged his Wah pedal to use as a tone filter for his pick scrapes across the strings and for some ringing chords. "46&2" had Adam behind his Virus keyboard triggering some sawtooth like pads before diving into the riff on his Gibson Les Paul Silverburst. The visuals for "46&2" had a skull with a vein attached to an infant inside the skull. How do they come up with this stuff? Adam used some volume knob swells for the intro to "Schism" while the Tool Army red logo swirled in the background. Justin Chancellor(Bass) did a phenomenal job carving out that stuttering bass line. "Rosetta Stoned" had visuals of microprocessor schematics as Maynard yelled into a hand held mini megaphone. Maynard got into the synth action on his Korg Triton Extreme keyboard for the powerful "Flood". The keyboard intro reminded me of some of the sounds on the Space Mountain ride at Disneyland. I had flashbacks of Tool concerts in the early 1990's after hearing the tune. The lasers came out in full force for the double shot of "Wings for Marie" and "10,000 days". I didn't know that Tool provided free Lasek surgery at all their shows. Justin earned some more praise with his fingerpicked intro for "10,000 days". "Lateralus" sounds so good live that it is ridiculous. I wonder if they will ever put out a live DVD that has been rumored for years. Coady from Big Business came out for an extra drum jam with Danny. It was a drum off of sorts that was clearly won by Danny. I am biased though. Maynard jokingly held up a 98 sign to signal that he approved. They closed the evening with "Vicarious" that had Maynard actually sing the whole song instead of pointing the microphone out to the crowd like he has at a few of the earlier shows I attended this year. Overall, I was impressed with the Nokia Theatre and my friend even texted me to say that the sound guy deserves a Grammy for best live mix.

Tool Setlist at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live (12/10/07)
"Jambi"
"Stinkfist"
"46&2"
"Schism"
"Rosetta Stoned"
"Flood"
"Wings For Marie"
"10,000 Days"
"Lateralus"
"Vicarious"

Tool at Cox Arena Night 2 (5/3/07)

Did I mention that I really like Tool? I would not normally go to San Diego two nights in a row, but for Tool I would.

I unfortunately missed all of Kinski due to the lovely traffic at the 5 and 405 but made it in time to see Tool's set. I would check out Kinski again when they play a smaller show here in Los Angeles. The lights dimmed and Adam Jones started the tricky riff of "Jambi" and finished it with the usual seering talkbox solo. "Stinkfist" was punctuated with a huge scream by Maynard Keenan (Vocals) that recalled the old days of Tool. Maynard also asked how many people came out from Los Angeles (guilty). The cheer from the crowd was fairly significant. After successfully baiting those people, he said something along the lines that this was San Diego and there are no VIPs here. The crowd roar was much louder at this point. "46&2" ended with a Adam Jones (Guitars) wah drenched finish coupled with a Danny Carey (Drums) drum flurry . One point I forgot to mention with "Schism" is that the visuals are sped up in time when the band picks up the pace. It was very impressive. "Rosetta Stoned" featured some demonic vocal effects courtesy of Maynard at the end. "Pushit" was the highlight for me as it is one of the songs I love to play on guitar. One thing I noticed throughout the show was how much Adam leaves his wah pedal engaged as a filter. During "Vicarious" the eyes on the cover of 10,000 days were projected on the floor that the band was performing. I haven't seen anything like that at other shows. The night ended with Maynard saying you don't have to go home..but you can't stay here. I wish I could have stayed all night.

Tool at Cox Arena Night 2 (5/3/07) Setlist:
"Jambi"
"Stinkfist"
"46 and 2"
"Schism"
"Rosetta stoned"
"Pushit"
"Wings For Marie"
"10,000 Days"
"Lateralus"
"Vicarious"
"Ænima"

Tool at the Cox Arena Night 1 (5/2/07)

No cameras per Tool policy.

My mini tour of Tool continued in San Diego on Wednesday night. The intimacy of the Pearl in Las Vegas could not be beat, but the sound at Cox arena was unbeatable as I had a seat behind the mixing board.

Kinski opened the show at close to 7:30. Kinski is on Sub Pop records and play instrumental atmospheric guitar based rock in the vein of Mogwai, Explosions in The Sky, and hints of Sigur Ros. I mentioned Sigur Ros due to the fact that one of the guitarists was using a bow on his guitar. I was intrigued about the band until I found but their cd's were priced at $20.00. Hopefully their performance on Thursday will change my mind.

Tool came on at 8:45 to the rumble riffage of "Jambi" as Maynard Keenan (Vocals) started into his cowboy dance waving his ten gallon hat around. Adam Jones (Guitars) nailed the talk box solo flawlessly. The setup for the Tool show involves six screens with various imagery throughout the night. During "Stinkfist", they played parts of the video in the background. Maynard's vocals were excellent tonight and he did not skip over lyrics like he tends to do once in awhile. The mix was excellent tonight and I could clearly hear all of Maynard's vocals. Maynard did make a comment before "Wings for Marie" about how polite it was to drink beer and holler during a song that was written about his mother who passed away. "Schism" was electric in that Adam approached the center of stage to a sped up version of the riff. "Right in Two" was a drumming clinic as Danny Carey (Drums) was phenomenal. Danny is interesting in that his Hi-Hat is positioned in the middle of his kit which enables him to use either his left or right hand to keep the rhythm. I was secretly hoping they would play "Swamp Song" but "Right In Two" was a good substitute. I am guessing they will play a similar set on Thursday but I will be happy to be in attendance.


Tool at Cox Arena Night 1 Setlist:
"Jambi"
"Stinkfist"
"46 and 2"
"Schism"
"Rosetta stoned"
"Right In Two"
"Wings For Marie"
"10,000 Days"
"Lateralus"
"Vicarious"
"Ænima"

Tool at The Pearl in Las Vegas

It was funny when a Tool fan started talking to me before the show and asked me how many times I had seen Tool. I remarked that my third ever concert was Tool, The Melvins, and GWAR at the Hollywood Palladium in 1992 and I have seen them at least 20 times.

I was extremely excited to see this show since it was held at the Pearl at the Palms. The intimacy of last nights show will be difficult to top. The Pearl was electric last night as Tool shook off the cobwebs to deliver a thunderous set. I was impressed by the sound system at the Pearl but thought that Maynard's vocals could have been a little bit louder. The Pearl itself is an stellar venue that seems a bit smaller than the Wiltern back in Los Angeles. One of the highlights of the night included Maynard J. Keenan (Vocals) commenting, "Moshpits...huuhh" in his Beavis and Butthead voice. My favorite tunes included "Sober", "Forty Six & Two" and "Jambi". Adam Jones (Guitars)did have some technical problems with his talk box but it still was a scintillating performance. Adam pulled out an electric razor to place on his strings to conjure some alien feedback before crushing the audience with the riff from "Sober". His two Diezel Amp heads were on display running through Mesa Boogie cabinets. The technical abilities of all the band members is a site to behold in a live setting. They did not announce any Los Angeles dates, so I made sure I secured two nights in San Diego hoping that this would not be their last tour.

Tool Setlist from the Pearl In Las Vegas:
"Jambi"
"Stinkfist"
"46 and 2"
"Schism"
"Rosetta stoned"
"Sober"
"Wings For Marie"
"10,000 Days"
"Lateralus"
"Vicarious"
"Ænima"