Tuesday, July 17, 2007

tool in reading, PA - 7.16.07

my second tool show. missed the opening band, Big Business, ah-gain, but in a day comprising a swim, an 8-hour workday, a run, a massage and a concert 90min away something's gotta give so it's the opener. and sleep.

tool - 7/16for all the cop presence outside the sovereign center, you'd think the black panthers were holding a rally there. i think they got their skeds mixed up because my experience with tools fans thus far has shown them to be mellow and friendly. i'd rather hang with them than the typical snotty, clique-y nails gang. (just goes to show pot's good for you, kids!) waiting for my $2.50 cup of water, i had one of those serendipitous conversations you could never script with another nails fan. somehow it turned out that he's gonna send me his extra Beside You In Time DVD because i can't play the HD version i have. (thanks for nothing PS3, but that's another story for another day.)
tool - 7/16
setlist:
jambi
stinkfist (ext.)
46 & 2
schism (ext.)
lost keys/
rosetta stoned

flood
--water and sandwich break--
wings for marie/10,000 Days
lateralus (ext. w/ drummer from Big Business)
vicarious

yeah, we got flood. i'm not a huge fan of the album version, but it's an entirely different experience live: every drum clash is accentuated by a paroxysm of force from danny carey, while rain flares down the vid screens. very powerful. i might have peed myself a little.

tool - 7/16the sound wasn't as good as Boardwalk Hall in AC; maynard's mic seemed low sometimes. but danny's still a madman, and i could watch justin chancellor's fingers move over the neck of that bass all day. he's so fluid, the fingers of his left hand fluttering like wings. dude must have put away 6 yuenglings during lateralus but it didn't seem to faze him.

ah, lateralus. once again the drummer from the opening band came out to duel with danny, only this guy was better than Melt Banana's drummer. dude killed it up there, not even missing a beat when maynard loosed a roll of toilet paper into an onstage fan, weaving skeins all over the second drum set. (knowing maynard i'm sure there's a poop joke there somewhere.) a little guy compared to danny, BB's drummer reminded me of a barky, posturing pekinese, all frenetic and shit, while big dawg danny just grinned at him and rumbled louder and bassier.

that grin was the best. it's good to see people doing something they love. and something i noticed in this show is how much the band keys off danny. while justin and adam jones embarked on some sick jam sessions, they always returned from the periphery to face danny. in fact, one of the things that strikes me about tool in general is how the guys are always watching each other, and no one takes off into solo superstar la-la-land. refreshing.

tool - 7/16pix aren't great, sorry; but maynard's like a nazi when it comes to photos. apparently word filtered down to security that you're not allowed to take a postage-stamp pic 100yds from the stage but knocking off a doob in the 10th row is perfectly fine. if pot actually worked on me, i'd have had a good contact high going on thx to the guys in front of and beside me who kept taking time-outs to beef their highs.

i love these guys. wed is their last US show of this tour, and i don't have a ticket.

what to do??

6 comments:

addon said...

"...in a day comprising a swim, an 8-hour workday, a run, a massage and a concert 90min away ... " I used to do that before breakfast finn.

one of my daughters was going to lend me a nails CD but now claims she lost it ... if I were to buy one for intro , which would I buy?

FINN said...

I used to do that before breakfast finn, as a warmup for a daylong hike into the highlands, right??

your question is a toughie bec every album is different. the best intro might be And All That Could Have Been, recorded live during the 2000 Fragility tour. you get a taste of the first 4 albums.

if you can find Still,for a reasonable price, pick it up. it's got 9 tracks (incl. the best version of The Becoming i've heard) that offer a more mellow, stripped trent.

Mayrasmom said...

did you get a ticket?

FINN said...

as of 30min ago, i have a *theoretical* ticket, thx to craigs list. if my dude doesn't show, i'm sure there'll be lawn tix at the door and i can huddle in the rain with a bunch of soggy stoners bombed out of their gourds.

did i mention that i'm part of a sales pitch at YeBigPharma DownTheRoad tom morn??

we went there this aft for a pitch before the pitch. did the revolving door barf me back out on the way in? sure did!! but did our biz dev guy get STUCK half-in and half-out when we were leaving? sure did!! to my credit, i have never gotten physically stuck in a revolving door.

something tells me Accenture and IBM don't have these kinds of problems.

addon said...

thanks for the tips finn. if they are difficult to find, here's an idea, just post them to me: Adam c/- Oz and all will be well. Thanks in anticipation ...

FINN said...

email me your address.

i missed your birthday, several times in fact.