Tool @ McFarlin Auditorium, Dallas (05.08.2006)

OK, well first off the setlist was the same as the previous shows of the tour. But, to reiterate:

01. Lost Keys/Rosetta Stoned
02. Stinkfist
03. The Pot
04. Forty-six & 2
05. Jambi
06. Schism
07. Eon Blue Apocalypse/The Patient
(Little bit of a drum solo while the other guys were playing with their gear.)
08. Sober
09. Lateralus
(Funny little pow-wow where all four guys got together and sat down in the middle of the stage in the dark, presumably to just take a break and catch their breath.)
10. Vicarious
11. Aenema

Apparently, there was a mix-up with the tickets. I was stoked when I miraculously was able to snag 6th row center section tickets from Ticketmaster, so imagine my shock and immediate panic when two kids showed up with the EXACT SAME TWO TICKETS as me and fellow TA-er emo. When we approached the security guard to sort it out for us, he mentioned that there had been 60 or so duplicate tickets printed, so they were ready to handle this. He had us draw a piece of paper, and we ended up "losing" our seats to the two kids, so we HAD to sit in the pit up front about 3 feet from the stage. Folks, this is the most fortuitous screw-up of all time.

All I have to say is that if this is a warm-up tour, they are officially boiling. Every song was tight and flawless, even the new material. Opening with "Rosetta Stoned" was absolutely killer, and every bit as trippy as you'd expect. I kind of questioned those who have been referring to that song as kind of the next "Third Eye", but after experiencing it live I definitely understand what they mean and I agree with that statement. Its kind of tough to pick out other highlights, because the whole damn show was one big highlight. But if I had to choose, I'd say Adam's "talkbox" (or whatever the hell its called) action during "Jambi" was perfectly replicated, and was damn cool to see live. And "Forty-six & 2" and "Lateralus" were so energetic and intense that I thought my head was going to explode. The visuals during "Lateralus" were especially well done, and complimented the intensity of the song perfectly. Its no wonder they had to take their litte pow-wow after this one.

As for comments about the guys.

Maynard: Since I have only seen Tool twice before on the Lateralus tour (I have no idea how I had NOT seen them live before that), it was really nice to be able to see Maynard clearly. As everyone has said, he was shirtless with blue jeans and a big ol' belt buckle (appropriate for Texas) and Aviator sunglasses. Half the show he was wearing the cowboy hat, the other half he was showing off the mohawk. He was really on, voice sounded great, and he actually seemed pretty goofy at times, pantomiming portions of songs in kind of a silly stoned way or something. There was a little conversing with the crowd, although not a ton. After the first couple songs he mentioned something funny about "we're here to play evil music" or something like that. Either before or after "Lateralus" he said how it was a treat to be playing and he thanked everyone for coming out and having a good time. He actually sounded sincere too. And then he made some comment about "Smell ya later!" in a funny cartoon-like voice right as they kicked into "Aenema" for the finale.

Adam: Yes! We have signs of life! The guy actually smiled A LOT! He was the first one onto the stage, and the last one off, and he REALLY seemed to be into the crowd. He spent a lot of time at the beginning and end of the show looking around and smiling at the crowd, and doing the whole "We love you guys" gesture to the fans. I was really surprised. As far as his performance, he was right on and really seemed to be getting into his groove, much less stoic and stationary than usual. As I mentioned above, he really seemed to get into "Jambi" especially, it was interesting to see him do the "talkbox" thing and really play the frontman for a couple minutes.

Justin: OK, I have whole new respect for this guy. I mean, I respected him before, but having never had such a good view of him before (we were right in front of him, about 10 feet away), I had never realized HOW MUCH that guy does. There are a lot of parts of songs that I would have sworn were Adam, but they are actually Justin. And a lot of the "ambient" type sounds, like the sustained eerie notes in "Lost Keys", thats all Justin. I'm no music expert so I don't know exactly how he was doing it, but I'm guessing it involved some sort of controlled feedback or something. Anyway, he absolutely tore it up. And yes, for those who have asked, the hair is OH SO poodle.

Danny: What the hell do you say about this guy that we don't already know? This guy was magnificent. Again, seeing as these were the best seats I've ever had to a Tool show, I had the best view I've ever had of DC. If you have a view of this guy, its damn near impossible to NOT just sit there and stare in awe the entire time. I would be sitting there during "Forty-six & 2" or some other song where a portion of kickass drumming would come in, and I'd be thinking "OK, this has to be hard. My ears are telling me that playing this must be REALLY hard." But the dude makes it look so easy! The guy never missed a beat, as far as I could tell. And yes, he is gigantic.

The Whole Band: As a whole, the band seemed to be having a lot of fun. I thought this was VERY significant. In general, the band has a history of seeming pretty tight and wound-up, with such focus and concentration that it was tough to tell if they were having fun or not (well, I guess DC has always seemed like he's been having fun). Not that we as fans will complain, the product of that focus and concentration has been nothing short of phenomenal. However, with this new album I think we're seeing them relax a little and just enjoy rocking out. Yes, there are still the intense emotional times ("Wings For Marie"/"10,000 Days"), but a lot of the album is much more straightforward and in your face. This definitely came through in the show last night. They were rocking out, they were loving it, and they were absolutely unapologetic about how it meshed with peoples' expectations. Good for them. And in turn, good for us : - )