We got to the Nokia Theater right about 8pm, and spent a little time checking out the venue. The Nokia Theater is pretty new and very highly touted, and this was my first foray into the place. We easily got to our seats, which are the second best I've ever had for a Tool show (the best being pit seats at McFarlin Auditorium in Dallas in 2006, literally about 3 feet from the stage). We were in the first row of the second section back, with seats right on an aisle. Great view, just far enough away that we could take in the whole stage and backdrop and video screens, but close enough to see all the detail of the band members activities. Easy access, in and out, plus some hilarious bonus entertainment of watching security right in front of us handling some colorful characters throughout the show. The opener Tweak Bird was playing when we got there, but I didn't really soak in enough to generate much of an opinion.
At 9:05, Tool came on, and played until 10:50. Despite the fact that they only played 9 songs, the set did not feel overly short. The setlist (as expected):
1. Jambi
2. Stinkfist (extended)
3. Forty-six & 2
4. Schism (extended)
5. Lost Keys/Rosetta Stoned
6. Flood
7. Aenema
8. Lateralus (extended drumming with Tweak Bird drummer)
9. Vicarious
OK, let's beat that dead horse one more time. I do love all of these songs, don't get me wrong, but for crying out loud will they please change it up just a little. Yes, this set does for the most part nicely represent their back-catalog, but they always play the exact same songs from those older albums. It would not take much effort at all to vary it, just change up like 2 songs. Swap out one of the Aenima songs for "Eulogy" or "H", instead of "Schism" play "The Grudge", or something like that. I'm not asking them to bust out an epic track like "Third Eye" (although that would be killer), I'm just saying change up 2 songs and the set would feel completely fresh. Its entirely possible for them to do this, they simply choose not to and its difficult to believe that its attributable to anything but laziness. And as a longtime fan, I do find this choice to not make the effort a little insulting. (And while I'm kvetching, $40 for a damn T-shirt?? Whatever you may think of the setlist, that price is utterly unjustifiable.)
OK, let's get past that.
The sound was fantastic, the best I've heard since the aforementioned McFarlin show. As much as Tool does a pretty good job trying to get the sound right in their usual arena environment, being in a true auditorium makes a world of difference. Maynard's vocals could have probably been a tad higher, they tended to get a little lost in the mix sometimes, but everything else was very nicely balanced. Danny's drums were nice and crisp without overwhelming the sound, as was Justin's bass. But I was most impressed with Adam's guitar, which sounded utterly amazing. The crunchier rhythm stuff rocked without completely taking over, while the solos came through loud and clear.
The visuals were stunningly vibrant, as always, and perfectly synced to the performance. It was the same setup as before, with four screens spanning the back of the glossy white stage, two more screens farther out to the sides and forward, the huge backdrop hung farther back, and the unique three moving circular light assemblies that have been a staple of the shows the last three years. The lasers once again made a dramatic appearance, I believe first presenting themselves either during "Schism" or "Rosetta Stoned". I don't have the encyclopedic memory that others do regarding what video clips have been featured at what shows, so I really can't comment much on whether or not many of the visuals were new, but as always they lent an amazing extra dimension to the performance.
As far as the band's performance, everything for the most part was flawless. Danny, Adam, and Justin were working their asses off, and really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Maynard seemed to take a while to work up to it, I thought he totally phoned it in during the opener. He also seemed to lose a bit of steam at the end, kind of just pacing around like he was bored during "Vicarious". In between though, he was pretty animated and into it, and overall he sounded great. The opening bullhorn shotgun vocals of "Rosetta Stoned" didn't come out so great though, it literally sounded like he was just shouting "robble robble robble" the whole time. Actually, knowing what a smartass he is, I suppose its possible he might have been doing just that, heh.
There was some interaction with the crowd. Maynard stopped a couple times in between songs to say thanks for coming out and to take care of each other and such. He did piss me off a little a couple times. First, at one point near the beginning of the show he said something about "Tonight this place is your home. So, welcome home.", and for just a split second I thought that maybe the cover tune that has been rumored for this tour (which at this point has still not happened) was going to be Metallica's "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", which is one of my favorite songs of all time. Just for that one delusional moment, I was about to die, but then they just launched into either "Stinkfist" or "Forty-six & 2". The other time was more toward the end when he said something about "Yesterday was one thing, but today we're here and its different", and for a moment I was hoping he meant that the set would be different, but nay, they just went into either "Aenema" or "Lateralus". The best Maynard moment of the night though, was toward the end of "Vicarious" when all of a sudden Adam's guitar stopped. Maynard said "Adam broke a guitar string" (I think that's what he said), and he then proceeded to sing the remaining guitar part. It was pretty funny and definitely entertaining, very Ween'ish.
Overall, it was an excellent show. Whatever grumblings I may have, they were definitely tempered by the fact that Sara, who was experiencing Tool for only the second time, really enjoyed the show. She had been to the San Antonio show with me a couple years back and had said that she enjoyed it, but with the much better view and sound, she was much more impressed this time around. Seeing a show like this with someone less familiar with the band definitely puts it into perspective that, although I fear Tool will choose to never achieve as great a live show as I know they could, even at their most generic Tool blows away pretty much any other live performance you're going to find. And I guess that will have to do.
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