tool in concert

James and I went and saw Tool last night at Sac Valley Ampitheater (Sleeptrain Ampitheater). A band called Isis opened for them. We sat in section 105, row 6, so we had pretty good seats. So good, that when Isis was performing, we were wishing that we had ear plugs because the bass was physically painful. After we finished our first $8 beer, we went to get another. We also decided to try and track down some ear plugs. There was a volunteer group called Rock Med that had a couple tables set up. They gave us some ear plugs and we left a small donation to help out. By the time we made it back to our seats, Isis was done playing.

We sat down and just chilled. The stands really started to fill up (of course they did….Tool was up next). After about 20 minutes, the band took the stage. The drummer came out in a Lakers jersey to piss off all the Kings fans. Maynard came out in a cowboy hat, sun-glasses, cowboy boots, and worn wranglers. He was shirtless. Under the cowboy hat, he was sporting a mowhawk.

If you haven’t ever seen Tool live, I must say that it is definately a show you should go and see…not so much for the stage presence, but for the music and the lights/lasers. Most of the time when I go to concerts, I feel that the lights and laser effects distract from the show. Not so at this concert. The entire stage was covered in white so the lights would illuminate everything in the color of the light. Also, at the front of the stage, there were mirrors on the ground. This way, lasers at the back of the stage could be pointed at the mirrors and reflect up above the crowd producting a powerful effect…I thought it was really cool.

Tool sounds absolutely amazing live. Maynard stood in the back and sang next to the drummer, but man, the whole band just absolutely rocked!!! Would I go see them again? Probably. Would I spend $80 next time like these tickets cost? Only if it was for a pit pass.