It’s been 5 months. I missed the ones earlier because the website crashed. This was the last one for the US for this year. This was one hell of a way to spend saturday night. I got myself a mammoth poster too. My ears are still not back to normal - they cannot tolerate this much good stuff this loud.

Tool opened with Stinkfist and played the setlist I had expected them to play. I knew this was going to be awesome but I found out just how awesome tonight. We had floor tickets and were less than 100 feet from the band. We could clearly see the band and their instruments and I got a kick out of watching Maynard gryating to the music. Danny Carey is an extremely talented drummer, one of the best in rock n’ roll today, probably a little under-appreciated outside the Tool community but terrific nonetheless. He just seems to play everything so effortlessly that he almost seems inhuman. He never missed a beat and with his iMac next to him, he was able to produce all those beats from his mandala pads that sound oh so good on the albums. Adam’s poise was in complete contrast to Maynard’s perpetual motion. Justin is a fantastic bassist and his basslines on songs like The Pot are simply breathtaking. He for one was matching Maynard’s gyrations with his head-banging and bass-humping.

Tool made smart use of lasers. They had mirrors set up in different parts of the stage which reflected some of the laser beams, thus creating criss-crossing beams that looked awesome. Being on the floor meant missing some of the visuals but shit, watching these four guys perform some of my favorite music live more than makes up for it.

So, ISIS opened for Tool and were all right. I just wanted them to get off so that Tool could on. Justin actually joined them on stage for their last song wearing a funny mask+hat. So everyone’s waiting for Tool to come on and at 9:13 the lights went out. The place erupted and a couple of minutes later the guys came on stage and took their position. MJK greeted us and immediately after that, the band went into Stinkfist. I think it’s a great opener and I knew it would sound spectacular after the sound during ISIS’ set blew us away. I mean, being so close meant that we could feel the air being displaced by the speakers. It was like a wall of air hitting us every few seconds. After Stinkfist, they played The Pot, Forty Six & 2, Schism, Jambi, and Rosetta Stoned with Lost Keys. The talkbox solo in Jambi was unreal!! Rosetta Stoned was a trip! Maynard was running around stage with his megaphone slung around his back. He nailed all the lyrics and even gave us the scream towards the end. Danny’s drumming was out of this world and I wonder how he manages to remember all the time signatures. Then came Wings. After that came 10, 000 Days. I love these songs but they always make me sad. They’re just so beautiful that they bring tears to your eyes and send chills down your spine. This is Maynard’s poetry at it’s very best. I wish the asshole behind me wasn’t such a jackass. During the quieter parts of these songs, he would randomly scream at the top of his voice. I mean, WTF? Dude, screaming during a song like this is rude and insensitive. It probably pisses Maynard off when people do that. But I appreciate the fact that these guys continue to play the song live even though it’s probably very hard for them. Thanks for playing them Tool!!

After 10, 000 Days, the band took a break and sat on the stage for a few minutes. Taking in the applause and cheers from the enthusiastic crowd. Then Justin lit his lighter and thousands followed suit. It was a wonderful sight - all those lighters together lit up the arena and made me wish I had brought a lighter. Then came Lateralus. That song is unbelievably good live. The lights and lasers went berserk during the song and more lighting behind the band was switched on. It was surreal. Then, after teasing us for a good minute or two with a weird interlude, Tool played Vicarious. Undoubtedly my favorite track off the new album, I was thrilled to hear it live. MJK did a fantastic job with the “la la la la lie” and “Much better you than I” parts. He cut them out of the song when he was sick a few days back. I just hope the video comes out sooner rather than later. Finally, they ended with Ænema which is a big fan favorite. It’s a great song and the guys nailed it. They nailed it well.

The set was kind of short but I was expecting that. Maynard promised they will come back in the spring and I cannot wait!! Hopefully they’ll come back with a different set list and a different stage set up. Maybe they’ll play at Madison Square Garden. I’ve been here two years and still haven’t been inside the Garden. I hear it’s a great concert venue.

This was my third concert this year and I’d say probably the best. Pearl Jam comes close but not close enough. Electric Six are third, only because PJ and Tool are such amazingly good bands. A guy in our row got caught smoking. A lot of people were smoking pot and drinking booze. But that’s expected. I just hope my hearing returns to normal tomorrow. If you are going to have sex, make sure you use a condom. And when you leave, throw your stuff in the trash cans. Hey, that’s not a law, just a suggestion.

Also, it seems New Jersey won the prize for the being loudest audience on this tour. Used to be Cleveland until Jersey trumped them. We weren’t loud enough for Maynard. At the end of the show, all four band mates got into a huddle and were all smiles. They threw some of their stuff to the audience but we weren’t close enough to catch stuff.

Thank you Tool. Thank you for an amazing show.