Tool w/Isis : Tweeter Center, Mansfield MA 9/29/06

Tool
Tweeter Center, Mansfield,MA
Friday September 29, 2006
Opener - Isis

For the second time this year I caught Tool in concert. This time it was at the far larger Tweeter Center here in MA. Back in the spring the band played the Orpheum Theater to the 2,800 ravenouns fans, this time it was close to 20K.

I hit the parking lot and then walked up to check out the patdowns. I was tempted to tape but Tool is so anti-taping they step up the security. I checked stuff out and decided I just didn't want to run tape. I met up w/my buddy Steve just about 7 and since we both came from work and had no beer to tailgate with we headed in.

Settled in to our seats in Section 6. It was straight back off the stage and about 5 rows back of the mixing board..unreal taper seats mind you. Steve and I chatted for a bit then finally at 8pm Isis came out. The venue was pretty empty but Isis did their best to get everyone's attention. 30(yes you read that right 30!) minutes later Isis walked off the stage. Off to the mens room before the show...

Best line heard near the Mens' room (which had a large line..shokcer).
-dude 1 - Man..there are more guys waiting to get in to the bathroom that the ladies.
-dude 2 - Yeah thats odd since they take longer.
-dude 3 - DUDE...WE ARE AT TOOL! I can count the women here on one hand.


9:15 the lights went down and Tool rolled out. Singer Maynard James Keenan is the the "anti" front man. He was up on a riser to the right of drummer Danny Carey and the stage was as wide as I had ever seen. It appeared that the band was using all the real estate they could. Way over to one side was guitarist Adam Jones and way over to the other was bassist Justin Chancellor. They were so spread out and the amps didn't take up that much space.

Maynard came out in a hunters orange sweatshirt and his only words were "holy shit its fucking cold!". From there the band ripped in to "stinkfist".

I will refrain from a blow by blow account mostly due to part of me felt the show was so very run of the mill. Adam Jones hardly moves, Justin and Danny can replicate every single sound they created in the studio, there is no denying at least to me that they are the total cornerstone of this band.

Maynard shed his sweatshirt a little later but put it back on. His voice seemed fine but there were points when the sound was so brickwalled (basically you feel your shirt flap in the waves created in sound).

The band dug out some laser lights later in the set and that seemed to satisfy the largely male and largely wasted audience. I'll admit it was cool, but for some reason "screaming/applauding for the lights" is something I never got..ever.

Call me lame call me what you want but I bailed right before the encore. The band, rather than leaving the stage, they sit and "soak in the applause". There were only three songs left and the parking at the venue is the WORST. If you don't leave at the encore or RUN at the end of the show you will move a foot an hour..i kid you not.

The full set list if that is your bag:
Stinkfist
The Pot
Forty Six & 2
Jambi
Schism
Lost Keys
Rosetta Stoned
Wings For Marie
10,000 Days
Lateralus
Vicarious
Ænema

Rumors have it the band may be "done" so I was glad to have seen them again, but leaving early was also a plus.

As a sidebar Isis is playing a headlining gig Wednesday in Providence.