Tool @ CIA Cardiff - 30.11.2006
 

When it comes to concerts I am usually quite happy chilling about three quarters back so I can see and hear everything but this concert was different. For some reason I was compelled to get as close to the action as possible and I was quite happy with 4 rows back from the front :D.

Anyways I won't even bother talking about the Mastodon performance because thats not why I went there and to be honest I was too busy being excited about Tool to even care about what Mastodon were doing. They leave the stage and the tool show begins slowly.

They start off by playing some quite weird American radio show in the background while the audience conversates. You can tell this is the beginning of their performance but most people don't notice. This gradual build continues for another 40 minutes or so and by the time the band grace the stage I am so ready for this.

Tool storm the stage and instantly break into their first track. Now I am a fairly new Tool fan (few years) and although I don't know the names of all of their songs I recognize and know all of the tracks that they play. I am for a moment amazed at how good these guys sound live. I shut my eyes and I could be in my living room listening to the album but I'm not I'm listening to these guys play this shit right in front of me :o.

Maynard looks daper in an Orange Hoody and shades. The first track finishes and Maynard states "Do You Want the Good News or the Bad News?" he continues by telling us the good news is that the Bassist is English, Drummer is Irish, He is Scottish and wait for it...the guitarist is Welsh! The room roars with excitment at this news only to be disjoyed to hear "So you want the Bad News?"...silence..."There is no Bad News!!" and they break into their next track. By this point I am entranced. Now I rarely dance, I'm just not that good but something about this band makes me lose my inhibitions and sing and dance away to their amazing performance.

I am stoked when they break into the beginning of "10,000 Days" the title track of their latest release, my personal favorite and overall epic at a whopping 12 minutes long. They pull this song off amazingly and I am really happy that they played this track and I was present to hear it.

Now two strange things about this concert are the requests from the band to the fans. One is no pictures, the second is no smoking. I personaly respect both of their choices which is why there is just a generic picture accompanying this article but people all the way through show how stupid they are by trying to snap pics, smoke fags and spliffs. Each time a member of the security staff stand up and shine the torch on them. Kind of annoying and I almost wish everyone else at this point would dissapear so I could appreciate this concert with no interruptions but no such luck on that front.

Barring a few technical difficulties this bands performance live were second to none. I have seen hundreds of concerts in my lifetime and have not been blown away at many. This was one of the slim few where I am truly blown away by the talents of these guys. The audience is strangely mixed too with people from many different cliques being present for this show. Many people don't get Tool and thats cool I think the fans and the band themselves like that fact. You need to be a certain type of person that listens to and appreciates certain aspects of music to like this band. It took me two years to start to get them but I'm so glad I spent that time learning now.

The lighting, the video visuals, the 10,000 days artwork murial and everything else in this concert are amazing and add up to an outstanding show. If anyone was at this show and didn't love it then there seriously is something wrong with you and maybe you should stick to your Pop Punk music huh?

If you're looking for a band to change your life then go buy a Tool CD and next time they are coming into town make sure that you are there.

One of my top 3 gigs of all time.

Re: Tool @ CIA Cardiff - 30.11.2006
 

This is the funniest review I have read of a concert. If you don't like tool go and listen to your pop punk - maybe someone should tell this clown that tool are pop metal for kerrange readers.
I was at this show and it was rubbish.
After paying £35 a ticket, we were told no smoking and no photos since pretentious self righteous maynard had barred it. I smoked all the way through - sorry to have ruined your show mate!!
I found the attitude of shining torches in people's faces if they were smoking a cigarette disgusting - yeah nice one maynard - you're definitely not the anarchist you used to pretend to be!
I was dying to see Mastodon. The doors opened at 7.30pm and after queuing for 20 minutes as soon as the doors opened we got inn and Mastodon were already on!!
However, I have to say that the 40 minutes I saw of them was amazing. They were technically tight and played much of Leviathan and blood mountain.
Tool came on with Stinkfist and played a slightly alternate ending which was basically rubbish - it weas some sort of tuneless jam.
After the laser show and visuals got boring (which was after the first song), tool hit a slump and we were forced to listen to about 40 minutes of tuneless drivel - or maybe i 'just didn't get it'.
I'd beg to differ and say that I did get it and it was crap.
This show would have been ten times better if Mastodon had played longer, tool hadn't forced the security to treat people like criminals if they were smoking and the drinks were cheaper.
This is the fifth tool show I have been to over the past 7 years and it was easily the worst.
As for the previous reviewers comments that he wont bother commenting on mastodon but praises tool to the hilt and then tells us if we didn't like it go and listen to pop punk, it's hilarious. If anything this guy is the pop fan - probably first tool gig he's ever seen.
It was rubbish!!

Re: Tool @ CIA Cardiff - 30.11.2006
 

following on to your comments that 'we don't get it' if we don't like it - try some isis, neurosis, red sparowes, tribes of neurot - that's real art metal - not tool

Re: Tool @ CIA Cardiff - 30.11.2006
 

OK first things first. This was my first Tool gig (as mentioned within the review) and I am a fairly new Tool fan (as also mentioned (about 3 years)).

You say you have seen Tool five times in seven years and by the sound of your wording this was the only stop on this tour that you went too. Considering Tool's last tour was in 2002 I would say that unless you went 4 times in that tour that you are pretty much bullshitting. If you were a true Tool fan and had indeed seen them 5 times over a 7 year period why would you be dissing them saying that the whole show after Stinkfist was shit? Obviously not a Tool fan and obviously not seen them 5 times in the last 7 years.

Your entire response basically summed up everything I was saying and the comment about the Pop Punk was aimed at one particular indvidual who knows who they are.

I fully respected the bands requests with regards to smoking and photos because I am a huge fan of the band and if they didn't want me to take pictures I would make the images stick in my memory. If they didnt want me to smoke I would wait until after the concert to have a fag/spliff. The people that still took photos and smoked (it was totally up to you of course) but by doing so you are showing that you are not a true fan of Tool due to disespecting their personal requests and to complain about having a Torch flashed in your face for breaking the rules is hilarious!! How can you complain when you were in the wrong? Come April 2007 every indoor public place will be smoke free in Wales and by my calculations you will continue to smoke indoors to prove your rebellion.

With regards to the Lazer show, that did not start until about half way through so getting bored of it after the fist song is pretty hard to do LMAO.

By saying you do get Tool and what they represent and that they were crap means that you don't get or even like Tool (which is fine) but by no means was this show crap. Overall this was one of the best live performances I have seen. The instrumentation and vocals were impecable. Sure there were some technial difficulties with Maynards mic with the gas mask and the guitar at one or two points but thats just minor. Overall (audio, visual, atmosphere ad performance) Tool ****ing rocked the stage hard and to be honest I don't really care what you thought because it was an entrancing gig.

With regards to Mastodon I didn't like them. I like their stuff on record but live it sounded pretty bad. Their sound guy was shit and from towards the back of the room they sounded like one big bass durge. Their singer literally was doing a shout style scream throughout and it just wasn't executed very well. I wasn't there to see Mastodon and was too busy getting exited for Tool to care about their performance. It appears you were there for Mastodon I was there for Tool. Thats fine.

Just remember, opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one.

Peace
x

Re: Tool @ CIA Cardiff - 30.11.2006
 

basically you are the pop fan. The performance was shit and I do get what it is supposed to be.
The fact that you only got into tool three years ago shows that 1 - you are either about 17and don't know what you're t,alking about or 2 - you've led a sheltered life and only read the lateralus review in kerrang long after the rest of us realised that tool's best days i.e. undertow and aenima had long since passed.
As for Mastodon you obviously just don't get it!

Re: Tool @ CIA Cardiff - 30.11.2006
 

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha haha.

Re: Tool @ CIA Cardiff - 30.11.2006
 

by the way you freak - audiences don't 'conversate' they 'converse' - go back to school and get your self sorted out retard

Re: Tool @ CIA Cardiff - 30.11.2006
 

Thanks for reading my review agin. Much appreciated.

Re: Tool @ CIA Cardiff - 30.11.2006
 

agin?

Re: Tool @ CIA Cardiff - 30.11.2006
 

Mastodon was absolute crap. That pile of shit sounds as good as the noise my turd makes when it hits the ****ing toilet. I thought that Tool was amazing and so what if they want people not to smoke. What? you can't go a couple of hours without smoking you ****ing loser. Soon you won't be able to smoke inside anywhere in Wales.

I have been a Tool fan from the beginning, and they have earned the right to do whatever the **** they feel like doing. What the good thing is hopefully you will do us all a favor including Tool and not come to anymore of their "pop-rock" shows. Trust me no one will miss you.