Tool

megatron wrote:

twisted thoughts wrote:

Im pretty sure he's always in front of the screen, but when he's not doing anything - singing or dancing his yoga dance, he'll go chill behind Danny and kinda hide out till he's gotta come back and sing again.

Now, can someone please explain to me what the HELL happened during Sober at the Izod Center? 12 minute Sober and for what?!?!?! So some dude can come out and rap? (is that what that's supposed to be????) Sounded like one of the parents from Charlie Brown! And it was freaking killer up until "Will" came out (3:45 mark) :x :roll:

http://youtu.be/ldcklbX7RqU

i hope that doesn't happen tonight. that was annoying. and what is everyone chatting about? it sounded like whoever was recording that was on the lawn at a dave matthews show.

I hope they bring back Ticks & Leeches for you. (Seems to have been dropped from the set list since Mohegan Sun)...Sober, while a great song, is definitely not worth the trade out if they're gonna add in that dumb shit.

Saw Tool yesterday in Sunrise, FL.

Worst concert ever.

1. Can't understand a word Maynard says. The sound of the instruments was good, but it was bouncing of the tin can Bank Atlantic Center walls.
2. Maynard stands on the drum riser in the dark. WTF? Go see a psychologist and get your stage freight cured.
3. The guitarist and bassist don't move more than 5 feet from their playing positions.
4. The visuals don't look like they have been updated since the early 90's.
5. $80 + $20 parking for that crap?
6. All t-shirts $40 at concession stand.
7. They were selling a signed drum cover for $600. What balls.
8. About 1 second after the last syllable came out of Maynard's mouth he left the stage jumped in an SUV and got a police escort out of the venue.

I understand if you like the music (I do like the music), but anyone who liked this concert is ignorant about live performances.

Your time will be better spent lying in your bed with the lights off listening to AEnima.

DewieCox wrote:

KH71368 wrote:

Saw Tool yesterday in Sunrise, FL.

Worst concert ever.

1. Can't understand a word Maynard says. The sound of the instruments was good, but it was bouncing of the tin can Bank Atlantic Center walls.
2. Maynard stands on the drum riser in the dark. WTF? Go see a psychologist and get your stage freight cured.
3. The guitarist and bassist don't move more than 5 feet from their playing positions.
4. The visuals don't look like they have been updated since the early 90's.
5. $80 + $20 parking for that crap?
6. All t-shirts $40 at concession stand.
7. They were selling a signed drum cover for $600. What balls.
8. About 1 second after the last syllable came out of Maynard's mouth he left the stage jumped in an SUV and got a police escort out of the venue.

I understand if you like the music (I do like the music), but anyone who liked this concert is ignorant about live performances.

Your time will be better spent lying in your bed with the lights off listening to AEnima.

1. Sound can only be so clear in an arena
2. Doubt he has stage fright, but someone that hasn't seen them for more than 10 years might be surprised at him hangin towards the back.
3. Adam Jones is constantly switching effects off and on or adding synth parts to the songs so he can't really stray too far from his rig.
4. Almost none of the songs they play were even out in the early 90s, most not even in the 90s but I can tell you most, if not all of the videos have been updated a time or 2 since 2006
5. $80 for a band as in demand Tool and the production overall seems fair. Doubt they set the parking.
6. The same as every other major touring act.
7. That seems steep.
8. Just like every other band. Bands will often leave the lights off a little longer so they can beat the rush to the interstate.


I've been at close to 50 shows from pretty major bands and I could make a pretty convincing argument that all 4 Tool shows were in the top 10.

I approve the DewieCox message
:thumbup:

In addition, I would further like to quote myself

twisted thoughts wrote:

Can I just say, that I have a whole new appreciation for Adam Jones?
Ive always considered Tool a drum & bass driven band, but man that guy really does bring a lot to the table.
After standing directly in front of him for 90 mins, I can absolutely say, that guy kicks major ass.
And he can play a killer talk box!!

In closing:
Research the venue and dish out cash for a good seat if sound is important to you. Location is everything my friend. If your in the nosebleeds, there is a good chance its gonna sound like trash. If your that far away, your not gonna be able to see what the guys are actually doing on stage. (here I am assuming KH71368 had shitty seats, just as he/she assumed

KH71368 wrote:

anyone who liked this concert is ignorant about live performances.

Sorry you had a bad experience. It sux to feel like you've bent over for your had earned cash. Better luck next time, if there is a next time...

pjl44 wrote:

AtlantaJammer wrote:

I went to the show here in Atlanta last night and I thought it was fucking great! I dont own any Tool albums and only know what gets played on the radio stations... Its tough to get into other live performances when Ive seen PJ 30+ times. Merch sucked. Except for the Poster and the womens Tees.

For a band that's so visually forward, they consistently have terrible t-shirts.

I like them, but they all seem to be the same basic premise. The one I got in 06 was the one that was different from the standard "TOOL" on the front with tour dates or crazy pic on the back. I did get the one with the fire rings from 07, just thought it was cool.

AtlantaJammer wrote:

I went to the show here in Atlanta last night and I thought it was fucking great! I dont own any Tool albums and only know what gets played on the radio stations... Its tough to get into other live performances when Ive seen PJ 30+ times. Merch sucked. Except for the Poster and the womens Tees.

I was there as well. I thought it was a good show. It had been 16 years since I last saw them live so I didn't have any big expectations for the show. I agree that the merch sucked. I can only be convinced to drop $40 on a shirt only if it's truly kick ass.....or a Pearl Jam shirt.

AtlantaJammer wrote:

Its tough to get into other live performances when Ive seen PJ 30+ times.

No its not. How many times you have seen a band has no bearing on another band. If you have trouble getting into live performances other then PJ its coz the live performances you are seeing suck or aren't for you.

FROM TOOLARMY.COM


E-MAIL SUBJECT: "10,000 DAYS PUZZLE..."

"Dear Blair, you might recall that we met a couple of times at Volto! Baked Potato shows 1.5 years ago. I am a neuroscientist that chatted with you about vision science, tryptamine elves, and more. After one of the shows, Danny recommended, based on my interests, that I read "An Homage to Pythagoras". Since then I have been doing some work with contemplative geometry using Robert Lawlor's book "Sacred Geometry" as a workbook. After some time, the pieces began to fall together, my contemplative eye has widened, and the story continues.

For the purposes of this email: I believe that I have solved the 10,000 Days puzzle, to whatever extent the word 'solve' can mean here, since the puzzle this album alludes to has been the eternal quest of mankind.

10,000 Days as an album maps on the Kabbalah Tree of Life (TOL). There are several layers:

A) The album has 11 tracks, each of which corresponds to a specific Sefira on the TOL. Although the TOL is read from the top down, I list it here in the order of the album tracks, with the corresponding English translation and meaning. (A) presents the basic structure that holds true across further interpretation, while (B) and (C) iare more of my own perspective on the songs and album and how it all ties in with mystical traditions.
1. Vicarious - Malkut, "kingdom" - (1st chakra); tribal energy; 12 tribes of israel; 12 zodiac signs; 12 apostles; connection to nature, environment, rhythm of physical life; baptism
2. Jambi - Yesod, "foundation" - (2nd chakra); communion with others; vitality; creative force of life;
3. Wings for Marie, Pt. 1 - Hod, "majesty" - (3rd chakra); integrity; majesty of God; confirmation; honor code with oneself
4. 10,000 Days (Wings, Pt. 2) - Netzah, "victory", "eternity", "endurance" (3rd chakra); endurance; commitment
5. The Pot - Tif'eret, "adornment", "balance" - (4th chakra); heart; compassion, love; harmony
6. Lipan Conjuring - Da'at, "knowledge"
7. Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman) - Gevurah, "judgement", "concealment" - (5th chakra); power of judgement; the right use of one's will
8. Rosetta Stoned - Hesed, "kindness" - (5th chakra); will power, voicing a confession
9. Intension - Binah, "understanding" - (6th chakra); the divine understanding and intelligence of God; intention is developed here in the mind
10. Right in Two - Hokhmah, "wisdom" - (6th chakra, third eye); the energy of wisdom; contact point between mind of the divine and the personal mind; takes wisdom to contact God
11. Viginti Tres - Keter, "crown" - (7th chakra); Divine consciousness

The overarching theme that first came to me in the album was that the album begins in a state of division (Vicarious - "carnivore and voyeur"; Malkut; first chakra; survival) and ascends up the spiritual ladder to a state of Unity in Cosmic consciousness (Viginti Tres; Keter; the crown chakra). Then there are 3 pairs of tracks: Wings 1+2, Lost Keys + Rosetta, Intension + Right in Two, which match up perfectly.

When the pairs are taken as one on the same level, the sefirot correspond to the seven chakras and seven sacraments in the Vedic and Christian traditions, respectively (reference: "Energy Anatomy" by Caroline Myss). The meaning of each sefira also matches up with the rough energy of each song, as noted above. In more detail, Vicarious is the energy and rhythm of the tribe and connection to nature; here the lyrics present the schizoid nature of man in a world that feeds on tragedy. Jambi is the foundation and center of vitality gained by communion with others, here referring to both the sun (Son in Christianity) and perhaps Maynard's own son on the personal side of the coin. Both Wings pieces are majestic odes to the endurance and divine "victory" of Judith Marie as well as Maynard's personal sense of integrity bestowed to him by Marie as well as his own endurance through her ordeal of 10,000 days. The Pot was for a long time for me a stand-alone track in the album, a kind of adornment; it seemed to bring harmony to the rest of the album in some uncanny way. Funny enough, the translation of Tif'eret is "adornment" and implies balance, which in retrospect match my feelings exactly. This track establishes harmony, albeit in a kind of helium-belting rant in an androgynous voice that seems, perhaps, to blend the polarized feminine and masculine sides of the TOL. It's reference to getting high integrates Lost Keys and Rosetta Stoned, as well as provides the cauldron that acts as an alchemical conversion point between the higher and lower sefirot. Lost Keys translates to "concealment", and along with Rosetta Stoned represent the throat chakra, which parallels with the song's protagonist voicing a confession. The "kindness" translation attributed to Hesed (corresponding to Rosetta Stoned) is actually referring to the right use of one's will; how one will use the power of judgement, hopefully for expanding compassion and kindness, according to the mystical traditions. Intension conveys a sense of understanding (Binah) of how the manifest world works, as conveyed by the lyrics that run forward and backwards; intention is developed in the mind in conjunction with understanding and the intelligence. Right in Two is a track that conveys wisdom (Hokhmah), and together with Intension represent the 6th chakra, or third eye. Through wisdom and understanding, God or Divine Consciousness can be contacted from the manifest realm. The Divine Consciousness is represented by Viginti Tres (Keter), which translates to "crown" and correlates to the 7th chakra, from which the TOL begins its downward descent.

(C) Track 6, Lipan Conjuring, is at the center of the album, and its track number ties into its position on the TOL, surrounded by a hexagon. Tef'eret (The Pot) is also at the center of a hexagon and functions as an exchange/balance point. Incidentally, The Pot's alchemical implication corresponds with the sacred geometrical significance of the hexagon as the defining crystal structure of organic compounds (the benzene ring). In Da'at, all the other sefirot in the TOL are united as one. Accordingly, this track is in a sense the central ceremonial fire from which the other tracks on the album reveal themselves; it is the conjuring up of duality so that the Divine Light (emanating from pulses in Viginti Tres, Keter at the crown) can descend and be seen through the crystallizations of the individual tracks. Indeed, a wave-like pulsation is found throughout the album, which to my mind is the cosmic pulsation from Keter. Da'at is not commonly conveyed in depictions of the sefirot and it is not a proper sefira; it is all of them as one. Da'at serves as the connecting point between the sefirot closer to the Source (later tracks) and the sefirot further down in manifestation that deal with emotions (earlier tracks). Furthermore, Da'at is situated in the so-called "Abyss" of the TOL, a kind of no-man's-land between the archetypal and manifest (Real and Unreal, respectively, in Aleister Crowley's words) that acts as a mirror or reflection point for higher and lower halves of the TOL. Hence, the placement of Lipan Conjuring at the center of the album is appropriate: it is from here that a recognition of the higher level patterning of the album begins to be apprehended.

The track ordering of the album is one sense indicative of the songs' spots on the TOL, but in another sense, the ordering is nonlinear and hyperdimensional; it must be contemplated from a standpoint of sacred geometry, mysticism, and repeated listening so that musical patterns and motifs can elucidate the mystery of the Tree of Life.

If my interpretations are not the purported "solution" the 10,000 Days puzzle, I hope that they offered you an entertaining and thoughtful read. If nothing else, 10,000 Days-apart from being an incredible album that has brought me much bliss and divine communion in listening-has been a wonderful link between my own musicianship, yoga, and studies of consciousness. I would love to hear your feedback regardless of whether or I've lost the keys to unlocking this puzzle." Best regards, Gabriel

MY REPLY:

Great job, and it only took a neuroscientist to figure this out. Thanks, my friend!