Tool at the Civic Center - 7/13

"Where my lasers at? Where my lasers at?" asked one Coach Z from HomestarRunner.com. Well, Coach Z, I finally have the answer for you, and it isn't "bew bow!" All of the lasers were at the Tool show Friday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center. I couldn't believe I paid $52 to see them, but after the show, I was a believer.

The opening band was called Big Business, and they were as obnoxious as their name. It was a lot of feedback, experimental guitar work, and bad yelling. The drummer was awesome however. Usually, I go easy with some artists and give them a chance, but I was daydreaming about seeing Animal Collective in concert for the entire time, so I think that was a good sign that I wasn't really enjoying the show. The drummer was fun to watch. Don't get me wrong about that.

Tool was simply amazing for many reasons. Their sound was mixed well, so that everything sounded almost as good as the recordings themselves. The set was awesome. The visuals were awesome. The lights were awesome. The lasers were awesome. AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME (not to self, expand vocabulary).

The show was very clearly revolved around visuals. There were six large projection screens behind the stage. Sometimes a music video would show for a particular song, but otherwise, it would display awesome computer graphics that surrounded dark themes that are found in Tool's music.

The lights were cool, but the lasers were so much better. If anyone remembers the green lasers used in the "Clocks" music video by Coldplay, they'll know the kind of lasers used at the Tool show. They were simply mesmerizing. There were too many times when I just stared up at the lasers hitting the ceiling and just laughed with a stupid grin. Though most people at the concert were high already, II think anyone else could have been tricked into thinking that they were too without any use of the substance.

Tool played a lot of familiar songs. I can't even remember all of the names, but I was certainly banging my head as I stood in my seated section. Tool played "Vicariously" right at the end, and that was very epic. The lasers were at full power, and everything was off the walls. They didn't play many songs, but the songs were so long, so that made up for the small quantity.

As I left the show with my friend Matt, we noticed all of the 18-wheelers waiting outside of the civic center. There were about eight or so, and they were all there to transport the equipment for Tool's tour. Incredible. I guess that's partly why the tickets cost so much. Anyhow, the show was well-worth the money, and if you ever want to go to a show that is a great multimedia experience, then Tool is the band to see.