Salem Armory

A Perfect Circle 4/10/04

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This show happened five days before I packed up everything I owned and moved down to San Diego with Lucinda and Marvin. Los Angeles was always the plan but Marvin called me up one day and said something along the lines of “I know you want to move to L.A. but I’m going to San Diego and my parents are paying for the U-Haul. Why don’t you come with me, sign a six month lease and if you still want to move to L.A. then it’s much closer.” Made sense to me. I am not sure why Joe would not have come to this since he lived in Portland but apparently it was just Lucinda and I.

The Mars Volta opened the show and they went off. Their whole set seemed like one big jam session but I did recognize “Roulette Dares” from De-Loused in the Comatorium. They also picked up the stage lights at the end and played around with them.

Thirteenth Step had officially been released since the last time I saw A Perfect Circle at Lollapalooza and it was exactly what my ears craved. As I write this I am listening to the original version of “The Nurse Who Loved Me” by Failure and did not realize until now that the song was a cover. Idiot! This was a VERY different show than the last time I saw Maynard here with Tool but then again Tool is a very different band than A Perfect Circle. I understand why Maynard wants to be at the back of the stage but he is much more entertaining doing his thing in the front.

SETLIST: Vanishing, Pet, The Hollow, Magdalena, Weak and Powerless, Rose, Blue, Fred’s Got Slacks (Will Ferrell cover), Thinking of You, Breña, The Package, 3 Libras, The Nurse Who Loved Me (Failure cover), Thomas, The Outsider, The Noose, Judith

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Deftones 10/15/00

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Alright, so at this point I know it’s starting to look like I’m obsessed with Deftones. This was already the sixth time I had seen them and had just seen them about two months prior, as well as just seeing Taproot and Incubus at Ozzfest. It seemed like a good deal plus something to do because Portland can be pretty drab most of the time due to the rain. Besides, going to concerts is something that gives me great pleasure in this life. This also gives you an idea of how much devotion these bands put into touring. I believe it was just Lucinda and I this time. I don’t really have much to say about the show itself except every band rocked. I brought a stick of cookies n’ cream incense with me into the show because I thought it would be novel but in reality the ashes kept falling all over everyone and those that were in direct line of the smoke got a very concentrated whiff. This was also the most elaborate stage show I have ever seen Deftones put on. They actually had lights, etc. instead of just a bare bones stage with them rocking out. “Dai the Flu” is one of my favorite songs from Around the Fur and after all the times I’ve seen them this remains the only time I have ever seen it played live.

SETLIST: Korea, Feiticeira, Change, Root, Lifter, My Own Summer, Dai the Flu, Mascara, Back to School, Digital Bath, Teenager, Around the Fur, Headup, Be Quiet and Drive, Birthmark, 7 Words

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Limp Bizkit 6/23/99

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By the time of this concert three pretty major things happened in my life: I graduated from Columbia Basin Community College with my AA, the transmission in my Mustang blew up, and Rose decided to move back to Corvallis for good, which ultimately made it an easier decision to end our relationship for good. After receiving my AA the plan was to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at one of the state schools in Washington, Oregon, or California. The problem was that I didn’t yet know what I wanted to pursue and didn’t want to waste time and money until I figured it out. This was probably the one thing I would change if I could go back in time. The only thing that I was remotely interested in was film school but for some reason convinced myself that it was not realistic. School would’ve pretty much been paid for by Financial Aid due to my mother being deceased and my father working under the table. Rose moved out in June and I was only working part time at UPS , which was not really enough to live on but I had saved a little money and used my credit card to get me through the summer. The place was a loft that was set up really well. After my Mustang blew up, my cousin helped me get a Geo Metro. It was the worst possible chick magnet and teal in color but was cheap, had low mileage, got good gas mileage, and was a 2-door.

Roscoe drove Earl and I to this show. The opener was Staind. We liked them a lot at the time based on their album Dysfunction, which is what they were on tour for. They rocked. Next up was Kid Rock who was touring for his breakthrough album Devil Without a Cause. I was never a fan of his but he does have some decent stuff in pieces and I respect him as a musician. He was on his first major tour and Jo C was with him. I remember thinking it was pretty funny to have this midget walking around the stage saying “show me ya titties!” in a funny voice. R.I.P. Then Limp Bizkit was up. Their star was on the rise due to the new album Significant Other. This was the second stop on this tour but the bass player Sam Rivers had already managed to mess up his hand in Seattle on opening night. He played through the pain and the show was great. They played all the songs I wanted to hear. The highlight though was a moment with Roscoe. He was wearing a neck brace and made his way to the front of the stage. Fred Durst said “and you with neckbrace, you need to get the fuck out of the mosh pit.” Classic.

Tool 10/26/96

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Tool was one of those bands that you just knew about. Sure they had been on MTV but their real genius was in the tracks that you didn’t hear in the mainstream. You could also tell that there was something very different about this band. I was a full on fan of Opiate and Undertow by the time Aenima came out in the summer of 1996. We had the privilege of buying it the day it came out. The Salem Armory is basically an auditorium set up for basketball games. It’s not the coolest place I’ve ever seen a show but it is general admission so if you want to be on the floor you can go on the floor, and if you want to sit in a seat then you sit in a seat. Needless to say my friends and I were pretty stoked to attend this concert. I attended with Jack, Marvin, Ryno, and Jason. There was a band opening for them called The Cows. They were quite possibly the worst band I have ever seen. I don’t know if they purposely sucked or if the contrast between them and Tool was just too much but I do remember that the singer played a horn and it made me cringe. Tool came out to a stage bathed in blue light and played “Third Eye.” Maynard looked extremely menacing because he was painted with white make up and only wearing a pair of white booty shorts. This and the blue light made him look like he was naked. This was also back at a time when Maynard actually performed at the front of the stage. At the conclusion of “Third Eye” the crowd pushed over the barricade that separated the band and the crowd. Maynard kept trying to get everyone to move back but nobody would budge. Finally he said, “everyone just needs to take four granny steps back and we’ll restart the show.” This dance seemed to go on for about 25 minutes before Tool was satisfied and restarted the show. I believe the setlist also included “Forty Six & 2,” “Swamp Song,” “Eulogy,” “Jimmy,” “Hooker With a Penis,” “H.,” “Sober,” “Opiate,” and “Aenima.” The closing song was “Stinkfist.” They had two huge TV screens above the stage and they informed us that they had just finished up the video for “Stinkfist” and that we were going to be the first ones to see it. They had the video going on both screens with a mirror image effect while they played the song live.

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