Viejas Arena

Tool 1/10/20

Tool Viejas

I guess it was only fitting that the first concert for me of the new decade was Tool.  It was also fitting that a couple days before this show I randomly ended up driving behind a car with a custom license plate that said “Schism” as I was listening to Tool.

Schism

After going through hell to get tickets right when they went on sale (eff you Ticketmaster) Bob was able to secure four seats together not far behind the mixer board. After Bob and I met up with Kyle and Chris for a quick beer at Eureka! we met up with Wayne to make our way in (Chris had a seat on the floor) after I had a couple “cookies” for dessert.

I had just seen Tool at Aftershock less than three months before this but was excited at the possibility of them stretching out a little more since this was their own headlining show. It ended up being a very similar setlist as Aftershock but they threw in a partial cover of Rush’s “A Passage to Bangkok” due to the sad announcement earlier in the day that Rush’s legendary drum god Neil Peart had passed away from brain cancer at the age of 67. After a particularly vicious “Forty Six & 2” and intermission they paid tribute again by projecting a picture of Danny and Neil behind the drum kit as Danny was performing “Chocolate Chip Trip.” Finally as they walked off the stage “2112” blasted through the sound system. R.I.P. Doctor.

No Tool show would be complete without crazy visuals and this show utilized what I can only call fishing wire curtains in front of the band for a majority of the show to project trippy landscapes onto. Maynard uncharacteristically came down towards the front at one point and seemed to be in a good mood. Right before AEnema he quipped “San Diego is pretty close to L.A.” before a round of “boos” quickly came back at him. Tool has a very strict no phone policy and threatened removal if caught using your phone but everyone seemed to be ok with being in the moment. Possibly since everyone behaved Maynard then announced right before “Stinkfist” that it was now ok to get out your phones for the last song.

SETLIST: Fear Inoculum, AEnema, Parabol, Parabola, Pneuma, Schism, A Passage to Bangkok, Jambi, Vicarious, Descending, Forty Six & 2, Chocolate Chip Trip, Invincible, Stinkfist

Tool 1:10:20

Foo Fighters 10/17/11

Foo Fighters

An excellent new album called Wasting Light meant a new tour and another opportunity to see Dave Fucking Grohl and his band. It had been about three and a half years since I had seen my old friends so this was overdue. Somehow Tom and I scored floor tickets to see Cage the Elephant open and Foo Fighters rock our faces off. I never get tired of seeing the Foo. I always enjoy when they play “Stacked Actors” but the encore was the best. Dave made his way to the back of the arena like last time to play a couple things by himself and then do a killer cover of one of my favorite Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers songs “Breakdown.” So good.

SETLIST: Bridge Burning, Rope, The Pretender, My Hero, Learn to Fly, White Limo, Arlandria, Breakout, Cold Day in the Sun, Stacked Actors, Walk, Monkey Wrench, I Should Have Known, These Days, This Is A Call, In the Flesh?, All My Life, Best of You, Times Like These, Dear Rosemary, Breakdown, Everlong