Tool- Friday 6th May 2022 3Arena Dublin

There was a free seat beside me but from where I was, it seemed that free seats were very rare indeed. It was very close to capacity, I reckon.

And moaning the days previous about phones at gigs......

Id say it was more to do with the ticket fuckery going on with tickets mysteriously going back on sale and then people not wanting to buy a solo ticket to sit on their own..

Anyone notice how few cameras were out for Right in Two even though Maynard said film/snap away.

Amazing show, I was blessed where was right in front for Justin.

Talking during gigs is just become a bloody plague any gig with quiet moments is ruined by it ..dreading Sigur Ros in November for it.

For who ever was asking about what the visuals were about ....drugs basically..dmt halucinious in particular..always been tools thing.

As for ticket prices I dunno what people seem to expect at this point...tix were never gonna stay €60 for ever like. At least the market didn't cave for the platinum level crap. €80 just about gets ya a big act in a field these days.

We are gonna see more and more of this since ticketbastard cant take their scalp from the secondary market here.

Even worse is they have started a trialing a sliding/demand cost model ala ryanair flight tickets in the UK.

Thought it was an excellent gig.

My concerns about the atmosphere with it being fully seated were totally unfounded. Okay, you do lose some of the raucousness and collective energy you'd expect, but, in this context, it worked. It was actually a pleasure to watch the band work with any impediment, you could really concentrate and give them your full attention. I've been to plenty of gigs where sitting can make you feel like you're at a remove, watching a recital, but not here. It also helped that everyone just stood up after the third or forth song, just like we were told to, lol.

First things first - they really are an incredible unit to watch in action. I don't know how many bands I've seen at gigs over the years - loads - and they were, without doubt, one of the tightest; definitely the tightest I've seen in such a large venue. They were ridiculously on the money and to see those songs played with such pulversing precision was a rare treat. You don't get many acts displaying that level of total control. There was one moment when Adam Jones - during Descending, I think - was a split second behind and it was fascinating watching how they had to work it out for a few bars until the machine was back on track again. It was a really minor, barely noticeable moment, but it underlined how difficult it is to play their material, and to get that right 99.9% of the time is no joke.

I actually thought Adam Jones was the star of the show. It's a given that Danny Carey is ludicrous and Justin Chancellor is amazing, but I always thought Adam Jones was kind of maybe the relative weak link in the band. Not that he isn't good, of course he is, but he isn't the most technically flashy or wildly dexterous guitarist and while the rhythm section are virtuosic, I had thought that perhaps he wasn't quite at their level.

But, I dunno, after seeing them the last evening, I loved the little subtle embellishments that he sprinkled into the tunes. They did perform them pretty much note perfectly, but it was cool to hear him add a little extra lick or element every now and again. One of the highlights of the gig for me was one of the climatic bits of Pushit, where the rhythm section gets stupidly hypnotic and he plays this squalling succession of notes over the top of it, and on the record that's always been one of my favourite moments of the track, but live he dragged every last bit of tension out of it and sustained it and made it so more intense. Ah, fawk.. great stuff.

I suppose if I had to complain I could say the same thing that everyone says: too much new stuff. Now, I did enjoy every song off the new album that they played - apart from Culling Voices, which is an absolute stinker, even if they tried their damndest to make it interesting - but, man, I think there was space there for one less of those and one more that we all know and love. The reaction to the older stuff said it all. But, at least the versions of old stuff that I did hear were absolutely the best versions of those songs that I ever heard in my life.

A lot of people had been put out by the price prior to it, myself included. I did think there was some downright insulting prices being charged for some tickets and the whole way the tickets were doled out did leave me with a sour taste in my mouth. But, if I'm being honest, I don't feel like I was particularly short changed by the experience, even if the tickets cost 100 quid. Let's face it, nine times out ten, you'll pay upwards of 60-70 quid at least to see an established act and, nine times out ten, they're nowhere as good as the lads were on Friday night. I feel like I got serious bang for my buck. If I'd had paid 300 plus I might think... "hang on a sec", but I didn't. And that's what it boils down to really for me. Yes, they charge handsomely for what they do, but, man, are they good at what they do. I'll put it this way: if they were playing tomorrow, I'd go again.

Was it the best arena show that I've seen? I think Rammstein in 2012 shades it - incredible spectacle, unbeatable setlist and a real fevered atmosphere - but this was undoubtedly fantastic. I used to be a massive fan back in the day, but had kinda moved onto different musical pastures in the interim, so there was an element of nostalgia - rather than rabid fandom - in going in the first place, but I'd have to say my respect for them as musicians is reaffirmed after the gig - hopefully they'll be back.

Yeah they rotate a song out in between gigs by the look of it, we got "The patient", which i was delighted with, they didnt play that when i seen them in 02 or 06. Its actually the first time they played the song live in Ireland :)

So those 'Row D' tickets in the flat seating area I managed to get on Ticketmaster the day before the concert turned out to be the front row on the left of the stage - couldn't believe how good they were.

When Maynard got everyone to stand I was literally standing at the barrier in front of the stage.

Felt incredibly lucky but at the same time very very annoyed at the way Ticketmaster handled the ticketing system. My other seats which I bought an eternity ago were up in the gods and when I bought them I'd selected 'best seats available'.

Was wondering if some of the people sitting around me had paid hundreds for their seats, I'm sure some of them did.

Yep, a bit of a sickener. Would have been great to hear it at the Dublin show, ah well

I love The Pot too but I'd take 7empest over it. Ticks & Leeches has also crept into the setlist.

Anyway, don't know why I'm torturing myself looking at setlists, just glad I saw them.

I'd take Tempest over The Pot any and every day of the week. I enjoyed it on the night, but I've never been a huge fan of it compared to some of the other stuff: always seemed a bit more like a straight ahead rawk song.

Will they be back? Pfft, who knows. It wouldn't shock me, but aside from album cycles they don't hit Ireland really.

The gigs they're playing the UK are, I think, their first non-festival gigs kver there in sixteen years. And where would Tool fit on a music festival bill in Ireland? At least the UK has download and the likes that are a better fit. Who knows, they might give us an arena show if they happen to be touring Europe in the next few years. I think the chances are 50/50 and it'll happen in the next 2-3 years or not at all.

the ticket situation is stupid, IN MY DAY first served get's best tickets and so forth until the end, now it's first in get average tickets with the best released at huge prices until they don't sell, then people just rock up and buy the best tickets the week of the gig!