2001.05.15 - Atlanta, GA, USA @ The Tabernacle
4-Date Pre-Seminal Mini-Tour: Atlanta, GA
Source A: Mini Disc -- Sound Professionals Standard Binaurals > Sony MZ-R70 (mono)
Taper: C. Brightwell
Gen: 1st from Master
Notes:
First performance since 1999. First live appearance of all the Lateralus songs. What a mini-tour, Tool only played relatively small venues with seats of about 2,000-3,000 each. That's a pretty intimate size, in the USA. Crazy stories about what people had to do & pay to get tickets are forever amusing. Scalpers gouged people who couldn't get tickets for astronomical prices, I actually paid $195 for ticket for the Detroit date. As for this recording, sound is just mildly, mildly brickwalled --- surprisingly decent sound since the taper taped this in mono. This is not an all together rare recording but does give the listener a taste of the type of sound-recordings this era of of performances will deliver. For what it's worth, this really should not sound as good as it does. If anything, there is a semi-distant tone to the recording. Crowd is relatively low as well. All in all, very nice recording.
Notes - by Geordy, 03/2006:
Just thought I'd add my own little review of the show here....This was my 3rd time seeing Tool (7.31.97 Nashville and 8.3.98 Knoxville), it was my girlfriend's first time however. After going out at midnight on Monday night and buying two copies of Lateralus, we drove down to Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon, got there around 7 only to see the line wrapped all the way around the block, into the side parking lot, where it began to form a spiral. Kind of ironic that we began the night by 'spiraling out.' Almost 3 hours later we were about 50' from the door and someone offered us something like $1000 a piece for the tickets. At first, we thought, hey, we could fly to Europe and see a show or two there instead, but the more we thought about it, the drive down there, the waiting in line, the fact that we were 50' from the doors, the fact that this was Tool's first show in 2 years, we kept the tickets. Apparently almost 1/4 of the people in the line had actually bought conterfeit tickets. That and the thorough pat downs made for a slow line! Met some awesome people in line though. One guy worked at a Tower Records there in Atlanta, said the band came in at midnight the night before and bought copies of their cd. One guy in front of us even went and grabbed a cab, went who knows where, and showed back up half an hour later with a 6 pack for him and his buddy. I'm not good at writing reviews of performances, just listen to this source and you can feel the energy inside this small venue. And yes, I'm one of those people you hear whistling between songs, apparently I wasn't near this taper though It kills me to think about how many tapers I probably pissed off over the years. The highlight for me was Disposition > Reflection, in particular, the drums at the beginning of Reflection. From listening to the cd earlier that day, this song just jumped out at me and to be hearing it that night was amazing. The acoustics in there were perfect. Honestly, I don't think I've heard a band sound nearly as good at the Tabernacle as Tool did that night.
CD 1
Time: 60:12
CD 2
Time: 43:09
The Grudge
'What, in the wide, wide, world of sports is going on here? Where the fuck have you people been? We've been waiting here for hours. Thank you, goodnight.'
Stinkfist
'For those of you that are unaware, Adam and I have just recently announced our engagement.'
46 & 2
'Thank you, very much, for being a part of this very long and healing process. This next song has far, far reaching implications for all these band members, to the point of braces and fears. We'd like to share this with you now, this song is called Schism. Alright, nevermind, I'm wrong, it's because I'm old. Next song is called Prison Sex.'
Prison Sex (OTRM)
Schism
'This song is, arguably, older than most of you here.'
Swamp Song
Disposition
Reflection
CD 2
Time: 50:52
Intermission
(feat. Schism music video)
'Well there you have it. This isn't really an encore, we just had to go have an infusion of geritol and viagra back stage ?.'
Sober
'Thank you very much for your patience and support.'
Parabol
Parabola
'It's been a while since I've used this joke, so I guess it's ok to do it. This song is about water sports. Is it still funny after everything?'
Ænema
'Thank you very much for your patience, for coming down and standing in that ridiculous line. We apologize for that. We're going to see you again really soon. Next time tell your friends to be patient, buy your ticket through the proper channels or they're likely to be standing outside like they are right now. We love you, thank you very much.'
Opiate
'Thank you very much. This song is called Lateralus.'
Lateralus
Source B: DAT -- Sonic Studios DSM-6S/L > Sony PCM-M1
Notes: First performance since 1999. First live appearance of all the Lateralus songs. Very, very, very sweet capture of Tool on their first night of the 2001 tour and the pre-seminal tour. A vibrant recording of a performance that is, almost by default, an essential in anyone's collection - this audio capture features clean, balanced and dynamic sound. This may be arguably the best sounding mini-tour recordings. There is not much more to say. If you can find a serious issue with this then, please, let me know but I am sure that the majority of Tool fans will simply enjoy this show in it's entirety. Definitely one for at least some form of rotation.
CD 1
Time: 58:18
CD 2
Time: 53:26
Source C: DAT --- Sound Professionals Slimline Cardioids > Sony TCD-D8
Notes / 2004: You know, this particular recording really seems to capture the feel of the evening; the first Tool shows since 1999. Although there is a slight high level distortion that permeates this particular source, I would hope that is would not really distract people from enjoying this source. It sounds like the taper had the levels a little too hot for the taping position and/or the mics could not handle as much SPL's as was given out from the speakers. It also worth a note that there is a bit of phasing, talking and also microphone adjustments that are spread out through this source. Although this may be my preference, this is a very clear recording but the slight distortion may trouble some and, it is true, even MJK's vocals can cause distortion, this is still a nice recording. Very live, very in your face & real. However, it is most likely true that the SSDSM/6>M1 source would be the more appropriate fit for most collectors.
CD 1
Time: 59:52
CD 2
Time: 53:08
Source D: Mini Disc -- Sony ECM-MS907 > Sony MZ-R37
Taper: Sparky
Notes: On one hand, this recording is, if nothing else, another capture of Tool on the first public performance of material from Lateralus. On the other hand, the recording sounds distant / the microphone limitations are obvious / high end distortion is throughout the recording / people scream intentionally(?) into the microphones / a few track transitions & there is a good deal of microphone phasing (movement). This is the classic example of Sony ECM>MD type of recording. The majority of recordings come from SHN as well. Oh well. As such, this is best left for collector's. Simple as that. It's not hard to listen to but there are much better sources of this performance available so you wonder what is the point? I asked myself that when I listened to this. There are also some digi-noises here & there.
CD 1
Time: 60:09