Ah, 2020. For most of us that are still here, alive and breathing, it sure was a wild and crazy time. I probably do not need to enlighten you, dear friend, about how much of a mind-fuck that time was in our lives. As it is, Tool was actually right at the forefront of the Pandemic. After a few West Coast and Southern performances, the band was to hit Australia and New Zealand. Apparently, MJK was quite ill when he arrived and/or travelled down to Australia for the performances. I think we can put a certain amount of the blame on the last of the USA dates; New Orleans as this city was a huge hotbed for Covid activity in the early days of the Pandemic. As such, Tool made international headlines, well, maybe some notations on music sites as apparently MJK was one of the first known people to get Covid publicly. Kind of like Tom Hanks who also was filming a movie in Australia… wait a minute… did Tom Hanks give MJK Covid in 2020? Chances are, if you are a Q’Anon, Trumpie Fool, then you may very well nod your head and think that could be the case. Once back in the USA, Tool performed just two shows before all public gatherings were deemed unsafe. It would be 22 months before Tool would perform again, live.

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2020.01.10 - San Diego, CA, USA @ Viejas Arena

No Known Recordings - really. I am sure there are recordings out there, though.

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2020.01.12 - San Diego, CA, USA @ Viejas Arena

Source A: Solid State — Zoom H-1 (internal microphones)
Taper: a.u.k.
Taper Notes: Taped from Section U, Row 25. Sound engineering requested for this recording file, theres a lot of wind noise, background noise, people talking, singing, etc... quality is not great. A Version 2 of this audio recording after mastering/fixing done should sound a little bit better.

Notes: When this recording came out originally I thought there was no way this was an internal microphone recording. The sound is rather dynamic which you generally do not get with built-in all-in-one units. As such, this recording does sound better than it has any real right to. There are some issues with movement, ‘microphone’ hits, low end can be a tad muddy and the mids/highs lean towards tin-sounding than anything else. Crowd is often vocal to a point of detriment but it is manageable. Vocals, surprisingly, are pronounced enough in the mix and the taper managed to do a rather decent job especially considering the equipment used. All in all, this taper pushed his limited equipment past its’ own limit/s. You got lucky, buddy. Good job.

Time: 1:57:23

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
The Pot
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Vicarious
Part Of Me
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

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2020.01.14 - San Jose, CA, USA @ SAP Center

Source A: Solid State — Schoeps CCM 4 > Sony PCM-M10
Taper: Anonymous

Notes: Ok so will someone please tell me who this Anonymous person is? Why won’t anyone tell me who this person who wishes to not be identified is? It’s like people are keeping a secret or something. Anyway, this anonymous recording is completely awesome! Vocals are clean, guitar is crunchy, bass is solid and DC’s drumming is on-point and exceptionally clear in the mix. Why, if someone did not know better you would think there is something special in this sauce but that does not seem to be the case. Excellent recording of a rather solid performance without any real issues with the recording or missed cues. A source like this makes me wonder just how, how, is Tool as good as they consistently are? Have you ever heard or been to a Tool show where you just left in disgust or were completely bummed? If you ever are or were, you did something wrong.

Time: 2:12:35

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
The Pot
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Vicarious
Descending
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

Source B: Solid State — Microsoft Lumia 950
Taper: armogi

Notes: Man I dislike listening to recordings audio recorded on phones as the end-user result is generally a soupy, undefined and unrefined waste of space. I will say that this one is actually somewhat decent and not a complete sonic mess. I wonder if it has anything to do with the arena or what. As it is, there is a sweet MK4 source but if that isn’t good enough for you there is always this source, eh?

Time: 2:10:56

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2020.01.15 - Fresno, CA, USA @ Save Mart Center

No Known Recordings

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2020.01.17 - Las Vegas, NV, USA @ T-Mobile Arena

Source: Solid State — Hooke Audio Verse 1 > Samsung Galaxy S9
Taper: Acrobat75
Taper Notes: Encore not recorded due to bluetooth dropout

Notes: I had to look up what, the hell, Hooke Audio Verse 1 is. Interesting, it is a dual headphone for listening to music and also a microphone - with many similarities to Soundman OKMIIR microphones, sans the bluetooth. Spent a decent amount of time just reading up on the specifics of it which I won’t bore you with but it appears to be a relatively interesting piece of technology. That said, I trust wired microphones more than anything connecting to bluetooth, as this taper can attest I am sure, but even wired microphones can have there own issues. As for this recording, something is up with it. The time alignment is off. The recording is slower that Forrest Gump on Jeopardy. If I were a gambling man, I would wager that there was an issue with converting from one frequency and/or file depending on how the ‘taper’ saved the recording or converted as. The low end is brickwalled. Vocals are relatively clear which would indicate that this taper was relatively close to the stacks. It would be interesting to know more about these microphones but if this recording is any indication, these may need some refining before a taper could rely on these for a recording but, hey, this is also through a phone so there are all sorts of technical issues you have against you. Such as the reason why there are technical and professional recording devices available. Pretty close but this is on the border of best left for OCD collectors.

Time: is off

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
The Pot
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Vicarious
Part of Me
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

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2020.01.18 - Glendale, AZ, USA @ Gila River Arena

No Known Recording?

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2020.01.21 - Austin, TX, USA @ Frank Erwin Center

Source A: Solid State — Audio-Technica AT831 > Tascam DR-2D
Taper: tooligan
Location: Recorded from Section 90, Row 17.

Notes: This is, straight up, a wonderful live recording. There are several things going against it including a rather vocal crowd at times and an almost constant line of communication between humans around the taper, however, this recording simply captures the experience. The vocals are prominent and not buried in the mix. DC’s superb drumming is audibly effervescent while Chancellor’s mechanical rhythm lays the foundation for Adam Jones to deliver the polyrhythmic foundation of sound. Looking at this recording on paper, let’s say, one would not jump to the opinion that this is a high caliber recording. I absolutely thought that prior to actually listening to this recording; I mean, if you can get over people howling and clapping every so often. Seriously, this is a damn fine recording which is absolutely worthy of your attention.

Time: 2:15:46

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
The Pot
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Vicarious
Descending
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

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2020.01.22 - Dallas, TX, USA @ American Airlines Center

Source A: Solid State — MBHO KA 200N > Sony PCM-M10
Taper: SpecialK
Location: Taped from section 111, row A, seat 3

Notes: Seriously, Karl, you make the other 99% of us look and sound terrible as your incredible MBHO recordings are potentially some of the most accurate captures of Tool - and that is saying a lot as there are a plethora of amazing recordings out there in the wild. Vocals are relatively in the mix, bass, guitar and DC’s stupendous drumming are all on display on this source. Clean, crisp, concise and as much of a true representation from the PA any taper could ever want. Excellent capture of a fantastic performance.

Time: 2:09:15

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Vicarious
Part of Me
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

Source B: Solid State — John Ramsey Stealth Binaurals > Sony ICD-PX470
Taper: Vincent6
Notes by Taper: Taped from section 117, row F

Notes: When I first heard about this source, the first thing I wanted to do was hear the audio quality as I had looked up this ‘John Ramsey Stealth Binaural’ as a search term as it reminded me of both the Jon Benet murderer saga and also the cult-like financial ‘guru’ John Ramsey who used to have a show on AM radio. Oddly enough, neither of my two initial ideas had anything to do with this recording. The microphones look, in my opinion, a LOT like Core Sound Binaural microphones straight down to the capsules of the microphones to the metal/thick 9V battery box - just look at those pictures. They sound a LOT like a decent CSB capture, as well. Just a note, Dave I mean John Ramsey, if you are advertising microphones for being stealth taping at concerts, you may want to invest in perhaps a hard plastic shell in lieu of literal metal which, having used CSB mics hundreds of times, always sets off the metal detector. As it is, my expectations were rather low regarding these microphones for a few reasons (yes, I let the website which looks like it was put together in the mid 1990’s influence my opinion) but these microphones actually perform quite well particularly for microphones which are under $200.00 (according to the site, they are $127.00 which for decent mics is quite inexpensive). That said, this recording was clearly not close to the stack/PA which could have potentially distorted the results (particularly with the very cheap recorder the taper used for this capture; there is not a setting where you can change the input just a broad range setting).

Time: 1:53:05

Source C: Solid State —Sony ECM-717 > Roland R-07
Taper: trustthex
Location: Taped from section 312

Notes: Decent enough recording and hey I love it when tapers’ pull out some old school microphones. However, compared with the MBHO and the ‘Dave-I-mean-John-Ramsey’ sources, this is more of a fun recording to take a little trip to. Vocals are distant, cymbals slightly swirly, bass does not flutter and is clean whereas the guitar has a certain amount of thin sound to it as is the nature of ECM-717. Remember, the ECM-717 microphone was designed in the late 1980’s and released in 1995 as a single electret condenser, budget microphone. For the money, the results were huge especially back then with that technology, but, clearly you can just listen to the results and make a determination yourself. Although super fun take a blast from the past there are better captures and microphones out there.

Time: 1:59:21

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2020.01.28 - Atlanta, GA, USA @ State Farm Arena

Source A: Solid State — Schoeps MK4 > Sony PCM-M10
Taper: Sevoflurane
Location: Taped from the side of the stage with the MK4’s pointing straight up at the stack.

Notes: Few things are more enjoyable as meeting up with an old friend for dinner + a beer before a Tool show and although Waffle House is technically closer to the venue, we decided upon a random spot downtown Atlanta. Until rather recently I did not realize that RJ changed his moniker to Sevoflurane - which is a cool reference if one knew what vocation this is relevant to. Basically, sevoflurane is “a volatile anesthetic that provides hypnosis, amnesia, analgesia, akinesia, and autonomic blockade during surgical and procedural interventions”. Absolutely an important and intense medical tool, however, also a cool name for a taper. I digress, this recording is, how shall I state it, sick? Not Covid sick or Norovirus sick but sick in a ‘90’s manner… That source is SICK BRO! Clean, clear, measured, focused and captured with a massive amount of talent, this is a superb capture although, such as an usual gripe, the vocals are slightly buried but to Sevoflurane’s credit, this is an accurate representation of the material which was broadcasted through the PA’s. Clearly, the best AUD recording from this performance. Excellent stuff!

Time: 2:04:34

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Merkaba
Vicarious
Descending
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

Source B: DAT — Sony PCM-M1 / m
Source C: DAT — Sony TCD-D100 / d
Source D: Solid State — Zoom F1 / p
Source E: Solid State — Sony PCM-M10 / a
Taper: The Collective: “MItaper78, ITS1984, Anon”
Gen: Master

Notes: Night one of four back-to-back Tool shows. What a cool experience. My wife surprised me with a X-Mas gift/opportunity to fly down South, rent a SUV for four Tool shows over five nights in: Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans while also meeting up with old friends, members of the collective or otherwise, at each performance. First night was Atlanta where Sevoflurane and I met up; just a couple of dudes from the Great State of Michigan meeting up at State Farm Arena no big deal. Atlanta is interesting. If you are going to the city center like many visitors are, you have one impression of Atlanta. If you actually drive in Atlanta or the surrounding areas, you are in for a completely different experience than someone who flew then took a train and/or Uber/ride share. The performance was perhaps about as ‘usual’ or stoic, if you will, as a Tool performance during this leg of the tour. The band had yet to debut 7empest live and although virtually everyone at this show was crossing their collective fingers, such an event did not occur until the band made it “Down Under” to the land comprised entirely of Men At Work… If you do not understand the reference please do not ask my friend to simply “Be Good Johnny” as that would be “Overkill” rather than asking “Who Could It Be Now”. If we think real hard back to early 2020, there were some semi-serious concerns about this ‘new flu’ becoming apparent, worldwide. In fact, Atlanta is the first place I saw folks breaking out masks. If only we knew what was coming…

Time: Various but about the same

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2020.01.29 - Nashville, TN, USA @ Bridgestone Arena

Source A: Solid State — Schoeps MK4 > Tascam DR-2D
Taper: Geordy
Notes from Taper: Special thanks to TB and DVN for the loaner recording equipment and to specialk for the Magik EQ.

Notes: A taper like Geordy can accomplish some significant recordings (even with other peoples’ equipment) by simply figuring out what needs to be done by his experience, interest, intellect and on-the-fly problem solving. Unsure why he was using other equipment from other tapers but I am sure there is a reason as he as his own recorders and microphones. If you are a collector, you know his DPA4061 sources! Or if you have not yet, pleases, go and do so. This recording has present + clear vocals by MJK, nuances throughout from DC, clear bass which is pristine and has AJ’s guitar work been as on-point? Unsure where this taper was whilst recording as the vocals, while prominent, have a tendency to capture the boom of this venue. Excellent tape, dude! I do think that, as a collective, we all would like to know what the secret ingredient is in the aforementioned ‘Magik EQ’ from specialk is. My guess, and correct me if I’m wrong, 1,000 island dressing? Same as a Big Mac? Am I close?

Soundcheck: Jambi, Swamp Song (w/MJK) — Fear Inoculum (VIP)

Time: 2:36:59

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
The Pot
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
(w/Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest on additional guitar)
Merkaba
Vicarious
Swamp Song
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

Source B: DAT — Sony PCM-M1 / m
Source C: DAT — Sony TCD-D100 / d
Source D: Solid State — Sony PCM-M10 / a
Source E: DAT — Sony PCM-M1 / p
Source F: Solid State — Tascam DR-05 / jt
Source G: Solid State — Zoom F1 / at
Source H: B, C, E > Real-Time Matrix (no post) > Sony A10
Taper: The Collective: “MItaper78, ITS1984, Anon”
Gen: Master

Notes: Night two of travelling to see Tool for back to back concerts (although there was a day off after this performance so the four shows were spread out over five nights). Have you ever been to Nashville? The folks I know at the collective, the answers vary in regards to if this city is rad or not. I kind of think it is. You have Jack White’s Third Man Records which is extremely cool, the tourist blackout which is Broadway, the Ryman Auditorium, Bridgestone Arena and, of course, East Nashville (which is where one would want to live if they lived at this location, I mean, if you are a yuppy). Nashville is a lot of things but one of them you would generally think it would be not is a reservoir for metal fans; but it is. The crowd was out of their minds at this performance, it was a beautiful experience to be apart of. A solid performance by Tool as they just killed it this evening. Impressive. I was lucky enough to be able to spend a little bit of time with Geordy prior to this performance as he had made his way from, I want to say Knoxville but am not sure, to meet up with friends as I believe he said he originally was from Nashville ‘area’ and as such does not enjoy country music very much; which is understandable for a Tool fan. Myself, I do enjoy a decent amount of the white mans blues but we are talking real country artists like Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, Charley Crockett or Jason Isbell. That said, we did walk around and went into the Johnny Cash museum but neither felt the need to spend $25 to take a tour, best save that for a $25 beer at the venue. The next day involved chilling around Nashville, heading out to North America’s largest Guitar Center, grabbing some tacos at a local bar in East Nashville while receiving notice that my kids school was in lockdown as gun shots were heard prior to dismissal (false alarm but still sucked) and watching the WW1 film 1941 - an impressive film!

Time: All of it

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2020.01.31 - Memphis, TN, USA @ FedEx Forum

Source A: Solid State — Microphone Madness MM-PC-11 > Tascam DR-05
Taper: Anonymous
Taper Notes: Seats were several rows up in the risers almost directly behind the board, house left.

Notes: Overall I think this recording is rather solid. Not heard many recordings from this brand of microphones but if this source is any indication, they are at minimal as good as Core Sound Binaurals if not upping the anty to AT853 territory but not crossing the border into DPA-land. Vocals are clean, crowd noise is present but is tolerable, bass is clean, guitar is crunchy like a bowl of Cap’N’Crunch and the subtleties of DC’s sound effects let alone amazing drumming are on clear display. Clearly not directly next to a stack/PA, this recording exceeds it’s own limitations - I mean this as a massive compliment. Top notch audience recordings which have surfaced, this is clearly the best. Great job to the taper.. It is that same guy. The anonymous taper - he has hit sooooo many shows it is truly amazing….

…I’m kidding. The anonymous reference is just a way to hide the identity of the lead singer of The Scott Hill Clown Band who ended up getting addicted to Opiates and later formed the legendary punk-pro=-aping band called Crystal Pistol.

Ok for those who have nothing else to do, the first person who contacts CU.ORG with the correct two references of both aforementioned bands from the live recordings listed above that (“joke” - I asked my kids, they did not find it funny) will get some serious accolades and will be mentioned right…. HERE.
(Updated, 2024-03-03)

Time: 2:01:52

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
Eon Blue Apocalypse
The Patient
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Merkaba
Vicarious
Part of Me
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

Source B: Solid State — Zoom Q3HD
Taper: CJ
Taper Notes: Taped from the box seats

Notes: My own experience or basic-bitch opinion is that built-in microphones on standalone solid state units are basically garbage. And I stand by that opinion for the most part until I discovered what Zoom had created with theZoom Q3HD. The microphones can be manipulated in orientation and the fact is, when properly placed, the recordings can result in comparable quality to other microphones such as CSB, AT853 and others. We are not talking MBHO or MK4 here but good quality.. There is no reason this recording should sound as good as it does based on just arbitrarily looking at source info. But, again, Zooms team put in some real work to develop these units and, years later, they are still in use. Is this recording as good as the Microphone Madness source A? Yes. The vocals are actually clearer on this source. All that said, just look at what a goofy looking piece of early 2000-ish design this unit is. It’s ugly. Looks more like a LG or Samsung washing machine than a high quality recorder. Reminds me… I’ll be right back, I need to change my laundry.

Time: 2:07:27

Source C: DAT — Sony PCM-M1 / m
Source D: DAT — Sony PCM-M1 / a
Source E: Solid State — Sony PCM-M10 / d
Source F: Solid State — Sony A10 / jt
Taper: The Collective: “MItaper78, ITS1984, Anon”
Gen: Master

Notes: Night three of four Tool shows. First time anyone in the collective had ever been to Memphis was in 2016 to make the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Graceland and unfortunately, no, the toilet seat in question where Elvis died was not visible. What a shitty way to go out, right? Literally on a throne? Memphis is a rather gritty city with a rich musical history but it certainly is reminiscent of Flint, MI as there are massive swaths of abandoned urban wasteland. Sun Studios is basically required if one visits this charming and somewhat desolate city. We were able to cross the Mississippi River to drive into Arkansas for about ten minutes and, whew, that was certainly enough time in that State. Parked directly across the street from the FedEx Forum which was technically not a parking space, however, we spoke to a police officer who was exceptionally cool and spoke to a traffic cop (on foot) and said to not ticket the vehicle. Ever had that happen? It was really a nice gesture so we asked the police officer if he wanted to have dinner with us - he said sure; we bought him some excellent slow cooked pig on a bun (no pun intended). That was also the first time I’ve ever had a beer with an on-duty policeman. As for masks and concerns about getting sick, there were a few more people donning those sporty fashion icons including members of the collective. After the wonderful performance by Tool, the travelling salespeople made it into Mississippi past lots and lots and lots and lots of crosses along the highway to Grenada, MS to a run-down hotel with only reruns of Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO at 2:00AM prior to the next days arduous trek down to NOLA.

Time: ~2+ hrs

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2020.02.01 - New Orleans, LA, USA @ Smoothie King Center

Source A: Solid State — Danish Pro Audio 4061 > Tascam DR-2D
Taper: Adam L.
Taper Notes: Taped from Section FLR B, Row 19, Seat 12

Notes: Solid recording. Vocals are clear, guitar is clean, DC’s drumming is without distortion and Chancellor’s low KHz is a perfect circle, I mean capture. Adam, the taper, did one heck of a fine job recording this performance. Having used DPA 4061 microphones for years and years all I can hear these days are the issues I would change with how the capsules interpret the SPL. Regardless of my own bias, this is a fantastic capture. I believe this taper also pulled a secondary source of something which is magikal from borrowed equipment from D(elicious)V(aried)N(ectarines) so there’s that too. So, members of the collective actually met up with Adam at the show and, dude, could this guy be any cooler? I don’t think so. Just a kind, funny and dedicated Tool taper who also enjoys golf, long walks on the beach and Stinkfisting (one of those may or may not be accurate). Prior to the show we met up to just say hello and, being responsible, I had left my ID at the hotel - irresponsible, maybe, but who knew people asked for ID’s in New Orleans but they do at this Smoothie King venue. What did Adam do? Dude bought me a beer before the show he didn’t have to was just being nice. See, that’s what I’m saying, kindness. We all need more of it. After the show, we met up with this taper and his friends in the parking garage next to the venue where we enjoyed a long conversation about lachrymology, cultural plurality and concerns about the levees giving away in New Orleans to sweep it all away. If there is ever a place to learn to swim, it certainly is NOLA being feet below sea level. Shoot, I think we all chilled for at least an hour after the show drinking beer from the cooler they brought and talking about how great life is. Looking forward to next time, kind sir!

Soundcheck: 7empest (w/MJK), Fear Inoculum + Jambi (VIP)

Time: 2:11:20

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
Eon Blue Apocalypse
The Patient
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Merkaba
Vicarious
Intolerance
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

Source B: Solid State — Sony A10 (internal microphones)
Taper: zeegrizzle
Taper Notes on Location: Taped from Section 113, Row 16

Notes: Solid state built in recorders, ugh. I say that at the same time, I have four Sony A10 units as they are exceptional as units and do a very decent job recording a concert. You must keep the levels down or else it will brickwall but the engineers at Sony put some time, thought and energy into delivering a compact, clean and almost audiophile-like quality to these units. You can move the microphones attached to the unit, doesn’t do much, but it is something. On this recording when a very low KHz hits the unit does not really know how to process that SPL so it kind of thumps instead of rolls, if that makes sense? This is miles above in quality than an iPhone or Samsung or other all-in-ones but, if we are comparing source A to this one… the answer is obvious. That said, this is a decent recording which shows you what built-ins are capable of.

Time: 1:58:03

Source C: DAT — Sony PCM-M1 / m
Source D: DAT — Sony PCM-M1 / p
Source E: Solid State — Sony PCM-M10 / d
Source F: Solid State — Sony A10 / (instr only)
Taper: The Collective: “MItaper78, ITS1984, Anon”
Gen: Master

Notes 1 - not associated with this performance at all other than photograph #8: Those old school Tool tapers may know and fear the name, Todd Fox. As one should. Todd Fox is and was and always will be a fucking bad-ass. I once saw him at a Tool show in Columbus, OH and all I said was ‘oh shit that’s you, Todd Fox’ and he just looked at me for a second before walking away, speaking into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. I clearly did not make an impact. This dude spent 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, has like 3 or 4 black belts in martial arts and then went on to develop a business model consisting of people with his certain set of skills (think Liam Neeson via Taken) to cater to and protect folks ranging from Supreme Court Justices to huge A+ level stars (think Madonna) to, you guessed it, MJK. Back in the day, 2001-2006 including on A Perfect Circle US Club Tour shows (I recall in 2003 seeing him tackle some kid who was trying to bring in a Mini Disc recorder or something - this was before ‘13th Step’ came out and the songs were new) he was MJK’s personal head of security. Do not mess with this dude or, really, any ‘band’ security as one would be surprised about the pipeline from ex-military to personal protection.

Notes 2: Night four of four almost back-to-back Tool shows. All of the pictures for this date were from the collective but really what you are curious about is the picture of a woman with a penis balloon complete with white, tiny little balloons coming out of the tip? C-L-A-S-S-Y! Was able to put a handshake and a picture to the most pleasant individual I’ve ever met who was ‘wearing’ a t-shirt saying ‘Bukakke’ rather being involved in one… I did inquire, apparently there was/is(?) a Facebook page with fans who trade shit in real time…. Trade what? My guess? Bukakke. My wife and I had spoken about taking our, then young kids, to New Orleans for Spring Break but after my experience, am very glad we decided to go to Walt Disney World instead that year. New Orleans is a very vibrant, cool and fun (also can be violent like Detroit or Flint, MI) place to be but it would be somewhat of a culture shock to kids. That said, there were loads of families walking around NOLA with young kids as drunk white people swore, showed their boobs and openly smoked weed in the streets - I guess if you can walk around NOLA with open beer in plastic cups who’s going to complain about marijuana? No judgement zone. After the amazing performance by Tool, we took an Uber back to the city center, dropped off our stuff at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (nicer than it sounds) and went out into the night. Being a Friday night in New Orleans, the city center was packed with not just Tool fans but people who were in New Orleans because it is New Orleans - go figure. Beer, pizza, nightclubs, stripclubs and offer(s) for Coke and I’m not talking about the corporation… unbridled debauchery. Although it sounds wild and crazy, this crew stuck with the first two vices. For me, I was able to meet up with one of my oldest friends, as in, we were in grade school together, Al (who drove from Orlando, FL for this show as well as a Trey Anastasio acoustic show the night before). Much laughter and memories made. We were out until 4AM or at least I was then up at 8AM to catch a plane at noon…

…All this leads me to a larger point which I attempt to hint at throughout this website. Chances. Opportunities - personally, this trip was the last travelling I did until 2022 when I flew down to FL for more Tool shows… This trip, this experience, really, truly helped me during a lot of the ‘down-time’ of Covid when it felt like reality was upside-down. I would think about this trip and just smile, hell, I still do. The memories and experience. As it is. right now, you are “here, alive and breathing.” Look, we are all alive once and ‘as far as we know’ this is what we have, in front of us - this life. Which, I mean unless you are daft, is a principal element in the lyrical content of Tool. Also, if you will, of The Beatles. Because, ‘In The End’, the love you make is equal to the love you take because this body holding me reminds me of my own mortality, embrace this moment, remember we are eternal, all this pain is an illusion. We are all alive right now - what can we do to make this world better for other people? It is easy to fall into a cauldron of pessimism because not thinking of others is always easier than kindness. Lead with kindness. Take the opportunity life gives you. You want that promotion? Work for it and if you don’t get it and are passed over, figure out your next move. Upset about politics? Run for city council. Irritated by the music you hear on the radio because you think you can do it better? Fucking do it then, you don’t need the latest Apple Garage Band (although it is awesome) as there are free websites which offer mixing as well as importation of files. Create. I do believe not just the lead singer of the band we all ‘love’ (if you do not why are you reading this?) but the entirety of the band want you to take whatever emotion/s you feel from their music and create something positive. Because, as MJK said on numerous occasions: “Art Saves Lives.”

Time: Varied but complete

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2020.02.14 - Perth, Australia @ RAC Arena

Source: Solid State — The Sound Professionals SP-CMC-8 > Sony PCM-M10
Taper: pyometrongutsS

Notes: If you know the sound of these microphones, you know what to expect. Vocals are clean for the most part, guitar is crunchy, bass is present but as common with Cardioid, especially these, microphones there is not a ton of lower SPL and DC’s drumming is, like always, perfect. The crowd is more or less rather respectful between songs. American audiences could learn a couple things from the Aussies. Really, a fine recording and we are all lucky that at least one source of this performance has been released. Nice job, taper.

Time: 2:00:54

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Vicarious
Descending
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Viginti Tres
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

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2020.02.17 - Sydney, Australia @ Qudos Bank Arena

Source: Apple iPhone Headphones/Mic (unconfirmed source information)
Taper: Dave
Taper Notes: Seated in the Nosebleed section 2 rows from the very back centre

Notes: I fully expected this source to be nothing less than a shit show full of busted-out low end, bass flutter, distorted highs/mid and a buried vocal. I was wrong for the most part as the vocals are not super buried but they are not super prominent but better than a lot of generic microphone > generic recorder. Impressive. All that said, this is still not a fantastic capture and, for example when the taper claps/goes ‘woo'‘ you can literally hear the SPL change which is more extreme on this source rather than say a comparable source using a Sony PCM-M10 or Sony-A10 as a recorder. Not perfect, not terrible which makes this at minimal a decent recording worthy of your hungry ears…. Can your ears get hungry?

Time: 2:12:30

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
The Pot
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Vicarious
Part of Me
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

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2020.02.18 - Sydney, Australia @ Qudos Bank Arena

Source: Solid State — Soundman OKM-II Rock Studio > Zoom H2N
Taper: auroboros
Notes by Taper: Taped from section 10 row A

Notes: The first performance of 7empest outside of sound check. That, in and of itself, sets this recording apart from the pack. I mean, some of us were hoping for a debut in NOLA two weeks prior but, hey, good for the Australians. Having used Soundman OKMIIR microphones at least a hundred times over the years, I have a penchant of respect for anyone who uses them. They tend to have a richer deep end with surprisingly clear mid and high levels thus providing a true binaural experience. It also helps that you are ‘supposed to’ wear the microphones in your ears L+R for a true stereo recording experience which is somewhat unique, however, that can work against the recording on several levels as well. Since these are omni microphones, you pick up a lot of everything around you including crowd chatter and to that point, this source is accurate as people love to talk between songs however that quickly fades once the SPL’s from the stacks or PA system throws out 120 + dB of sound. This source did a hell of a job capturing an accurate performance without distortion, with clarity, some muddiness if one is complaining about the low end but overall just a great very live sounding recording.

Time: 2:10:19

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
Eon Blue Apocalypse
The Patient
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Merkaba
Vicarious
7empest
(live debut)
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

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2020.02.20 - Brisbane, Australia @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre

No Known Recordings

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2020.02.22 - Melbourne, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena

Source A: Solid State — Apple iPhone 7 Plus > (unknown microphone but sounds like it was not battery powered)
Taper: Ben

Notes: Apparently this was recorded on the floor by the sound booth with a phone in a back pocket with a microphone pointing up or in that direction. And that, my friend, is exactly how it sounds: muddy and thin over a pervasive layer of chatter. Thus, clearly, this is a complete audiophiles dream? I jest. This is for hard core collectors only. As an additional note, the reason this recording is so long is that it was started roughly 20 minutes of talking prior to the performance actually beginning.

Time: 2:47:11

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
Eon Blue Apocalypse
The Patient
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Merkaba
Vicarious
Part of Me
Descending
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

Source B: Solid State — Apple Watch
Taper: infinitereality

Notes: Missing Intermission to the end. This source is surprisingly decent for being recorded from an Apple watch. If this is actually accurate, wow. That said, my wife and daughter have Apple watches more recent than 2020 and the audio quality is certainly not as decent as this. I question the source information on this one. As it is, incomplete and with overall lower audio quality for 2020 this would go into the column of for collectors only.

Time: 1:37:08
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2020.02.23 - Melbourne, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena

Source A: Solid State — Apple iPhone 7 Plus > (unknown microphone but sounds like it was not battery powered)
Taper: Ben

Notes: Ready for a little bit of Deja Vu? Apparently, this was recorded on the floor by the sound booth with a phone in a back pocket with a microphone pointing up or in that direction. And that, my friend, is exactly how it sounds: muddy and thin over a pervasive layer of chatter. Thus, clearly, this is a complete audiophiles dream? I jest. This is for hard core collectors only. I will say that this source sounds even more muddy than the previous nights’ capture by the same taper. This is significantly brick-walled by low end.

Time: 2:47:11

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
The Pot
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Merkaba
Vicarious
7empest
Forty Six & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

Source B: Solid State — Apple Watch
Taper: infinitereality

Notes: Am basically repeating the previous taper’s information. Unlike the previous nights’ performance where the taper missed Intermission to the end, this source is missing Fear Inoculum to Ænema AND Intermission to the end of the performance! This source is surprisingly decent for being recorded from an Apple watch. If this is actually accurate, wow, however the previous night was somewhat clearer overall. That said, I question the source information on this source. It also either incredibly unlucky or deliberate for both these sources to have such concrete and detrimental results plus there are strange gaps. I don’t know, still sounds better than the iPhone w/unknown mic but this is absolutely within the realm of for collectors only (even with 7empest).

Time: 1:37:08

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2020.02.28 - Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena

Source A: Solid State — Apple Watch
Taper: Neil

Notes: Serious question, do Tool tapers in Australia and New Zealand ship each other Apple Watches when Tool comes to town? Kind of kidding but it is a bit odd as there are literally no other recordings up to this point taped with Apple watches. All sorts of other microphones and gadgets but certainly not a watch. And it does a surprisingly decent job for the source. That said, the lows are not really there, the vocals are at best muddy as sewage prior to going through your municipal water treatment facility, the bass tends to slightly blow out the bottom-end, the guitar is unclear and although you can hear DC’s phenomenal drum skills the end result is not great. However, this is the only source know to be floating around thus it is the best you will hear today. If there were other sources, one would maybe put this in the best left for collectors rather than someone wanting to, you know, rock out to a great recording. Of special note is where Tool placed 7empest this evening.

Time: 1:54:04

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
7empest
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Merkaba
Vicarious
Descending
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

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2020.02.29 - Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena

Source: Solid State — Zoom H5
Taper: tomamas14
Location: Recorded on the floor 2 or 3 meters in front of mixing desk, and 3 or so meters to the right.

Notes: This recording has a very live sound to it, makes sense as it was recorded live, but this is meant to convey that the crowd is loud, the instrumentation + vocals tend to swirl like warm ice cream in a cup. As a whole, there is little definition of sound as it certainly appears that the soundwaves had to travel a good distance to reach the recording device. The Zoom H5 is an all-in-one solid state recorder certainly capable of defined recordings this one, however, I think came down to location + location rather than the equipment alone. Although certainly better than something just for collectors, this recording will do the trick for this performance but it kind of is what it is.

Time: 1:57:00

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
7empest
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Parabol
Parabol/a
46 & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

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03.09.2020 - Spokane, WA, USA @ Spokane Arena

No Released Recordings… Gary.

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2020.03.11 - Spokane, WA, USA @ Spokane Arena

Source: Solid State — Danish Pro Audio 4061 > Sony PCM-M10
Taper: Ryan A
Location: Recorded from Floor Row 17, in line with left stack

Notes: First of all, this is a fantastic recording. Excellent job to this long-term Tool taper and all-around nice guy, Ryan A. My own subjective opinion is that this is simply the best performance of 7empest recorded (certainly prior to the global Covid-19 Pandemic). The entirety of this stand-out recording is a joy to listen to. Many times, DPA 4061 can suffer from too much low end and problematic issues to pull out the high frequencies in a cohesive manner. Not here. This should and or could be a reference point for tapers who are looking for tiny microphones with minimal battery size which can yield huge results such as this recording. Of special note is the fact that this is the last performance of Tool prior to the ‘end’ of the Pandemic. What a great way to go out into the apocalypse - riding the spiral out. For some, this recording helped them get through some trying times of isolation during that time. The next performance of Tool was to be on March 12, which was cancelled the day of as that is when the majority of America basically stayed home, ate popcorn and watched incredibly rich people sing John Lennon’s song “Imagine” to help the proletariat out through this ‘challenging time.’

Time: 1:58:00

Fear Inoculum
Ænema
7empest
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Descending
46 & 2
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cancelled 2020 Dates due to the Covid-19 Pandemic:

2020.03.12 - Eugene, OR, USA @ Matthew Knight Center
2020.03.14 - Boise, ID, USA @ Ford Idaho Center Arena
2020.03.16 - Salt Lake City, UT, USA @ Maverik Center
2020.04.16 - Miami, FL, USA @ American Airlines Arena
2020.04.17 - Orlando, FL, USA @ Amway Center
2020.04.19 - Tampa, FL, USA @ Amalie Arena
2020.04.21 - Charlotte, NC, USA @ Spectrum Center1
2020.04.22 - Charlottesville, VA, USA @ John Paul Jones Arena
2020.04.24 - Baltimore, MD, USA @ Royal Farms Arena
2020.04.25 - Uniondale, NY, USA @ Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
2020.04.28 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada @ Bell Centre
2020.04.29 - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada @ Videotron Centre
2020.05.01 - Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA @ Mohegan Sun Arena
2020.05.02 - Buffalo, NY, USA - KeyBank Centre
2020.05.04 - Toledo, OH, USA @ Huntington Center
2020.05.05 - Grand Rapids, MI, USA @ Van Andel Arena
2020.05.29 - Tacoma, WA, USA @ Tacoma Dome
2020.05.31 - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada @ Rogers Arena
2020.06.02 - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada @ Rogers Place
2020.06.04 - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada @ Bell MTS Place
2020.06.06 - Minneapolis, MN, USA @ Target Center
2020.06.07 - Sioux Falls, SD, USA @ Denny Sanford Premier Center
2020.06.09 - Madison, WI, USA @ Kohl’s Center
2020.06.10 - Moline, IL, USA @ TaxSlayer Center
2020.06.13 - St. Louis, MO, USA @ Enterprise Center
2020.06.16 - Wichita, KS, USA @ Intrust Bank Arena
2020.06.17 - Oklahoma City, OK, USA @ Chesapeake Energy Center
2020.06.19 - Colorado Springs, CO, USA @ Broadmoor World Arena
2020.06.22 - Sacramento, CA, USA @ Golden 1 Center
2020.06.23 - San Francisco, CA, USA @ Chase Center