Show review: Tool @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 12/11/07

I have a new favorite mode of transportation and it's not the fucking bus. Although I do enjoy riding the fucking bus. It's watching Tool perform live. Their show at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium surpassed being a rock concert, although it way rocked. It was spiritually elevating, to be both abonimably cheesy and extremely truthful. Now I'm far from being one of those Toolheads or whatever you want to call their fanboy/girl disciples. But their songs and visual presentation are too highly evolved to not notice superiority to 99% of bands around (Radiohead = 1% what!). The show wasn't perfect. I'm not enamored with "Jambi" as an opener; Adam Jones made a few technical mistakes; and although Maynard James Keenan stimulated my imagination by letting the audience sing the "Vicarious" finale, he really did pussy-out. But the setlist and lighting were magical. Highlights: "Schism," "Flood" and "Wings For Marie"/"10,000 Days," a song that never ceases to make me want to cry myself to death, but in a good way; the drumoff featuring Tim Alexander from Primus and Trans Am man during "Lateralus"; and the most surreal concert moment of 2007 when Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys joined Tool onstage for a cover of "Holiday in Cambodia." The guy looked like a punk rock Weeble from my vantage point at the mid-level center seats. But it was cool to witness such a silly moment sandwiched between such weighty music. Also, band not cranky = good; light show that simulates both heaven and a UFO abduction = good. The best part? All of the surprises. People like to complain about Tool's predictability, they have the same setlist every night, blah blah blah. The guys really threw a "wrench" (hardy har har, blech) into what fans expect of them. It all added up to the most complete Tool show I've been to - so far.