Tool Kicks Off 2014 Tour at Spokane Arena [PHOTOS]

I’m happy no one saw me when I found out I had a photo pass to shoot my favorite band because after I was able to break out of the initial catatonia, I did the weirdest happy jump move and slid on the ice. Luckily, I was able to recover before anyone found out.  I had been waiting for my chance to see Tool again since I saw them at The Gorge for the first time back in 2006. Tool in Spokane? I would be more than happy to drive 3 hours.

On March 3, the day before the show, part of I-90 (St. Regis to Lookout) had been shut down due to avalanche danger. The Highway 200 detour added 3 hours to our drive. To me, this was still more than worth it, but I’m sure the driver wanted to shoot me. We fought our way through wet, slushy, rainy roads and crazy drivers to arrive at last in Spokane, Washington. Show time…

Sadly, I had to wait back stage and missed the opening band, but the sooner they finished meant I was that much closer to standing right in front of the stage holding a band I’ve been obsessed with since I first heard “Sober.”  I could go on forever about how excited I was, or that I actually thought “if a monitor falls on me and I die right here, I will die happy,” but I’ll just show you what I experienced.

Security would only let me photograph during the first song, so right after “Hooker with a Penis” was finished, I stashed my camera and found my seat as quickly as I could. It was everything I expected of a Tool concert; an awesome light show, great music in my earholes, and the visual effects up on the screens.  I didn’t even care that they cut off beer sales in the arena (They probably didn’t have PBR anyway).

For those of you that didn’t go, these are the songs you missed:

“Hooker With a Penis”
“Vicarious”
“Schism”
“Pushit”
“Intension”
“Lateralus”
Intermission/ beer break with no beer (the cut off sales right after Tool started)
Drum solo!
“Jambi”
“Forty-Six & 2”
“Ænema”
“Stinkfist”