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[16:34] Tool and the art of mosh infiltration
Due to my friends crazy penchant for oversupplying themselves with concert tickets I was offered the chance to go and see Tool play at the Hammersmith Apollo tonight. I didn't really enjoy the last Tool concert I attended (back in Canberra at the National Convention Center) because it was really, really, REALLY loud. It was so loud that when the guitar started up and synched in with the drums the air was forced from my lungs - seriously. However, since I've really been enjoying their latest album, 10,000 Days, I accepted and I'm rather glad I did!
For starters, these English folks really know how to build a music venue. In a similar fashion to the Brixton Academy (where I saw NIN about the same time last year) the floor is nicely sloped so that those at the back can still see over the squalor bunched up against the barriers at the front and the mid-floor barriers were also present to prevent too much crushage.
The speaker stacks were of a decent size - not the towering monsters that I saw last time and the music was great (I used my last pack of Laser Lites though)! They played a lot of my favourites including Sober, 46 and 2 and a pretty credible version of Ions(!) before finishing up with one of my all time favourites, Aenima. Off the new album they cranked out Vicarious, The Pot and an impressive rendition of Rosetta Stoned, complete with the burbling "stream of conciousness" lyrics - I was well impressed. When the time came for the end of the concert the band stopped playing, threw various accoutrements into the crowd, said goodnight and left. I can't say how refreshing it was to not have to go through the wankery of the whole "encore" performance thing.
It's been a while since I attended a "rock concert" and I realised tonight that it's not so much the live music that I enjoy as the opportunity to get to the front of the mosh (although the music does give you something to concentrate on once you reach the front)! I made it down to the barrier tonight as I usually do, and I really enjoyed getting there. The crowd was quite mellow (no elbows, knees or finger prying near me anyway) so I could pay more antention to what I was doing than normal. Mosh infiltration is an art that requires the application of psychology (to pick your "targets") and body mechanics (to get past them) that you can't really practice in any other environment and I recommend it to those who like to study human psychology, social interaction and get soaked in other peoples sweat!
I would also like to say a big thank-you to the mob doing security at the gig (ICMB I think). I've never come across a nicer bunch of security guards. They were kind, courteous and friendly (are you paying attention you bastards at the ANU bar). Judging by the accents I suspect they are travelling with the band.
I managed to top the night off with the best chips in the universe (with mayo and chilli) from the Waterloo Kebab and Burger house to provide sustenance for the walk home. Life is good!
[Posetd at: 15/06/2006 00:34]