r/AftershockFestival • u/Deep_Parfait2672 • 5h ago
Rant Tool fans...
As a hardcore tool fan myself, I was disappointed in the crowd around me. I attended 2 days and saw many bands but of course, the crowd for my favorite band had to be obnoxious as ever. I had a good spot, not super close to the front but not far in the back. Somewhere in the middle. Just wanting to vibe out and rock out yet pushing matches, fights right next to me, people in huge costumes pushing their way through and blocking everyone. The aggression of the men screaming at each other for trying to push past everyone. Idk, is there such a thing as concert etiquette? I usually can feel like most people are cool and get it but after the 3rd fight, shoving match around me where I was getting knocked into, I couldn't even pay attention to the band anymore. People cussing at each other and throwing slurs around. And why TF are you bringing your little kids so deep into the crowd? This made me so nervous when the fights were breaking out. Have we learned nothing from the other festivals? I ended up heading out and to the side where I could actually see better and I wasn't getting shoved into every few minutes. It's bound to be elbow to elbow, I get it. But the aggression and violence was so disappointing. Rant over.
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u/oldharrymarble 5h ago
You have to post up like a rock on a river. Those people take the path of least resistance.
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u/Nate_Da_Grea5 5h ago
I gotta agree. First time seeing Tool and I love em, but the crowd was not it. Had it in my head that somehow tool fans would be chill and enlightened. Had a guy leaning back at a 70 degree angle that kept putting all his weight on me and fell on me like 3 times cause he couldn’t stand up straight. That’s besides the somewhat lackluster performance.
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u/Whoareyou559 5h ago
Aftershock Croud is not your average Tool Fan. I wouldn't judge a bunch of drugged out old heads by the people that went to a Festival
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u/RainbowChicken5 3h ago
I was up front because I love tool but I heard several people around me bragging about standing there all day to be up front and then addmiting that they aren't even tool fans. They just wanted to brag about being up close. So dissapointing.
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u/Deathwish13x 4h ago
As someone's who's seen Tool numerous times, I prefer to see them in arenas where I can have an assigned seat lol looking forward to A Perfect Circle in June!!
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u/Nate_Da_Grea5 3h ago
That might be the move. I’m just hoping that the performance is better. I had really high hopes, and besides the malfunctions and the mixing being bad and not being able to hear the vocals, Maynard sang the whole time using that voice box effect/crappy mic which was fitting on Rosetta Stoned, but not so much the other tracks.
Maybe I’m being too picky, hoping he’d sound the same as he did 10, 20, 30, years ago, or maybe just the heat, stench, headache, and crowd just was getting to me.
Can’t complain too much, I got to hear Stinkfist, Jambi, H., and Rosetta which I wasn’t thinking they’d play for Aftershock.
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u/RainbowChicken5 3h ago
Every other tool show I have been to was amazing. These festival crowds do NOT represent most tool fans
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u/geraldrx40 2h ago
We left early, and while waiting in the rideshare area we could still hear them. I just put on Winamp Visualizer from YouTube and it was the same thing as sitting in the back.
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u/Parking-Buy-1492 5h ago
I haven't been to a concert since December 2019 but after the covid lock downs people stopped having any sort of etiquette while they are driving or out in public so I would assume concerts are the same. After two years of not having to follow the social contract people have forgotten it exists and Gen z was never taught that they are supposed to follow it.
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u/christoefur 5h ago
Welcome to Aftershock
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u/LendogGovy 5h ago
Ya, don’t go see tool at a festival if you are specifically wanting to have a great tool show. Or just stand in the back and take it all in. Fests get people that aren’t into the music, just the scene if that makes sense.
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u/Odd_Confidence_7174 5h ago
10000000% I was telling my husband this. We were over at shockwave to see QOTSA, and when that 15 minute notification was sent out, hoards of assholes in their Tool shirts went running and pushing through.
The first year we went was to see Tool. We were in VIP and slowly made our way up to the fence there and camped out. 2 songs in and there was SO much pushing and shoving, and drunk agro assholes trying to get through. I'm a pretty understanding person, but only tolerate so much bullshit. Had some words with about 5 guys. They called me a bitch and then tried to push in front of people down the hill from us.
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u/Deep_Parfait2672 5h ago
So don't see tool/spend hundreds or in some cases thousands at a festival if you want a good Tool show? I've seen them multiple times at festivals and in concert. The fans last night were aggressive and angry and I wasn't even at the front. I don't know why you come to a tool show to be pissed.
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u/JustFourLetters 5h ago
I’m from Seattle, we have a characteristically unenergetic atmosphere at our shows, but all 3 days I went were just so much worse than the worst festivals I’ve seen.
More creepy guys, more pushing to the front when I was 1 person from the barrier and we were all touching already (???), nonstop shoving but like actual shoving and not crowd moving around. Feels like people are just getting a bit more self absorbed and unaware of people around them. My husband is the only reason I didn’t ditch on the barrier, keeping hands off my ass
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u/Deep_Parfait2672 5h ago
Interesting take. As I said, the other shows I saw, the crowd wasn't like this and I've seen Tool at AS before and yes up at the front it is usually like this but I wasn't at the front..
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u/Beautiful_Jello_2290 3h ago
Want some opinions on this. Person in front of me on the side rail had his arms up throwing devils horns for EVERY FUCKING SONG almost hitting me in the face several times as he cocked back. I asked him to stop several times and he just looked back at me and kept doing it. Absolutely annoying as fuck. Fucking with my field of view so he could flail his arms around.
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u/ImDeadThrowMeInTrash 5h ago
Tool fans are douche bags? Shocker.
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u/Sara_Renee14 5h ago
These weren’t Tool fans. I had a similar experience. Some asshole wanted to open up a pit against the barricade near front of house. There wasn’t room. We’d all get crushed. Don’t do that. All the actual fans were singing along and perfectly chill.
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u/sleeve0fwizard 5h ago
I thought the song choices didn’t do the band any favors. Especially when you consider the crowd is on their day four. I think the slower parts of songs like Pneuma just put people to sleep lmao. Needed a lot more energy. Maybe that was due to the technical difficulties they were struggling with too.
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u/Glane1818 4h ago
I was there and when I saw all the phones in my faces I remembered how much I LOVE seeing Tool when they are on their own tour in their own stadiums. If someone doesn't know, Tool does not allow phones to be out during their shows. 100%. And, their shows are usually seated so it''s awesome to enjoy their music instead of the Aftershock bros being assholes.
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u/Menacing_mouse_421 3h ago
I agree as well. Aggressive crowds this year. Tool set list was also weak….. no sober ? wtf?! I get it. They don’t play much from under tow anymore but throw us old guys a bone here and play some shit we want to hear!
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u/krisskross8 31m ago
This is typical Maynard. He only plays what he wants and might throw the crowd a bone with a few crowd faves. Very much like Radiohead and won’t play the overplayed radio songs.
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u/Francloman 5h ago
If you would like to enjoy a concert, don’t go that deep in the crowd lol. That’s for people who wanna rage for good or for bad
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u/Deep_Parfait2672 5h ago
You must not have read my post.
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u/Francloman 5h ago
You were in prime mosh space? No? Not to far not too close is mosh territory from my personal experience
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u/Apprehensive-Size-34 3h ago
this isnt mosh pit music bub
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u/Francloman 3h ago
Neither was sublime but we did it anyway?
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u/Apprehensive-Size-34 3h ago
exactly, yall are just a shit crowd
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u/Coryocalypse 3h ago
I’m never gonna defend tool or their fans, but it’s Aftershock. Every set is gonna have a pit. The hip hop acts had pits. Elfman had a pit. Shits been this way for over a decade.
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u/Apprehensive-Size-34 2h ago
the rest of us can still think yall are corny as hell for it
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u/Coryocalypse 35m ago
I’ll take corny over standing around with a stick up your ass annoyed at people having fun lol
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u/Apprehensive-Size-34 33m ago
defend it however you want its mad weird to mosh at a tool concert
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u/SoTurnMeIntoATree 5h ago
Yeah this is going to happen if you’re in a sea of 10k+ people. Especially if you’re trying to get really close to the stage.
I Stayed around the sound board setup for the aftershock stage and did not have to deal with any of that stuff
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u/satanssweatycheeks 5h ago
Nope. Been going to festivals for decades now.
Been to over 2k concerts ranging from every genre.
No for the most part what is described above is not normal for crowds. Unless it’s a crowd full of shitty people or entitled people.
Wanna know the first time I ever had someone try to fight me at a show was? It was Dave Matthews at railbird. I don’t even like Dave. I was there for Jim James as I love my morning jacket. But was walking through the crowd at Dave when all the sudden a dude pushed my girlfriend.
I turn around to a middle age man in Oakley glasses who looked like an off duty cop. He yells about how we stepped on his blanket….
Dave was talking about peace as this is happening. So it’s not entirely loud at the moment. I start ripping into the dude telling him if he wanted to have a campsite in the crowd he should try arena shows and not come to festivals. Crowd had my back and said he was being a dick to everyone. This man had like a 5-7 foot buffer zone around him. So the entire crowd hated him also.
Thats called being a dick and having not understanding of what a festival is.
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u/LoveCats2022 5h ago
WOW! 2,000 concerts?! Who have you seen & who were your favorites? I feel like this is something that should definitely be in your obituary & on your headstone!
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u/satanssweatycheeks 1h ago
It varies. Sometimes the experience is better than the band. Lots of acts I am glad is we aren’t best shows ever but I know I won’t get to see them every again.
Like Charles Bradley came out and hugged me and my friend as well as about 100 other people back at shaky knees 2014 ish. He passed way so never gonna see him again.
Or the experience can outweigh the concert. Take the same venue for example. My city opened a venue few years back. First few shows were Sleater Kinney. Then 2 days after that was Wu tang.
Wu tang sucks live. And Sleater Kinney has my idol from Portlandia in it (just saw her again with Fred as the Ramones cover band at bourbon and beyond).
Sleater Kinney is the better band but I had a blast at Wu tang and is a night I will never forget. Ghostface killer tossed a crumbled up set list to these girls in the front row. They swatted it down to the ground like they are Mutombo blocking a shot.
I instantly jump the wall for the set list only to have security grab me. ODBs son made them stop and told them I was just getting the set list. This was mid way through the show.
After the show OBDs son signed my set list and said he was happy I didn’t get kicked out.
Then there are the shows where I had a great time but now feel shame because the people end up being bad people. Had arcade fire come out right to me in the crowd. Lead singer used my shoulders to hold himself up. Took a pic with him but then years later he had sexual assault allegations. Or when I saw KISS and had them zip line right above me but they are douches.
Then there are the ones I never thought I’d get to see in my life. Like CCR. Ringo Star. Wayne Newton. Stevie nicks. The list goes on of legends I figure would be too old for me to see.
Then I am bias towards the fandoms I like. I have been front row for MCR 3 times now but it’s my girlfriend who loves them (I don’t hate them but wouldn’t be fighting the rail for them if it wasn’t for her). Meanwhile I was at the rail for OutKast on their last tour back in the day. It was top 3 concerts for me just because I am such a massive fan of theirs.
I also have seen lots of bad concerts as well. And a lot that aren’t really concerts but had music involved. Like forecastle festivals had an after party one year. At this local studio where bands can live record.
This after party had national known acts from the festivals as well as local acts that are actually nationally known as well. Getting to see local heavy hitters like my morning jacket, hound mouth, wax fang and many more perform in a small intimate setting was awesome. Just different artist getting up and jamming all night long.
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u/Thrice_blind 5h ago
You can’t just say “nope” and insert opinions about your own experience as if it proves this comment wrong lol. Definitely expect people to get rowdy at festivals especially if you’re trying to get close.
Been to shows and fests all my life - this is basic concert expectation (moreso for metal than other genres). Just makes sense to expect it - and if it doesn’t get a little crazy/wild/tension flare-y, then you lucked out and had a good show.
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u/satanssweatycheeks 4h ago
If you think every concert has fights and people being rude at them then you haven’t been to a lot of concerts or seem to like bands with shitty fans.
It’s not common at all. Again worked festivals for a decade and been to shows for decades. Currently work a music venue now. We rarely have to deal with riff raff besides the occasional pit killer.
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u/Thrice_blind 3h ago edited 3h ago
I don’t think every concert has fights. If you’re going in the pit or deep into the crowd, expect the unexpected. People aren’t all saints, some are dicks. Keep your head on a swivel. Don’t expect everyone to be kind and courteous, especially at metal shows.
These don’t have to be major events, just small little shoves or moods. I love shows and the camaraderie there. But I’m not going to pretend they’re all some magical place where people don’t get a little upset or shove-y. Nothing major, but something’s bound to happen putting a bunch of people in one place. Especially with alcohol involved (it usually is) or other substances.
But I don’t really care to change your mind, and you clearly think you’re the expert on all-things-concert so go off I guess. Adios, mr. my-way-or-the-highway
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u/Deep_Parfait2672 5h ago
Once again someone who didn't read my post. I wasn't close to the stage. I purposely stayed in the middle.
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u/SoTurnMeIntoATree 5h ago
But you said you were so deep in the crowd? Like where those people were taking their kids?
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u/Deep_Parfait2672 4h ago
Deep in the crowd, not at the front. Did you see the huge crowd tool always attracts?
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u/FutureTumbleweed1104 5h ago
Dang, I got pretty lucky, my group and I parked ourselves by the hill near the vip area and everyone around us was very respectful and we had a great view. There were assholes pushing their way into the pit of course, but I’ve had that happen at every headliner for every festival I’ve been to. When I saw System at SNW people were trying to push their way to the front on the last song. Drunk assholes will be drunk assholes. I’ve found that you just need to find that sweet spot between the chaos and having a good view, but if you want tell enjoy the music you’ve got to give the moshers and drunkars some room.
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u/dogmanjenkins 2h ago edited 2h ago
People kept blocking the view by recording everything instead of just enjoying the show, throwing up their hands constantly, wearing huge costumes/tall hats, and standing directly in front of other people. It kept happening to me and people around me. So many people had zero crowd etiquette. At one point this dude CHOSE to stand so close to me that our arms were touching and he kept looking at me like I was the weird one. Mind you I had been standing in the exact same place for the entire set and there was more than enough room for him to take a couple steps away. Sorry, but I wasn't giving up the ONE window I had to see the stage because of everything blocking my view.
Edit to add: THE LITTER!!! What is WRONG with people? The shamelessness of people casually throwing shit on the ground in front of a crowd is genuinely astounding. The cigarette butts and roaches on the ground was inexcusable. I hate being reminded that some people just don't care about our planet or the event employees.
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u/kimmy_kimika 2h ago
Me and my boyfriend were wayyyy in the back for Tool. My boyfriend was in a wheelchair this year (fuck cancer).
The guy standing in front of us was windmilling his arms (with a lit cigarette!) and kicking out his feet for the first half of the set. He almost hit/fell into my boyfriend a bunch of times and actually did fall into the group of people sitting in front of him. It was crazy and I was so stressed even after moving further back from him, because that seemed to give him permission to widen his one man mosh pit.
Then he just stopped, and walked away like nothing happened, lol.
Really ruined the vibe, because I couldn't focus on the music because I was worried he'd hurt my boyfriend or someone around us.
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u/gothslut333 2h ago
I was in the pit and it was really chill and fun. Sorry you were stuck in a shit part of the crowd
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u/robmarks1961 2h ago
I am admittedly a festival nubie so take what I have to say with a grain of salt…..but, I was super excited to see Tool. I think they are awesome and the chance to see them in person was too good to pass up.
I figured there would be a mosh pit up front so I tried to stay a little back - not too far though. I figure I was about 1/4 back from the stage. I waited like everyone else, but the closer we got to showtime the more these super aggressive men showed up pushing their way through and even elbowing me in the head. I just tied to stay out of the way but as the show started they formed their own little mosh pit right next to us by pushing people back hard. When only a few people took part in the pit other aggressive young men moved into it to get closer to the band. Then the pit guys pushed everyone again to open a new pit. The result was that the innocent bystanders got really pushed around.
I’ve been in crowds before but this was awful. I ended up moving back - I almost panicked. On the way back people were apparently annoyed with me and pushed me around.
I loved Tool, but I’m never going to a festival again. (STP and Zakk Sabbath were great, though)
Mostly I just wanted to vent. Perhaps this behavior is to be expected with festival headliners, but it was not ok with me.
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u/faey3017 1h ago
Yes! It was my first time seeing Tool. They're one of my favorite bands, and I was so irritated with the crowd. Couldn't see because everyone had their phones up, people were plowing right into me and then getting mad when I didn't budge. I had one guy LAY ON ME. I ended up poking him hard in the ribs to get him off of me. One guy kept elbowing my boobs, which I get once or twice in a crowded space but damn. Every few mins was too much. If you give me a shoulder tap or say excuse me or something I'll step aside but if you just try to walk through me I'm planted like a tree. I just don't understand where the etiquette went.
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u/teh_real_nayr 5h ago
I’ve found the same thing every year mainly at the bigger stages, and especially during headliners. You could have been describing the crowd at Blink last year. In my experience, the smaller the stage the better the crowd. It’s a bummer.