Last night I was going to watch a couple of German films with other grad students, but a friend told me that there was a Pink Floyd cover concert at the Lebanon Opera House. The cover band is called The Machine and they are supposed to be very good. Loving Pink Floyd, I immediately decided to go to that instead of German film night (I can watch those movies any time, having a concert in the Upper Valley is much rarer).

The show was great. It started with "Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Part 1)" and it continued with "Have a Cigar". It played songs from every album (according to them). I only know 3 albums and these are the songs they played from each of the 3 albums I know:
From "Wish you were Here":
-"Shine on you crazy diamond (Part 1)"
-"Have a Cigar"
-"Wish you were here"
-"Shine on you crazy diamond (Part 2)"

From "The Wall"
-"Mother"
-"Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" (I think it started from "The Happiest Days of our lives", but I am not sure right now).
-"Comfortably Numb" (played as an encore)

From "Animals"
-"Pigs on the Wing 1"
-"Pigs" (used to finish the first act it was awesome).

I loved the show, it was really nice to listen to Pink Floyd music live by talented players. The opera house doesn't look like an opera house, and it was a small place, but the people seemed to be enjoying it very much.

The most surprising thing was that they did not play "The Machine", it seems strange to not play the namesake of the group, specially since it was the only song from the album "Wish you were here" which they skipped. I can safely say that that album is probably their favorite album.

Found out the bus schedule to go to Manchester for the concert. Luckily, a bus stops right at Dartmouth to the bus station, and there was a bus from Manchester back at 12:55am, hence it seemed perfect for the 8pm concert.

I took the bus at 4:30pm, arrived at the Manchester bus station (which is a block away from the Verizon Wireless Convention Center) at 7pm. In a seat at the bus station I wrote a solution to a homework problem I had solved in the bus. While there I finally got the idea to solve another homework problem, it was a problem I had work on for about 3 hours, finally the idea to solve it came and it was quite simple and pretty. I felt pretty good. So I was feeling great going into the concert. When I get to the entrance of the concert (7:45pm), they tell me that I can't go in with my backpack. I ask "are there lockers?" "No", "what can I do?" "Car" "What?" "Put it in your car" "arghhh!".
I go back to the bus station hoping they will have lockers, they don't. I inquire what could I do, a person suggests the great idea of going to the Radisson hotel nearby.

I go to the hotel and ask if they can keep my backpack for a while. They said they can't because I am not a guest. I say that I'm willing to pay some sort of fee, he says they can't. I have the idea of asking a hotel guest to let me use him to keep my backpack, I ask a lady that was outside smoking, she says she can't help me. She heard all my story but said she couldn't help me, so I turn and am going to ask the others and as I say out loud something she says "they are also in the conference, they won't be able to help you", I say "well, maybe they aren't as mean as you". The people laugh and they hear me out, then they tell me that they are not actually staying at the hotel so they can't help me. I go back and ask the hotel clerk if I can purchase a room or something (maybe there was a very cheap room), he says they are full. But then compassion hit him and he let me leave the backpack in the hotel.

I go back to the arena at 8pm, after 15-20 minutes in line I get in. The arena was only half full of people hearing Isis (the opening band). They only played until 8:45pm. While waiting for Tool, I was thinking on my math homework and then I was happy to notice I had a pencil with me and I could write on my ticket. I solved another homework problem, so I was even more happy prior to the Tool concert.

Then... the gloriousness began. Tool started with Stinkfist, which I think was a great selection to start the concert. They then played Jambi which was much better live than on the album, it was particularly cool to see how the guitarrist does a voice distortion during one of the instrumental parts of the song.
All in all, Tool played almost all of 10,000 Days, plus 3 songs from Aenema (Stinkfist ,Forty Six and Two, Aenema) and a couple from Laterallus (Schism and Laterallus). I might be forgetting a song or two, but in essence they didn't play Parabol, Reflection, Pushit or Third Eye (the last three being my favorite Tool songs). Even without them playing those songs, I thought the show was amazing and I had an incredibly good time.
The highlights were the "Wings of Marie" both parts (about 17 minutes of a great song), Jambi, "Rosetta Stoned" with Maynard singing from a megaphone instead of the microphone and in the harmonious parts he would sing with the microphone but putting the megaphone piece near the microphone to make an extra effect. And the last highlight was "Aenema", the great song was even better live, they closed with this song.

I really loved the concert, I know most of their songs by heart (I hear an album of them a day) and I really enjoy hearing them live, it felt amazing.

After the concert, I waited 2 hours for the bus (from 11pm to 12:55am). During that time I managed to finish my homework.

I got back home at 2:25am.

Life is Good.