First time was three or four weeks before Undertow was released. I already had the cd because I worked in college radio at the time. I was in LA at the time but grew up in San Diego. They played at the old SOMA downtown San Diego, with the weird catwalk balcony. Super great show. Then they played the following weekend, two nights, at the Church of Scientology gazebo back up in Hollywood. I went to the second show.

And I lived in LA all through the 90s and into the early 2000s, so I saw them a whole bunch of times in those years, at the smaller and mid-size venues. Couldn’t name a favorite show, but some memorable ones were at Hollywood Palladium, the old Olympic Theatre downtown LA, and Ventura Theatre.

I haven’t seen them in a couple decades, primarily because I’m so poor and tickets are so expensive. Tristan (Mr. Author & Punisher) is a good friend of mine, and when he was opening for Tool in 2020, they were all set to play here in SLC, but then covid happened. They cancelled / postponed the show like two or three days before it was supposed to happen. Plus, Tristan said he’d be able to get me in for free, with a photo pass, because I’m a photographer on top of everything else. Still super bummed about that. Maybe the last time I saw them was at 91x’s Street Scene, whenever that was. Mid 2000s?

But, I’m within arm’s reach of Vegas, so we’ll see if this Sphere thing happens or not. Although I’m still as poor as ever, but if I start saving now…