It has been truly said that “art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. What is that one artist or a band that you would consider an embodiment of this fact? Who would have created something as thought-provoking in ways that no one ever has or will be? For me, it would definitely be Tool. While uncertainty lingers over the chance of us getting to hear any new material from them, the band has been actively doing live shows more recently, and it is nothing short of crushing.
To witness the magic for myself, I hurried off to San Jose as soon as I finished work. SAP Center was the venue for the event, and one could see Tool-black-tee-clad humans flocking in masses. One had to make their way cutting through long queues for merchandise and beer. It was a seated event, which was kinda sad! (I personally don’t dig seated events).
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The opening act Crystal Method had already begun their set. They were a 2-member outfit, and musically leaning towards the electronic/dance music genre. I have nothing much to say here, as dance music is not my cup of tea. However, there were quite a good number of people who appreciated and cheered them during their set. Unity in diversity!
It was quite a long wait for Tool to begin their set. I made a few new friends there, one of whom told me that I probably had the seat with the best view. He went on to tell me how magical a Tool show is, and that added further to my anticipation. The show meant a lot to me as the earlier ones kept getting sold out. It was finally the time for me to experience this.
Darkness descended, accompanied by the roars of almost 12,000 people present. The stage set up with the ‘Lateralus’ album art, lights shimmering, before Tool’s set began with “The Grudge”. The atmosphere was already downright psychedelic – the entire thing was an audio-visual treat difficult to be described in words. My joy had no limits when they played “Parabol” and “Parabola” next. They went on to play a well-curated set comprising fan favorites.
In terms of the quality of their live performance, they were like aged wine. I have always loved this band for the depressive sick vibe apparent in their music. The same was conveyed effortlessly by these geniuses in their live set too. I have been to an insane number of shows across many genres of rock or metal, but this was entirely different. The brilliance here was unmatched.
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Sometime during the set, the entire arena was lit with lasers, adding onto the psychedelic vibe of the already-stoned atmosphere. The band had minimal interaction with the crowd. Frontman Maynard James Keenan as usual, took care of the vocals duties from the shadows diagonally behind the drums, and absolutely crushed it. It was a delight to watch Adam Jones and Justin Chancellor take care of string duties. Danny Carey in particular proved to be someone that nobody could ever be – the drum solo alone made sure of that.
Tool might well be one of the best things that has happened to this world. Experiencing them live would definitely be one of the best things that could happen to you. The audio-visual treat in particular is bound to change your perceptions of a memorable gig.