It was along wait but after a few postponements due to the pandemic, Tool was finally able to make their way back to the WNY area. It’s been 20 years since the band has played Buffalo. The band is on tour in support of ‘Fear Inoculum,’ that was released back in 2019. It took a while for the band to reconvene due to some legal issues, creative differences and side projects some of the members have going on. Once the band did and were able to put out ‘Fear Inoculum,” fans were clamoring for the band to get back out on the road. The long wait is finally over and now the band has been able to start the third leg to the worldwide tour.
Taking the stage at about 8:45pm, the band played behind almost a silhouette type of curtain for the first few tracks. With an amazing array of digital images and lasers, the band performed for over 2 hours and 40 minutes. They played 6 of the 7 tracks off of ‘Fear Inoculum’ (with the exception of the Grammy for best metal performance in “7empest” that wasn’t played). Vocalist James Maynard Keenan is known for being eccentric, his performances are different to say the least. He is known to perform behind silhouettes or disguises. For this show, he performed in heavy back and orange facial makeup while sporting a Mohawk. He tended to stay in the back behind the drumkit to sing most of the night. Even with Maynard’s eccentrics, it didn’t take way from his spot on vocals throughout the entire set. To me, this show wasn’t about the vocals but the musicianship that was delivered by guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor. It could be argued that all 3 might be the best at what they do. Carey was front and center most of the night and he didn’t disappoint. His direction and percussion playing was the true highlight of the bands masterful music performance. I was equally impressed by Chancellor’s paying as well. The bass was perfectly blended in, not overpowering the set at any point. It really gave that hard edge as it flowed seamlessly throughout each track. Jones handled the 6th string with ease and dabbled on the synthesizers for a bit during “Pneuma.”
The band took a 10 minute intermission where Carey then had a memorizing drum solo called “Chocolate Chip Trip.” The band did come to the front of the stage for “Culling Voices.” That included Maynard strumming a guitar. All night, the band wanted the fans to not take their phones out and to actually enjoy the ambience of a complete Tool experience. That was until, Maynard announced, ok, you can take your phones out for this song but I’m going to cover some ground rules. Turn your fucking lights off, you amateur dipshits. You can figure it out. If you can’t, ask your phone — it’s a smartphone.”
The show was really tongue and cheek throughout by some of the imagery and the song titles “Hooker With a Penis” for a perfect example of one. If you can get that and then get what the band is truly about, the musicianship, then you really get a Tool show.
Setlist:
Fear Inoculum
Opiate
The Pot
Pushit
Pneuma
The Grudge
Eon Blue Apocalypse
The Patient
Descending
Hooker with a Penis
Intermission
Chocolate Chip Trip
Culling Voices
Invincible
We would like to thank both Monica Seide-Evenson from Speakeasy PR and Renee Pfefer from On Tour PR for the credentials to review the show.
