They mobilised in their thousands to see the Tool juggernaut
thunder into Manchester. And what they experienced was nothing short of
incredible.
It’ll be hard to put the experience into words that will
convey the size, spectacle and intensity of two hours-plus of music and visuals
that had the whole place anywhere between hypnotised, mesmerised and astonished.
A 13 tune set, with a 10 minute “intermission” before their final 3 numbers, you’d be forgiven for thinking Tool were going through the motions as they enter their fourth decade.
A three date UK run after a series of Euro dates, with Manchester, Birmingham and London on the itinerary might have left some wanting a more extended series of shows.
Tales of Tool shows and past performances are the stuff of legend. Tonight’s extraordinary experience will go down as that for the many thousands who were there.
Tool music is difficult to truly categorise, if labels many anything to anyone. Yes it’s metal. But it’s way more. It’s clever. Beautiful. Yes it’s big. But it’s also incredibly intricate. When they go loud and come at you and you’re caught in the blast, it’s truly exhilarating. When they go dark and delicate, you get drawn in. But from the start and Fear Inocolum to the roof-raising thundering finale of Invincible, you are transfixed.
Maynard – enigmatic, charismatic, red mohawk-topped – prowls to the left and right of Danny Carey’s huge – and it’s enormous – drumkit (although it is more of a command centre than a drumkit). Maynard moves from one side to the other, turning circles, twisting and his vocals are stunning.
Danny at centre stage is simply a drumming powerhouse. Nothing else describes this guy and his approach. He makes it seem effortless, but at the same time his beats are at the heart of Tool’s music. A signature drummer.
Adam Jones occupies a spot stage left. He barely moves, occasionally meeting bassist Justin Chancellor in the middle, switching sides and strolling back. A casual appearance belies the power of his guitar work. Throwing out beautiful melodies one minute, riffing like the heaviest of heavy machinery the next.
Bass player Justin is simply a musician you cannot take your eyes off. He commands the stage. In interviews he says he’s not a talker and lets his bass do the work for him. His bass lines form a thread through all of Tool’s work. Again, often intricate, then full-on smashing them out.
Just when you think each individual provides the fingerprint of Tool, you realise the beauty of it is that the combination of all four makes this what it is musically.
The stage-setting perfectly captures the connection between the lyrics, the music and the visuals they are so famed for in their video work. Dark, dystopian, industrial, mystical – all are blended in a spectacular stage scene. For the first four songs, the band performance behind a huge curved see-through rope-like curtain on which visuals dance across. It doesn’t matter where in the arena you’re seated, you get a stunning view. When the curtain pulls back, the crowd go into overdrive and the noise exchange between band and audience hits a new level.
The highlight of the night – and it’ll depend on your favourite song, riff, lyric – was for me Pneuma and the last track of the set Invincible. Both feature the perfect blend of all four band members and their instruments. Invincible builds to an astonishing finish, with the heavy end D-tuned staccato riff shaking the venue and everyone in it.
Tool’s amazing back catalogue means they could performance every night and tour forever and you’d barely see the same sequence of tracks twice.
Tool make music like nobody else makes music. Big, complex, and powerful. At the same time, fragile, melodic, and deep. Not only do they not make music like anyone else, the music they make does not feel entirely of this world. There is a distinct other-worldly quality to Tool – elements of it feel deeply tribal and ancient. At one point the screen is dominated by a giant pyramid, symbolising ancient peoples and societies. This is a band that would relish the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, sitting beneath the giant tors.
