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Tool in Anaheim, CA

January 19, 2022

Tool is Finally back on tour again after nearly 2 years off the road. They’re last show before kicking off this tour was in Portland, OR March 11, 2020. The tour started March 10th in Eugene, OR and stopped in Anaheim, CA. Tool picked up right where they left off 2 years ago as most dates are extended or rescheduled. Tool is touring in support of their long anticipated album Fear Inoculum released August 30, 2019. This was the group’s first album in 13 years with the last one being 10,000 Days. Fear Inoculum went to number one in eight different countries and received two Grammy nominations, one that was won for Best Metal Performance. Tool also won a Billboard Award for Top Rock Album and iHeart Music Award for Top Rock Album. This was probably the first physical CD in years to sell out quickly even at a high price. Since Tool released their first album Undertow in 1993, they have released another 4 albums. Since 1990 Tool has been Maynard James Keenan (Vocals), Adam Jones (Guitar), and Danny Carey (Drums). Bassist Justin Chancellor joined in 1995. Opening the show was Blonde Redhead.

Tool was on a massive world tour since playing songs from Fear Inoculum for the first time live at Aftershock in Sacramento, CA right up until Covid-19 forced all tours to cancel. If you saw this show in 2019 or in the beginning of 2020, the production is the same, however the setlist is quite different. Be prepared to not use your phone the duration of the concert until Maynard announces it’s the final song where everyone is allowed to record or take photos. Just like how Tool’s albums are all about the artwork, that applies to the concert as well. There is a giant screen behind the stage to only show art, not any video of the band performing. For the first part of the show there's a curtain around the stage that looks like it's made of ropes making the band tough to see. Also Maynard has two platforms in the back next to Carey’s drums one on each side he sings from the whole show minus one song. If anyone knows Tool, that’s expected as well as a crazy outfit for Maynard.

Just like when the tour began in 2019, “Fear Inoculum” is the opening song of the show. The following song was “Opiate” from their second and final EP of the same name released before the band’s debut album. Third was “The Pot,” from my personal favorite Tool album 10,000 Days. You may look at the setlist and see 12 songs, but if you’re familiar with Tool music and the length of the songs that comes to over two hours. Tool took the stage at 8:45 P.M. and played 10 songs before could either be considered a two song second set or encore as there was a 12 minute intermission in between with a timer on the screen. Minus the intermission, the show lasted around 2 hours 15 minutes.

The final three songs were “Chocolate Chip Trip,” from Fear Inoculum which features Carey solo, “Culling Voices,” "Invincible" all from the same album. “Culling Voices'' was performed for the first time live at the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA two nights earlier. There’s two things that make this rare for Tool, first of all Carey plays guitar on it, and secondly like the way all of Led Zeppelin would come out to the front of the stage and sit down to perform, Tool did the same. This was the closest Maynard got to the audience. Four minutes in they resumed their regular positions. To describe a Tool show definitely as an immersive experience, but also as a bull coming out of it’s pen. “Invincible ” has some of the greatest visual effects I’ve ever seen. If there’s a top 10 greatest live bands on tour now, Tool definitely makes the top 5.