5 LIVE REVIEW: Tool @ Key Arena (7/10/10)

Words by Nik Christofferson
Photos by Kam Martin

You’d be hard up to find anyone among the 16,000 large that lost their shit at Key Arena last Saturday that would admit to not having their minds blown at least a little bit during one of the biggest concerts of the summer so far. There were lots of wide eyed, big smiled, stoked individuals filing out into the Seattle Center grounds following the first Seattle Tool appearance since a May, 2006 stop at the Paramount Theater  and the SRG crew were among them.

Sold out in mere minutes a few months back, this was hottest ticket in town and even without any new material to unveil, or really anything particularly of interest going on at all to speak of, Tool proved their standing as one of the most sought after and continually beloved heavy bands in the world. It’s still a bit of a mystery as to why they decided to book this unexpected tour in the first place. Whether MJK lost his ass on that Pucifer tour or they are just trying to sharpen their chops prior to hitting the studio is totally up for pointless debate, because by shows end it was also evident Tool is still indeed the unfuckwitable musical juggernaut we all know and love, and a Tool show is the audio/visual equivalent of an enigmatic fantasy world.

With floor and 100 level tickets going for $70 before fees, this show was not cheap, but it was immediately apparent why the ticket price was so steep. With over 8 video screens of all sizes, some raising and lowering and some just tilting for effect, the audience was met with plenty of visual eye candy. Adam Jones’ eerie imagination was front and center throughout the two hour set, once again purposefully turning the focus from the musicians on stage to a mind bending art show with live soundtrack instead. Everything from clips of those infamous stop-motion Tool videos to more updated stuff, it was quite a mesmerizing display. The show also featured a multi-color laser show that for anyone not crammed on the floor was probably pretty kick ass, though it shot right over my head and was kind of lost in translation.

The set list was a stellar one, heavy on “AEnima” and “Lateralus” material. “Third Eye” set the tone early, complete with those trippy Timothy Leary voiceovers. The mega-heavy “Jambi” was followed by “(-) Ions”, and then a whiplash inducing version of one of my favorites-- “Stinkfist”. “Vicarious” was immaculate, showcasing Maynard’s still impressive pipes at full strength. MJK was once again stationed out of harm’s way on a platform to the left of Danny Carey’s massive drum kit. Sporting that all too familiar Mohawk, he posed and mined in the shadows while never quite enabling a clear glimpse. The band as a whole was incredibly tight, with musicianship at an all-time high. One could easily get lost in the moment while watching the barrage of eloquent yet ferocious drum fills courtesy of modern day master-- Danny Carey. Adam Jones hid behind his silver streaked black shoulder length hair, shredding at will on Tool’s most progged out and delicate moments on up to their massive crescendos. Justin Chancellor was the most animated and repeatedly stomped to Carey’s lead foot kick drum especially during the mammoth punch of “Intolerance” -- the only “Undertow” song to make the cut.

Before a short intermission came the killer combination of “Schism” and “Forty-Six & 2”, which raised the energy level beyond comprehension. The hippie folks who writhed and slithered in the row next to me went into complete meltdown mode, and the visibly drunk staggered and head banged even more haphazardly in their aisles. This was the absolute pinnacle of the evening, Tool at their most ambitious live despite being the pre-programmed well-oiled machine that they are. My only complaint with Tool will always be their lack of spontaneity-- they are robots in concert with every note predetermined and choreographed. Even adding a second drummer (opening band Rajas' drummer Gino Barboni) for an immense drum battle with Danny Carey during “Lateralus” was completely staged; while still an incredible showcase of skill from both individuals. The night was capped perfectly with a rousing scream along version of “AEnima”, people lost their minds and their voices on the finale and it ruled.

Following the show Maynard walked up and hugged his band mates and immediately retreated backstage. Adam, Danny, and Justin instead engaged the audience with the house lights up, waving and throwing picks in the crowd for quite some time. Much to the delight of a majority in the room, Danny showed off the giant sized UW basketball uniform which covered his hulk-like frame. Carey then proceeded to throw sticks and autographed drum heads into the audience as he said his final farewell.

Maynard said very little over the course of the evening and really only engaged the crowd half-heartedly once while premising “Intolerance”. I have to give it to Maynard, as he is without a doubt a phenomenal vocalist and an uber fascinating individual, but sometimes his seemingly pretentious, self-absorbed attitude can be kind of a bummer. The photo policy of the night was ridiculous, as even snapping a blurry camera phone photo was reason enough to be accosted by security and potentially thrown out of the arena with money spent on alcohol, merch, and the ticket alone not even taken into consideration. It made for so many distracting skirmishes on the floor, everyone has a camera phone these days and of course the mindless security drones were relentless in their quest for minimum wage-- knocking over chairs and innocent concert goers just to grab the shoulder of an unsuspecting iPhone cameraman. Shame on Maynard and the Tool camp for giving those pawns that kind of irrational authority, as it has been proven time and time again that the yellow shirts cannot think for themselves or resolve situations without hands on brute force. It got ridiculous at times, and backlash from concert goers only led to more and more annoying crowd/security altercations. Which I’d say did have an overall negative effect on some people’s enjoyment of the show. Other than that it was an excellent Tool performance and certainly another concert experience for the books.

*Special thanks to local photographer Kam Martin for offering the use of her fine photos. I was in the pit as well but was ill-equipped to shoot from a far distance, thus my photos sucked ass. Thanks Kam!

Tool
July 10, 2010 at KeyArena
Set List:

Third Eye
Jambi
Stinkfist
Vicarious
Eon Blue Apocalypse
The Patient
Intolerance
Schism
Forty Six & 2

Encore:

Lateralus
AEnema

Opening act: Rajas