LIVE: TOOL – February 9, 2022

Venue: Amalie Arena

City: Tampa, FL

Dates: February 9, 2022

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

There are few bands that have eluded my seeing them – some are bucket list artists for me and some are artists where the legend and mystery keeps me intrigued.  Tool is one band that slides nicely into both categories.  My calendar never seemed to sync up to theirs over the last few tours, but a recent post COVID rescheduled show in Tampa, FL allowed me the opportunity to finally witness the spectacle that is a Tool show.  As I entered the seating arena of Amalie Arena for the first time, you could feel the anticipation that laced the air as a small army of Tool fans slowly filled the arena from the time the doors opened.  Openers Blonde Redhead was an interesting band that seemed to be a good place holder for what was to come.  Basked mostly in red and blue lights, the trio made use of their nearly forty minutes on stage and did their best to deliver a set worthy of the crowd that showed up tonight.  The shift in the overall vibe of the venue was more obvious as we photographers made our way to the pit area to photograph the evenings headliners.  Suddenly the venue seemed very small due to the overwhelming size of the fanbase that packed the place from front to back and from bottom to top (covering three raised levels).  Without much fanfare or pomp and circumstance, the lights went out and the band found their way to their respective spaces for the evening.  One of the longest opening tracks for a show I have ever witnessed, the title track from 2019’s Fear Inoculum kicked the evening off.  While not a catalog expert, I know the ‘hits’ and more mainstream tracks.  The real fun of the evening was not only trying to place the different songs as there aren’t many songs clocking in at a radio friendly 3:45, but also digesting the visuals of the evening.  From the screen that covered the stage for a lot of the first section of the show allowing for some fiber optic graphics to dance across the stage, to the video monitor that featured some interesting clips and visual interludes, to the way the band pulled off allowing their music to do the proverbial talking with little to no upstaging, spotlights, or rock star attitude.  Front man (or backman when performing from the two back platforms) Maynard James Keenan added vocals and some serious swagger from the shadows… literal swagger swinging from side to side at times as if stalking the next vocal.  The bands most recent release – the aforementioned Fear Inoculum from 2019 – was played throughout the night almost in its entirety, including a trio of songs – “Chocolate Chip Trip,” “Culling Voices,” and “Invincible” to close the show after a brief intermission.  As newer songs were twisted into the set with other songs culled from the bands catalog, Drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor had their work cut out for them this evening anchoring the setlist against the shifting tides of music, energy, and atmosphere and they each did their jobs perfectly.  As the evening worked through “Sober” from the band’s debut release made an appearance in the set.  Without much flash and balls as normally presented by a lead guitarist, Adam Jones the six-string sonic weight on his shoulders and delivered song after song, riff after riff, and note after note.  More songs with long instrumental bridges, time changes and odd breakdowns, and even odder titles were a part of the evening with “Eon Blue Apocalypse” cascading through the sound system and washing over the crowd while “Hooker With A Penis” made sure everyone in the place knew that Keenan and his merry band of sellout misfits were indeed “the fuckin’ man.”  As the show wound toward the end, I couldn’t help but wonder aloud ‘How have I not seen these guys perform before?’  The answer is immaterial because I will be hard pressed to not see them again whenever the calendar stars align.

SETLIST: Fear Inoculum – Sober – The Pot – Pushit – Pneuma – The Grudge – Eon Blue Apocalypse – The Patient – Descending – Hooker With a Penis – Chocolate Chip Trip – Culling Voices – Invincible

[Show as slideshow]

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries