Tool Played a Heavenly, and Hellish, Set in Dallas

Despite the thunder, thousands of music fans wearing black T-shirts and hoodies swarmed Dallas' American Airlines Center on Friday evening. They came from all over, fighting heavy rain and the congestion of rush-hour traffic to see rock juggernaut Tool.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1990, Tool was the first of several creative successes by singer Maynard James Keenan, whose other projects include bands A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, and his very own winery. Tool's sound is distinguished by various symbiotic elements: Danny Carey’s complex drumming, Justin Chancellor’s bombastic bass and guitarist Adam Jones’ angular riffs. Jones' art has come to define the band’s visual aesthetic. The band members' many other high-profile artistic projects have made Tool concerts somewhat of an elusive experience for their fan base. American Airlines was packed from top to bottom.

Opening act Elder took the stage early, starting with a tripped-out, Zeppelin-like musical introduction. The band’s sound was reminiscent of 1970s progressive rock, with an unexpected elemental snarl like that of Black Sabbath. Elder’s flawless front-of-house mix and mind-quest-inducing musical journey filled every inch of the packed house with ease. Throughout the band’s set, they shifted seamlessly from vocally driven doom trance to long instrumental songs, successfully cracking open Tool fans' third eyes.

As the last song of the set repeated, the room swelled as the audience celebrated the individual players' flawless delivery. It seems likely that Tool fans will be adding Elder to their playlists if they haven’t already. Only Tool would pick an opening band that rocked this hard.

At 8:27 p.m., the mass of Tool fans screamed as the lights dropped down. The set opened with drummer Carey on stage by himself, starting off with “Fear Inoculum.” The visuals were striking as Chancellor and Jones followed suit with their instruments. Frontman Maynard James Keenan finally joined the band to great applause, perched on a riser over the entire stage. With art films projected on a screen spanning the length of the stage, Keenan looked as if he were singing from inside a volcano, hot lava and fire engulfing the entire stage. The lights then shifted into wild oscillating colors, looking otherworldly and esoteric. As Keenan sang the first song of the set, he fell in and out of sight, blending in with the all-encompassing stage visuals, one of which included a close-up of an eyeball projected into the size of a building. A few minutes into the show, Keenan paused to greet the audience.

“Hey, you awake? We’re about to find out,” Keenan said. “Ready to take a trip? Stick with us, stay here, stay present and we’re going to go on a little journey.”

It was at that point that he politely requested that all cellphones be put away and for the audience to stay present. A giant silver seven-point star then came down from the rafters as the band slid into “Jambi” from the 2006 album 10,000 Days. This visual element hung over the band for the rest of the show and added another focal point to the already striking visuals. The last riffs of “Jambi” filled the arena as guitarist Jones soloed under a white spotlight and Keenan, rocking from side to side, nestled on his perch above the band. It’s simply amazing that only three instruments were making it all happen.

The band followed with “Rosetta Stoned,” also from 10,000 Days, shooting lights with laser-like precision into the crowd. Carey’s bass drum pulsated wildly, syncing with the crowd members' heartbeats as images of alien demigods adorned the stage. The latter's effect felt like watching a Ridley Scott film painted by Francis Bacon, on acid. By this point, many audience members looked as if they were deep into Tool’s journey and in a trance. One man reached his arms to the ceiling yelling like he was in a Southern Baptist revival. After a brief pause and darkened stage, Tool went into several other songs from their newest album, Fear Inoculum, as a pink curtain of light showed the aesthetic symmetry between the band and audience.
This section of the concert was followed by a perfect performance of “Intolerance” from the band's 1993 album Undertow. The initial notes of the classic Tool song provoked wild cheers of excitement from the crowd, with Chancellor and his bass moving to the music. Though 30 years have passed since the release of Undertow, the iconic album cover created by Jones was also used in the live visuals for “Intolerance,” engulfed in orange smoke.

Next was “The Grudge” from 2001’s Lateralus. It was after this that Tool offered something rare in a rock concert: a 12-minute intermission period for fans to refresh beverages, empty bladders and take a breather.

At 10:00 p.m., Carey was back onstage alone again. He slowly started a drum solo that progressively morphed into “Chocolate Chip Trip” from Fear Inoculum, a heavily synthesized experimental drum and bass song. The accompanying onscreen graphics were an abstracted real-time camera that filmed Carey playing his kit and synths. He ended this by smashing a giant gong at the song’s conclusion. The theatrics and light show, reinforced by this performance, could have given Cirque Du Soleil a run for the money. The room once again filled to what felt like capacity, and the audience once more appeared ready to embark on a journey as epic as Gilgamesh’s.

“Flood,” another song from Undertow, came next as Maynard showed up on his perch, singing in his white shirt, black vest and slacks, and confetti fell on the screaming crowd. Tool went to work again, playing “Invincible” from their latest album before pausing for the singer to say a few things to the crowd, now allowing them to activate cellphones and record the last song.

“Alright, deep breath in, deep breath out,” Keenan said. “Welcome back, Dallas. You guys are awesome. You can record, but no flash, or a kick to the vagina. If you don’t have one, we can install one for you. You guys are great. Thank you.”

Tool finished with the classic 2001 song “Schism” from Lateralus, which by far had the creepiest and most interesting visuals: partially dissected gray humanoids floated in and out of the screens, creating a hybrid bond between the music and art. At the close of this song, the lights came up and Tool took an extended bow to the packed house fiercely cheering for the band.

For the duration of their show, no band member missed a single note. Several parts of the set showcased Maynard's nearly flawless voice. The group maintains an elegant offering of high art and musical power that’s damn near impossible to emulate or manufacture. Tool is the kind of band that could play at the gates of heaven or hell, and either would make sense.