Photos by Chris Nelson
Review by Michael Chandler
Tool played the KeyArena on Saturday night. It was just as mind-blowing as seeing them in 1994 when I was first graced with their unique mix of metal, noise, and math rock. Add a serious psychedelic dose of visuals, and even KeyArena couldn’t keep this foursome from creating an intimate and mind-blowing set. The vast majority of the crowd only knew their more recent work, which is sad. Some of Tool’s most impressive and pioneering pieces existed before the invention of advance delay petals, vocal effects and light shows. Nonetheless most audience members were standing and banging heads throughout the sold-out set. . .I would have loved to have heard anything off Opiate, or more of their earlier raw sound, but it was a show worth experiencing. After seeing other rock giants like Metallica, Korn, Kiss, and the Deftones fail at holding crowds in such large venues, it was a true treat and testament to their timeliness to witness something this captivating and epic. . .so go Tool. . .Still rocking after 20+ years.
