It’s Valentines day as Tool kicked off their long awaited Australian tour in Perth on a steaming hot Friday night, a fitting day for those who have had a long love affair for the juggernaut act who seem hell bent on creating suspense and anticipation beyond the scope of most heavy acts. Was it worth the wait?
Opening for the show is a one-man industrial machine called Author & Punisher and for those that had never experienced this talented musician were certainly in for an entertaining showcase. Utilising engineering qualities and electronic elements, this was pure industrial music in it’s rawest, and most possibly ultimate form. The massive stage may have almost swallowed the lone act but it was a fitting show to what was to come.
As the heaving crowd slowly spilled into the RAC Arena to witness a band who have tested the patience of many who crave the unique music they have created, it was certainly an overwhelming scene to see with thousands of people cramming into the venue in all directions. To say anticipation was high is an understatement as Tool fans prepared for the oncoming show, a testament to the endurance of the now veteran prog masters.
Kicking off with the title track of their latest album “Fear Inoculum” with it’s building intro before launching into a swagger of almost tribalistic drum beats led by the talents of Danny Carey, the new stuff seemed to fit in very well with a lot of the older stuff that came afterwards. Immediately the visual feast projected on the big screen behind the band was enticing and in some ways an almost distraction from the band themselves. Whether that was intentional or not only the die hard fans would know but it certainly gave a massive spin to the electrifying performance which sounded crystal clear, a testament to both the band’s own distinct and specific sound and the venue’s own natural acoustics.
The lack of phones in the air was also something to note, thanks to the strict policies of the band who have publicly shown a distaste for the overuse of the technology that has become a staple now at live shows. While imposing rules on people is not something I’m a particular fan of, I have to admit in this case there was a benefit to it as it forced people to live a little more in the moment and really take in what was going on in front of them which sadly has become a bit of a struggle for attention. On stage it was hard to not be impressed by the visuals, swirling colours of psychedelic patterns, creepy images of alien-like creatures and humanoids along with a fantastic laser show sprawled all across the roof of the venue. Even if you weren’t a fan of the music, there was no denying this was a real show.
Tool of course have become an enigma over the years and releases are quite sparse with only a handful of albums over the 3 decades of existence so the setlist was certainly going to be a curious one. A sprinkle of the new stuff was mixed in with older material which included hit tracks like “Schism” which certainly drew the crowd’s response immensely but whether the selection aside from the new stuff is far different to what they normally play is only something fans who have seen the band on more than one occasion can answer. But whatever the case, it seemed to click with the audience who seemed more appreciative of the music than the visuals but the two combined was a perfect team of art.
My only gripe of course was the lack of presence of the band, standing behind a silhouette shrouded in darkness but contrasted by the bright lights of the projected screens. But it’s a minor issue when you look at the overall picture that Tool obviously strive to put out on stage to the fans, it’s really performance art and the musicianship is only one aspect of that.
After a brief intermission and throwing down more classic tracks before leaving us with “Stinkfist”, it was clear that this show was not something to be taken for granted as just another gig. In the grand scheme of things, Tool seem to really project the idea that a show has to big, grand and of all things, entertaining and that’s just what they did in Perth tonight. If you missed the show, you might be waiting a while for their next one.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Shadow World Photography
Tool
Author & Punisher
TOOL
‘IN CONCERT’
With special guest Author & Punisher
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
FEBRUARY 2020
Presented by Frontier Touring + The Rock (NZ)
Friday 14 February – RAC Arena, Perth
Monday 17 February – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Tuesday 18 February – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Thursday 20 February – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
Saturday 22 February – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Sunday 23 February – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Friday 28 February – Spark Arena, Auckland
Saturday 29 February – Spark Arena, Auckland
