Tool

w/ Jakob

Sidney Myer Music Bowl – 2nd February 2011

***Click here to view photos***

4 years ago Tool headlined the Big Day Out Festival around the country. In the time since then Maynard James Keenan has arguably become a bigger tool, and while the band may have been busy recording, there has been no new music from the band since 2006’s 10,000 days, the album Tool already headlined the BDO out in 2007.

Here we are, 2011, and Tool are headlining the festival again. They toured the US in 2009 for a one off tour at the time, playing the same songs as the 10,000 days tours, but in the time since then its thankfully been rejigged a little. Out are songs like Rosetta Stoned, Forty Six and 2, and most unfortunately Wings for Marie/10,000 days, and taking its place with the likes of Third Eye, and Right in Two.

Starting off the night is Kiwi 3 piece Jakob, playing their brand of instrumental prog. They received a warm reception from the packed grass 30/40 metres back, and from the sparsely taken seats taking up the front of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl… which really is a shit venue for music. And while I’m on a rant, free tickets are great so I don’t want to complain too much, but the side boxes should not be used at the Music Bowl if half the stage is blocked with the speakers hanging from the roof. And I don’t know if its a venue thing or a Tool thing, but not allowing in any cameras, and then having the security too frequently in your way warning anyone with a mobile that looked like they could be filming got annoying by the end. Anyway, back to Jakob. Having all of Tools equipment set up on stage already with the 3 piece huddled around the vacant front centre of the stage, they got an extra 15 minutes playing time. I’m not familiar with any of their material, but it was well received. A band I’ll be checking out more of.

A quick sound-check (maybe a little too quick?) and Tool are on stage at 9pm sharp. We have on the far left of the stage Adam Jones on guitars, on the far right at the front Justin Chancellor on bass, back centre right is Danny Carey on drums, and back left Maynard James Keenan. As they take their positions the impressive light show starts with rather than spot lights on each person, they were cool swirly lights. Except Maynard. He had to stay hidden in the back without any light on him. What I can only presume is a Bill Hicks intro, the band eventually kick into a semi indistinguishable version of Third Eye. Now, while the idea that Maynard should be hidden in darkness because he doesn’t want to be the main focal point of the band may be a little silly (having no light on him means he still stands out), they really should abandon the idea when it comes to the mix, where Maynard apparently would also like to stay anonymously quiet. From that overblown intro its straight in Jambi which is sounding much better, and then Vicarious both off 10,000 days. The smoke machines got a work out during Vicarious filling up the covered area to increase the awesomeness of the laser show, and they sure did get a good workout through the night.

The stage is made up of multiple LED screens at the back, top, and bottom of the read platform with Maynard and Danny on it. To the left and right where the boxes are, projectors are shining on them the same videos being shown on the screen. It looked cool having the projection shone straight at you through the fog, but could be quite blinding at times.

After the one two of Jambi and Vicarious got the crowd going, the momentum died quicker than a classroom full of American high school students as the band played Intensions. Half of tools CDs of late have been filler, and while they can work on an album if you have the patience for them, live Intensions just dragged on for what felt like an eternity. Lateralus’ Eon Blue Apocolypse into The Patient works nice. Its a minute long. But Intensions is 7 and a half minutes long. After taking a piss due to boredom I was back in time for Right in Two to follow up like on the album, and the show was picking up again. Right in Two is Tool at their epic best, and the crowd was loving the build up. Just as things were picking up Maynard spoke. ‘Thank you. Here is another song we don’t play much” and they went into a covers of Peach‘s You Lied… which can be found on the Salival box set… losing over half the crowd again. Trying to redeem themselves, Schism followed up next sounding mighty fine before a drugged up section towards the end, then finishing finishing the song off.

I saw them 9 years ago at Rod Laver Arena, and the intermission there was great, with both video and audio keeping you entertained. This time however it sounded a bit shit, kind of like 10,000 days’ Viginity Tres, but the light show through was great. During this break they brought out an extra drum kit and a large bongoey kind of drum.

The band returned and built into an awesome version of Lateralus, and just before its about to build up to explode… the song stops. Some wanking around on their instruments, and there is a guy in a cross between a wookie costume and camouflage crawling flat on the floor coming towards the drums. At this stage its hard to know if its a dedicated stage crasher, but that wasn’t to be the case… as next a guy enters the stage wearing a Borat mankini. A few minutes of shitting around on the drums ensues with Maynard giving out marks, every now and then turning a 3 to the side to make it look like boobs. Its hard to understand Maynard, he hides at the back, no lights on him, then they manage to ruin an awesome song with that sort of shit. Just like the rest of the set so far, the momentum was lost, and eventually they finished off Lateralus, but too late. At least the night finished on a high with Aenema and Stinkfist. A few changes had found its way into Stinkfist, but I guess this is excusable after playing the song for 15 years, but it doesn’t ad to the experience.

Its hard to rate a tool show. Its hard to know if when Maynard is dancing in the dark on his rear platform if he is getting deeply into the music being played, or taking the piss. He leaves with a quick “Thank you”, and walks off stage, leaving his band mates to show their appreciated to the sold out crowd that came to see the show. Danny Carey has a huge grin as he throws out the drum sticks, Adam Jones is as reserved as ever as he thanks the crowd, and Justin Chancellor who is the most active on stage rocking out in his own little world while playing throws the remaining pics into the crowd.

As a band, they are great musicians and you can’t fault them at all for the performance on the night, and the stage show is also great, the lights and lasers look amazing, but you can’t help but feel there was something missing on the night. This is the fourth time I’ve seen Tool and I’m glad I still have the 2002 performance to hold Tool to on what a show of theirs should be like.

Review by Scott Boelsen
Photos by Anwar Rizk