Tool performs at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 3, 2019
After waiting over a decade for the release of Tool’s fifth studio album, Fear Inoculum, Chicago fans were treated to a live show like no other when Maynard James Keenan, Danny Carey, Adam Jones and Justin Chancellor performed at the United Center on Nov. 3. Opening with the 2019 album’s title track, the song served as a manifesto for the night as Tool highlighted their past, present and future – through dystopian lyrics and complex compositions – with a setlist encompassing the group’s entire discography.
Singing from elevated platforms at the back of the stage, some of Keenan’s most impressive vocal work came early in the night during a fierce performance of “Ænema.” Refrained whispers of “meteor showers and tidal waves” were contrasted with exasperated howls calling for Armageddon – each vocal phrase further highlighting Keenan’s range as a frontman.
Tool performs at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 3, 2019
At several points during the night – including when his bandmates were rocking out blistering instrumentals on the 10,000 Days tracks “Jambi” and “Vicarious” – Keenan observed the musical mayhem atop his platforms, perched like a bird of prey anticipating his kill. A Marshall stack served as one of the frontman’s favorite accessories as Keenan goaded the crowd to rock harder by facing the amp directly at individual sections of fans.
Carey earned the title of MVP of the show with his penchant for polyrhthyms and drum techniques impossible to define. After patiently creating an ominous soundscape complete with bird chirps, “Schism” found the drummer injecting insanely fast beats into the song’s otherwise patient tempo. Carey’s creativity was also spotlighted on “Pneuma” as one moment he would represent the song’s pulsing heartbeat only to erupt into a flurry of unconventional patterns the next.
Tool performs at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 3, 2019
The transition from “Parabol” into “Parabola” was celebrated with the first of many wailing guitar solos from Jones. By the end of the song, a string curtain that had surrounded the stage pulled back giving fans their first unobstructed view of Tool, leading to deafening cheers. Elsewhere in the performance, Chancellor mesmerized the entire venue to collectively head-bang with his hypnotic bassline on “The Pot.”
Keenan wasn’t overly talkative during the Sunday night show, but he did take time out to share a few dry quips.
“Chicago, come for the food, stay because you got murdered,” he said near the top of the cellphone-free performance. Later, he rewarded fans for “not murdering anyone” by allowing photos and video during the final song of the night, “Stinkfist.”
He also joked about the many generations of Tool fans when introducing “Intolerance,” saying, “If you’re under 30, this next song was written when you were still sperm.”
Tool performs at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 3, 2019
It’s a testament to Tool’s talent that each year finds new fans connecting with their music, while old-school rockers remain as devoted as ever to the group. In the live setting, Keenan, Carey, Jones and Chancellor prove that the appetite for sophisticated musicianship, intelligent lyrics and scorching performances is just as strong – if not stronger – in 2019 than it was in the early-nineties.
Check out photos from Tool’s Nov. 3 performance in Chicago – featuring Killing Joke – below and head over to Toolband.com to pick-up tickets to remaining tour dates.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
