Tool live in London: A mesmerising portrait of a band with a vision

When it comes to unwavering devotion from fans, few have managed to earn the same level of respect and idolisation as Tool. Across three decades, the four-piece have become renowned for their unconventional approach to progressive metal – and tonight at The O2, all of that experience culminated into one set.

Centred around the band’s last studio album, 2019’s ‘Fear Inoculum’, this tour comes after the rock icons’ live experience of new songs gave them a newfound understanding of the record itself, as bassist Justin Chancellor recently told us. The vast majority of the two-hour set is taken up by the expansive delivery of the likes ‘Invincible’ and ‘Pneuma’.

“You know the drill, we’re going to take you on a journey,” frontman Maynard James Keenan explains at the beginning of the set; quickly juxtaposing the somewhat artsy sentiment with a warning that anyone who doesn’t adhere to the strict no-phones policy can politely “eat a dick” (he’s never one to suffer fools over this). That’s about it for banter this evening, as Keenan spends the rest of the show lurking at the back, with his signature crouch and elaborate mohawk creating an unmistakable silhouette against the swirling backdrop, and his eruptive vocals resonating through the arena.

It’s a small bittersweet pill to swallow that the longer tracks from ‘Fear Inoculum’ compromise the potential of having classics like ‘Sober’ or ‘Stinkfist’ make the final cut. That being said, there is no mistaking that the members had a vision in mind for these live shows, and went to painstaking lengths to deliver it.

While it feels near-impossible to take your gaze off the immense visual display, which veers between the spiritual and the grotesque, the real strength of the set lies in the raw skill of each member. Each track flows between its various sections effortlessly, with guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor navigating the sea of polyrhythms to create a wall of sound that doesn’t feel quite possible from three people. Things rings true the most on the sheer intensity of ‘Invincible’, although renditions of past favourites ‘The Grudge’ and ‘Intolerance’ come in close competition.

Putting all else aside, this is the perfect manifestation of where Tool are at now. No aspect of the set has been designed without scrutinous detail; with only these four musicians capable of pulling off such a spectacle with this much prowess and without alienating through self-indulgence. One may long for a tad more of the grit and fury of the past, but this is the result of 30 years of evolution. This is their vision. Only they can do this.

Tool’s setlist was:

‘Jambi’
‘Fear Inoculum’
‘Lost Keys’/’Rosetta Stoned’
‘Pneuma’
‘Intolerance’
‘Descending’
‘The Grudge’
‘Chocolate Chip Trip’
‘Flood’
‘Invincible’
‘Forty Six & 2’

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