Concert Review: Tool at Frank Erwin Center-prog-metal titans belie their age in a powerful, propulsive set.
“Supposedly, Austin…Work on it.” That cryptic yet acerbic comment came from Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan addressing the packed house at Austin’s Frank Irwin Center this Tuesday.
But Keenan mostly eschewed chitchat and let the band’s music do the talking, beginning with the 10 minute title track off 2019’s 13-years-in-the-making Fear Inoculum.
The raptured applause that followed proved that Tool’s new material nestled in perfectly with their classic cuts, imbued with their trademark push-pull tension, with guitarist Adam Jones spidery riffing intertwining with drummer Danny Carrey’s tabla work and bassist Justin Chancellor’s sinewy bass.
The group then went into another title track, 1996’s apocalyptic rager Aenima. The song has lost none of its snarky bite, with Keenan welcoming the demise of L.A. via earthquake (“Learn to swim!”). It showcased his exquisite feral howl, which seems immune and defiant to age.
The double whammy of Parabol and Parabola (off 2001’s Lateralus) followed, A thinly veiled curtain draped the stage, allowing for Jones’ hallucinogenic visuals to flow over the band, before allowing for a less obscured view.
Pneuma was next, and the Fear Inoculum tracked proved a highlight, its middle-eastern atmospherics offering a trance inducing grandeur. Keenan, clad in a Mohawk wig, took turns on both sides of the stage throughout the set. As is his wont, he was toward the back, but on elevated risers which allowed for a clear view of his crouched and dramatic posing, adding theatrical intensity to favorites like Schism and Vicarious.
The guttural chug of Jambi caused the crowd to erupt in unison, featuring some of Keenan’s best vocals of the evening, causing chills upon bellowing “I might as well be gone!”
The band closed things out with a blistering take of Forty Six and 2 before returning for an encore. Carrey emerged alone at first, playing a massive gong before launching into the instrumental Chocolate Chip Trip.
He was then joined by Austin drummer Pat Mastellato (of King Crimson and Mr. Mr. Fame). The two went into a double drummer jam that created a percussive vortex of epic proportions.
Carrey is a true powerhouse, and his percussive mastery was awe inspiring throughout. In many ways he feels like the successor to the late Neil Peart (who he recently honored), his skills driving the band to the outer limits, showcasing just what a rhythmic juggernaut they have become.
The rest of the band emerged for Fear Inoculum standout Invincible, a song which sees Keenan acknowledging their veteran status in a musical landscape eclipsed by pop detritus (“Warrior…struggling, to remain relevant”) over multiple chord changes and polyrhythmic dynamic shifts.
The track culminated with Jones’ chest thumping riff hitting the audience square in the chest. It was a deeply satisfying, nearly tribal experience.
Keenan allowed the crowd to pull out their phones for Stinkfist, a crowd favorite that closed out the set. The band emerged to bow to the audience, bringing to close a performance that appeared to be as enjoyable to the players as to their devoted faithful. Invincible, indeed.
Tool Setlist:
Fear Inoculum
Ænima
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Vicarious
Descending
Forty Six & 2
Encore:
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
Stinkfist