TOOL w/ Elder Live at State Farm Arena
Some days I ask myself, ‘Is this really happening?’. Other days I just pinch myself when things are too good to be true. This is one of those exact moments. Now, I know people make the joke that TOOL is ‘dad rock’ or they are overrated, etc. That opinion or mindset is fine to have, and I have no qualms at all. But for some of us, the ones who care, we live for these moments to see TOOL perform live. I first saw TOOL perform live at Lollapalooza in 1993 at Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta while in high school ({insert old man joke here}. It was a few weeks after my 16th birthday and, a few friends got me a ticket to attend Lollapalooza that year.
I was excited to go hang out with my friends at a one-day music festival (incidentally, this would be the first of many festivals in my future) in Atlanta with such an incredible lineup. Alice in Chains, Primus, Dinosaur Jr., Fishbone, Arrested Development, Babes in Toyland, TOOL, Front 242, and Rage Against the Machine were all mind-blowing in concert as a teenager. Little did I know this day would be a huge turning point in my musical development. Fast forward 31 years later and, I am now on my 22nd Tool show but something makes this one extra special. I can share exactly with you what I saw through my camera lens.
Kicking off the evening’s festivities, Elder is a four-piece doom metal/progressive/stoner rock band that consists of Nick DiSalvo (vocals/guitar), Jack Donovan (bass), Mike Risberg (guitar/keyboards), and Georg Edert (drums). Elder has released six (6) LPs, three (3) singles/EPs, one (1) Live LP, and one (1) collaboration LP (with Kadavar). After seeing Elder passionately performing in smaller clubs over the last few years, I was excited for their chance to perform at much larger arenas. Plus, they have a huge opportunity to gain some new devoted fans by opening for TOOL on this tour. I am very proud of Elder and, hearing the crowd cheer them on during their breath-taking performance filled me with joy. Atlanta came out early and in full force to support Elder. Although I was only able to catch one song from Elder, I could hear the crowd shouting and applauding in between each song during their set.
Elder’s (incomplete) setlist from this evening’s performance is below:
· “Compendium”
· “Merged in Dreams-Ne Plus Ultra”
· “Halcyon”
Give my dudes at Elder some love and head over to their Bandcamp page or their official shop directory for some merchandise. If you have followed my column over the years, then you should recognize the band Elder from previous reviews published by Concerthopper.com. You can read those reviews by following these links: Elder, Ruby the Hatchet, & Dreadnought: Live at The Earl (2022) & North American Tour 2023: Elder, REZN, and Lord Buffalo Live @ The Earl (2023).
TOOL is a progressive rock/progressive metal/alt metal/post-metal/art rock band from Los Angeles, CA. that formed back in 1990. TOOL consists of Adam Jones (guitars), Danny Carey (drums/percussion), Justin Chancellor (bass), and Maynard James Keenan (vocals). They have released five (5) LPs, one (1) box set, four (4) video albums, fifteen (15) singles, nine (9) music videos, and two (2) EPs. TOOL’s latest release, Fear Inoculum (August 30, 2019), was released on Volcano/RCA and is their first studio album in over thirteen years. A modern-day Pink Floyd, TOOL has pushed the envelope with their musical vision since releasing their debut album, Undertow, on Zoo Entertainment in 1993. Not to mention their ever-changing elaborate backdrop that accentuates their dynamic and profound live performances.
TOOL kicked off the evening with the title track from their latest album, “Fear Inoculum” and followed with one of my favorite tracks, “Jambi”. Although, while this song played, I was making my best impression of a track star as I hurried to unload my gear so that I could watch the rest of the show. I was able to enter during the third song, “Rosetta Stoned”, but before I went to the main arena, I needed to see if there were any posters left to purchase. To my surprise, the main merchandise table had some posters left which still amazes me as I write this review. Normally the posters are the first thing to go, so I consider myself very lucky (again). Once settled at my spot, TOOL proceeded to melt faces with blistering performances of “Pneuma”, “Intolerance”, “Descending”, and “The Grudge” in a four-song set to close out the first portion of the night. Hearing TOOL pull out “Intolerance” from the album Undertow was a pleasant surprise. It has been ages since I last heard that song live in concert. Not to mention the surprises that TOOL had in store for us during the second half of the evening.
Since the release of the latest album, it has been customary for Danny to perform the track “Chocolate Chip Trip” and put the crowd into a deep trance with his intricate and technical abilities behind the drumkit. Then it all came to a head during the next song as Justin started playing the opening bass line to another epic track from the 1993 album Undertow, “Flood”. It felt like TOOL dug deep into their bag of tricks so they could show the crowd how far they had come from their humble beginnings during the early 90’s.
Check out Tool’s career-spanning setlist from this evening below:
· “Third Eye” (intro)
· “Fear Inoculum”
· “Jambi”
· “Rosetta Stoned” (w/ “Lost Keys” intro)
· “Pneuma”
· “Intolerance”
· “Descending”
· “The Grudge”
Intermission
· “Chocolate Chip Trip”
· “Flood”
· “Invincible”
· “Stinkfist”
Follow this link to Tool’s official online store or check out their YouTube channel for some innovative music videos.
You can still catch Tool with Elder on tour at the following dates:
January 31st - Austin, TX - Moody Center
February 2nd - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
February 3rd - Oklahoma City, OK - Paycom Center
February 5th - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
February 9th - Phoenix, AZ - Footprint Center
February 12th - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
February 14th - Los Angeles, CA - Crypto.com Arena
February 15th - Los Angeles, CA - Crypto.com Arena
February 17th - Ontario, CA - Toyota Arena
February 18th - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
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