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<\/p>\nBy Christopher David<\/p>\n
Prior to Thursday\u2019s show at the United Center, the anticipation and chatter of the sold out (to the gills!) crowd was as high as any in recent memory, and much of the snippets of conversation related to the idea of genre. Are Tool progressive metal? Progressive rock? Psychedelic rock? Alternative?<\/p>\n
The answer is that they\u2019re none of those things. As their absolutely crushing two-plus hours onstage proved, Tool have transcended any of those black-and-white assessments: they are their own genre, a world entirely unto themselves, and utterly without peer.<\/p>\n
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Taking the stage to the ten-minute opus and title track from their most recent album Fear Inoculum, <\/em>the stage design was both minimalist and complex\u2014a half-moon curtain around the front and sides that shrouded the band in an ever-shifting wash of color and images that was as mesmerizing on its own as it was an impressionistic accompaniment to the songs themselves. Singer Maynard James Keenan eschewed the typical \u2018frontman\u2019 position, moving between risers at the back of the stage and becoming, in many ways, part of the show\u2019s landscape, which saw back-lit pyramids, storms, and other\u2014appropriately\u2014forces of nature.<\/p>\n And as for the performance, there may not be a tighter, more finely-attuned unit than guitarist Adam Jones, bassist Justin Chancellor, and drummer Danny Carey (who himself must surely among the Bonhams, Moons, and Chamberlins of the world, as the electro-percussive solo \u201cChocolate Chip Trip\u201d showcased). Even without the obvious benefit of Keenan\u2019s menacing croon, the trio would be a savage unit, as the the epic \u201cPneuma\u201d proved mid-set – a hypnotic pitch-and-swirl meditation that saw Chancellor and Jones trading crunchy chords backdropped by a fiery-red volcano eruption that seemed to spill over the stage and into the crowd.<\/p>\n Also of note was the welcome lack of cell phones on display, per the band\u2019s request and vague threat of removal from the venue. The insistence on no cell phones is a trend we can only hope will take hold with more artists who have the guts to put it out there. The lack of cell phone lights and screens peppering the arena as has become the norm forced all attention to the band\u2019s stunningly curated visuals and song craft, though Keenan did acquiesce for the night\u2019s final cut, \u201cInvincible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to let you take your stupid fucking phones out for this last one,\u201d he said, and you could almost hear his eyes rolling from his tone. \u201cBut no flash and no lights. Let\u2019s be smarter than ten-year olds, okay?\u201d Indeed, just about every phone in the UC appeared, though it was tough to be distracted away from the building crunch of the song\u2019s outro, and with it, the band\u2019s almost wordless exit. In many ways, the whole show was the antithesis of arena rock; Keenan\u2019s triple-mohawked presence and no-bullshit reputation is larger than life, so there was no ring-master pandering to rile the crowd as one might expect at a show of this size. But Tool know exactly who they are and so does their audience; there was little need for forced grandiosity.<\/p>\n With the Fear Inoculum<\/em> tour, Tool have proven themselves as one of the true auteurs of arena-sized rock, joining the ranks of artists like Pink Floyd and U2 at turning massive spaces into touring art projects, with a tightness and proficiency the likes of which you won\u2019t find\u2026well, just about anywhere.<\/p>\n For more on Tool, click here<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tool-Chicago-United-Center-03-11-22-34-1024x678.jpg\")
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