It was a breathtaking night of prog metal and all-out musicianship as Tool with special guests Killing Joke took the stage at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was an unforgettable evening of music as people in Pittsburgh have been waiting for Tool to unleash “Fear Inoculum” onto the masses.
Ominous ambiance engulfed the arena as Killing Joke took the stage. The drums sounded hollow as legendary frontman Jaz Coleman and Co. went into the song entitled “Butcher”. The song was quite different for a concert opener as a vast majority of the audience were curious and checking out to see what Killing Joke was made of. The guitars blended in nicely with the ambiance that Killing Joke provided at the beginning of their set. I wasn’t quite familiar with this band, but they received a polite round of applause at the end of “Butcher”. Jaz Coleman wished everyone a good evening as they kicked into their post-punk song “Tomorrow’s World”. Guitarist George Walker’s guitars packed a bit more punch as Killing Joke seems to have mid-tempo rockers down to a science. I got into this band as I felt they did a brilliant job in their 45 minute set, which closed with their legendary song “Pandemonium”, but the crowd appeared to be getting restless for Tool.
The loudspeaker continued to blare reminding patrons to keep cell phone devices in their pockets and to not record, otherwise you will be escorted by security at once. Then, that all too familiar sound that kicks off “Fear Inoculum”(familiar in the sense that the song has dominated mainstream rock radio this year) built the anticipation as the crowd roared in resounding approval. Legendary drummer Danny Carey proceeded to kick in on the drums in order to further build that anticipation and the crowd roared when the rest of Tool came out. Maynard sounded absolutely on point in his vocals as he was dressed up like a punk rock superhero as he does his patented pacing and crouching moves behind screens which are totally anti-frontman like, while Justin Chancellor kept pace on the bass, and Adam Jones played his guitar ever so intricately.
I was surprised at how well of an opener “Fear Inoculum” is considering the slow buildup to the song. Watching Tool live is like watching Picasso paint or Michelangelo sculpt. As artists, they do an impeccable job of paying close attention to detail in each note that they play and how they craft their arrangements in the songs. The crowd roared in resounding approval and the crowd went nuts during “Aenima”. I mean, when Adam Jones hit that guitar riff, the crowd screamed.
A few other highlights of the performance included Danny Carey’s incredible drum work during “Chocolate Chip Trip”, Tool as a band playing an extended version of “Schism”, and Maynard in his dry sense of humor thanking Pittsburgh for the ketchup as he allowed the crowd to get out their phones and to film and take pics of the set closer “Stinkfist”. Lastly, the visual effects kept the audience entertained and mesmerized throughout Tool’s set. Tool wasn’t a concert, it was an experience.
Setlist:
Fear Inoculum
Aenima
Parabol
Parabola
Pneuma
Schism
Jambi
Vicarious
Descending
Forty Six & Two
Intermission:
Chocolate Chip Trip
Invincible
(-) Ions
Stinkfist
Tool has some remaining dates on this leg and they’ve announced a second leg on their North American run. Check out the dates below:
Mon. 11/11- Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada
Tue. 11/12- Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada
Thu. 11/14- TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
Sat. 11/16- Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
Mon. 11/18- Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tue. 11/19- Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
Thu. 11/21- Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut
Fri. 11/22- Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Sun. 11/24- PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
Mon. 11/25- Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.
Fri. 1/10- Viejas Arena in San Diego, California
Sun. 1/12- Viejas Arena in San Diego, California
Wed. 1/15- Save Mart Center in Fresno, California
Fri. 1/17- T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Sat. 1/18- Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona
Tue. 1/21- Frank C. Erwin Jr. Special Events Center in Austin, Texas
Wed. 1/22- American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
Tue. 1/28- State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
Wed. 1/29- Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee
Fri. 1/31- FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee
Sat. 2/1- Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana
For tickets and further information on any of the shows listed above, click here.
Fans can find TOOL at the following locations:
- Photo Credit for Killing Joke: SMD Photography(Shawn Doyle)
- Photographs for Tool belong to Tool Touring Inc, including copyrights and intellectual property rights of the photos. Tool photos are in accordance to contractual agreement with Tool Touring Inc for publication purposes on Madness To Creation. Tool has the sole right to their photos in the Madness To Creation publication. Any other use of photos besides of this publication, Tool has the right to seek restitution of photos.
- Check out www.facebook.com/SMDphotography95
