I got to see TOOL last night, and I was reminded of everything I've loved about that band since I first heard "Sober"...and I thought I saw a torch passing.


TOOL is a scary band, a complex band, and among the tightest bands one can see live.  The lyrical content can be anything from nightmarish to humorous to intense and personal to vague and ethereal, but it's usually at least somewhat controversial.  Even back on their second album, asking "why can't we not be sober?" in a period of celebrity pursuit of rehabilitation was a clue that TOOL cares little about outside influences, and will make their musical statements however THEY feel.

Last night, I watched these geniuses take the stage...and was entranced almost immediately.  I wanted to shut off every sense but my hearing, their visual lightshow be damned (though the bits I caught were excellent).  As an axeman myself, I watched TOOL guitarist Adam Jones closely for most of the show, and I saw maybe the most focused and least flashy performance in recent memory.  I also saw a guy that reminds me of those glorious says when you first have an electric guitar and just PLAY with them, seeing what strange noises you can make.  It's a fun state of mind, and he appears to have used the experience to his eventual and ongoing success.

As the soundscapes fell across the audience, I figured it out: TOOL is Pink Floyd's spiritual successor.  The music is layered and intense, the lyrics can disturb the listener or help them find a kind of release in their dark content.  The rhythms are amazing, and the band is all about moods...and they have invited you along for the ride.

Sure, it's a far cry from "Time", "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", or "Goodbye Blue Sky"...but this West Coast Quartet are making their dark, entracing music their way...kind of like a certain British band that showed us the Dark Side of the Moon.