On a chilly Calgary night, TOOL returned to the Saddledome with their first Canadian shows since 2019, in the midst of a six-week North American tour.Just to be transparent, TOOL is my #1 favourite band of all time. I was honoured therefore, to interview and include TOOL bassist Justin Chancellor for my book, Titans of Bass. With more than 30 years experience playing live, alongside drummer Danny Carey, TOOLs’ rhythm section is second to none.There was one sole opener for the group and I do mean solo. Jeremy DeBardi performed as the amazing one-man band known as Steel Beans. I’ve never witnessed one man capable of playing the drums, singing and playing guitar all at the same time. He single-handedly rocked the joint for 30 minutes with his retro seventies rock anthems. At the show’s outset, Maynard taunted the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm by threatening to call us Edmonton if we didn’t perk up and make some noise. A mohawked Maynard didn’t come out to play in the forefront of the stage, preferring to sit atop a couple staircases in the rear of the stage, above his other bandmates. Other times, he would leave the stage and come back, hiding in the vast shadows of the monstrous set. This added to the overall mystique of the performance, and reminded me of David Bowie’s live 'Reality Tour' show back in 2004. Guitarist Adam Jones performed his guitar parts in a stoic, still fashion. Bassist Chancellor writhed and grooved to the intricate bass compositions. Danny Carey resembled an octopus hitting and swatting at multiple objects at the same time. TOOL fans searching for the band's early nineties output were out of luck. The set list consisted of six songs from their newest album Fear Inoculum from 2019. Three songs were featured from 2006’s 10,000 Days and one song each from Lateralus and Aenima, respectively.The impressive light and laser show helped boost the polyrhythmic grooves of the songs in a grandiose, theatrical way. The power of the laser/light show added an extra layer of intensity to the climax of songs such as The Grudge, with the chants of Maynard's ““Let go, let go, let go.” After a short 12-minute intermission (aka pee & beer break) drummer Carey performed a drum solo song called Chocolate Chip Trip.This was followed by the four members sitting down (literally) with guitars in tow for a subdued version of Culling. Then the floodgates erupted. As the band played, manna rained from heaven in the form of red, silver and purple confetti. The mellowness gave way to heaviness that eventually built in the finale of Invincible.The show lasted more than two hours and concluded with the only Aenima track, ironically the album’s title track. This was the perfect closer for the show: aggressive, melodic and climatic. Maynard even announced the audience was allowed to record and take pictures during the finale, although his declaration of “no f**** camera lights please” was repeated in between the lyrics. TOOL fans have always been an odd lot, for better or worse. Many have analyzed their songs looking for secret meanings, hidden agendas and clues to higher consciousness. This is what makes them the legendary live band and recording artists. Some feel they are more than just a great band, but a following within itself. TOOL has been around since 1990, and still attracts new fans to this day with their electric mix of progressive and metal. This notoriety has allowed the group to do what it wants, when it wants and how it wants. When it announced the release of its older albums on Spotify a few years ago they successfully edged out Taylor Swift as the former number one spot. And more power to them! The Saddledome was a packed house with 20,000 fans being mesmerized by the bizarre ecosystem that is TOOL. It really was an all ages show, young ones and older ones rocking out in singularity. This was easily one of the best shows I have ever seen, more of a milestone than a concert. As the show concluded with the last notes of Aenema flooding the packed arena, it became obvious to all there is no other concert experience quite like TOOL.Not..Even….close. SETLIST:Fear InoculumJambiThe PotRosetta StonedPneumaDescendingIntoleranceThe GrudgeIntermissionChocolate Chip TripCulling VoicesInvincibleAenema
