TOOL Take Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena by Storm for First of Two-Sold Out Shows [Photos]

Prog-metal heavyweights Tool took their place at Scotiabank Arena for the first of two sold-out nights in a row. “We love Toronto,” frontman Maynard James Keenan announced early in the show. “You gotta be louder than Montreal, though,” to which the crowd roared their approval.

Tool shows are always a feast for the eyes, ears and soul. These shows are heavy, pounding, intense, compelling, as well as sometimes soft and thought-provoking. All of these elements expertly meld together to make the Tool live experience something not to be missed. And if possible, seen more than once.

The two-hour show’s set list only contained eleven songs. With most Tool songs checking in around the ten minute in length mark, it’s quality over quantity. As a result, a bunch of favourites always need to take a back seat to make room for the new ones. The setlist was balanced between songs from their key albums while mostly excluding their early-era material. They do make sure to change up the setlist from night to night, though.

Guitarist Adam Jones designs all of the visual effects and video content showing on the giant hi res video screens. Couple those with the lasers and crowd facing lights on stage and in the rafters moving throughout the arena means that the fans are always being immersed in the show experience.

Keenan, sporting black pants, black suit vest, white rolled up sleeve dress shirt and a bleach blonde, tall Mohawk hair piece, patrolled his stage left and right raised platforms adjacent to Danny Carey’s drum kit. Alternating between the two giving both sides of the arena a closer look at him, albeit Keenan isn’t one to be in too much of the spotlight. It’s more about the rest of the band and the visuals. Sometimes working with microphone effects or a portable megaphone strapped to his shoulder, Keenan worked his signature vocal chops and deep meaning lyrics, to give the Tool material its compelling sound.

Bassist Justin Chancellor in black and grey with green suspenders commanded the low end without much fanfare as usual. He held court in his spot at stage left, doling out punishing riffs on his honey coloured Wal Bass. And periodically, glancing over to Carey and Jones to keep the otherworldly complex time signature and other musical changes from going off the rails.

Jones, like Chancellor spent much of his stage time hovering at his guitar pedal board, either standing still looking menacing behind dark aviators dressed all in black, or bent down adjusting dials and knobs in real time. All the while delivering some of the heaviest melodic riffs on the planet.

Artwork for ‘Fear Inoculum’ by Tool

One of the biggest surprises of the night was Keenan’s introduction of Rush guitar wizard Alex Lifeson to the stage. On this tour, every night, Tool has played the intro to the Rush classic “A Passage to Bangkok” before starting one of their fan favourites, “Jambi.” Only this night, Lifeson did that intro himself to the dropped jaws and roars from the packed house. And then, later on, in the middle of “Jambi” the band paused for a few moments before unleashing the whole guitar solo/bridge from “A Passage to Bangkok.”

Lifeson actually playing part of a Rush tune onstage again is something most Rush fans thought might never happen again after the band stopped touring in 2015 due to drummer extraordinaire Neil Peart’s diagnosis and ultimately fatal case of brain cancer in 2020. Both Rush and Tool share a loyal fan base in their musical genres, and getting to catch Lifeson play with one of his own favourite bands live made it an extra special show. Never one to leave a snippet of humour out of the situation, after “Jambi” was over, Keenan quipped, “What a Rush!”

After a short intermission (with a countdown timer running on the video screen), Carey, dressed in his customary basketball uniform for the city he’s playing, took the stage for his nightly ode to Neil Peart’s style of iconic drum solo. This time, it was a gold and black Toronto Raptors kit with Scottie Barnes’ #4. Clocking in at nearly five minutes, the instrumental “Chocolate Chip Trip” allowed Carey to use nearly every square inch of his enormous drum and digital instrument kit. Including the giant Buchla Marimba Lumina keyboard towering behind him.

And even an aggressive rock band like Tool can have an acoustic, intimate band seated together at the front of the stage, a fireside interlude for one. “Culling Voices” from Fear Inoculum gave the fans in front a welcome closer look at the band for a while.

Fear Inoculum was released in 2019, and the band has been touring behind it since. After the world closed its doors temporarily in 2020, Tool fans had time to learn the new material. And seeing it performed live after its complexities were more ingrained over time made for an even better show of appreciation for it.

Standouts for the show were “The Pot,” “The Grudge,” “Jambi,” “Invincible,” and show ender “Stinkfist.”

The band wrapped up its 2023 tour after the second show in Toronto. But winter 2024 sees the band back on tour in January and February in the U.S.

Opening the show was one-man band Steel Beans (aka Jeremy DeBardi), hailing from Portland, Oregon. He took the stage in a flamboyant outfit comprised of purple tights, tall white boots, a black satin vest with gold embroidered trim and a red cape with gold ball tassels. He struck quite the figure, emerging with a leaf blower “flame thrower” and taking his spot behind the drum kit and menagerie of instruments. Cradling a Silvertone “Jaguar” styled guitar on his lap, he deftly worked it while holding a drumstick in one hand while fingerpicking, and chording with the other hand. And sometimes, he was drumming or playing the keyboard with that other hand as well. The hard rock music was surprisingly full and well-played. It was fun to watch, and the crowd was right into it.

Tool (w/ Steel Beans) @ Scotiabank Arena (Toronto, ON) on November 20, 2023

53 photos

Tool Setlist:

1. Fear Inoculum
2. The Pot
3. Rosetta Stoned (Lost Keys Intro)
4. Pneuma
5. Descending
6. The Grudge
7. Jambi (with Alex Lifeson)
Intermission
8. Chocolate Chip Trip
9. Culling Voices
10. Invincible
11. Stinkfist