We covered Tool during their tour stop in Raleigh NC at the PNC Arena on November 24th 2019. For information on tickets, merch and more please click on the link at the bottom of this article.

Tool is a band like no other. I legitimately mean that, the band is like no other. If you have heard Tool or are a fan of them I think you get what I mean. Tool formed in 1990 and has released five studio albums over their almost 30 year musical career. The thing is, Tool is a band that does not need to release a new album every year or every other year to stay relevant. Tools creatively driven writing style will forever stand the test of time because each album is almost like a fresh new look at the band. The first time I heard Tool was in early 1993 when the bands “Opiete” E.P had come out. Once I heard that E.P I was addicted. Then the album “Undertow came out in mid-1993 and it changed the world of music for not only me but other music fans around the world. This album put Tool front and center with music fans and broke the mold of how music was typically created and perceived with songs such as “Sober” and “Prison Sex”. The band then followed up that breakthrough album with their 1996 release “AEnima”. This album just blew my mind and I had it on repeat. The song “Stinkfist” was heavily rotated on the Boston rock radio stations. This album released so many amazing songs including “Forty Six & 2”, “Pushit” and of course the song “AEnima”.

Tool has never strayed from or compromised their musical creativity by trying to fit into a perceived or pre-sculpted mold of what rock music should be but instead created their own mold that bands around the world have tried to emulate. Lead singer Maynard James Keenan, Bassist Justin Chancellor, Guitarist Adam Jones and Drummer Danny Carey use their talents to create multi layered musical harmonies with sculpted and balanced riffs that bury deep into your eardrums then explode with deep reverberating power. I wish I could describe to music fans who have not experienced Tools genius yet what to expect, but honestly each person that hears this bands music comes away with their own mind-bending musical experience.

So, lets now talk about their show at the PNC Arena in Raleigh North Carolina on 11/24/19. I arrived at the venue and waited for our contact to take us out to the pit. Now I have seen Tool once before back in 2003 or 2004 when they played in Greensboro North Carolina, so I had an idea of what to expect. People who have seen Tool or have been a fan of theirs knows their stage performance is not so much of a showy spectacle but more of a celebration of the music itself. What I mean by that is Maynard never comes out front and center during the show, he stay’s back and lets the band and music shine ahead of him. Though Maynard’s voice is incredibly unique, and no one sounds like him the band as a whole creates these incredibly complex pieces of musical art and the band is wanting the fans to feel the music itself and focus on and individual member. So, when I was approved to cover their show, I knew that Maynard would be up on a stage behind Danny Carey (Drummer) in the shadows which never makes it easy to photograph. 😉

When the time arrived for us to walk out to the pit, we got our gear ready. I and several other photographers started towards the elevator ready to cover this incredible band. We got off on the first floor of the PNC and walked from the backstage area into the arena. As I was walking towards the entry way, I started to see thousands of fans getting ready for Tool’s entrance. We walked through various pathways passing fan after fan towards the front of the stage. Once we got in the pit, I turned around to face the crowd and looked upon 10,000+ fans patiently waiting for Tool to melt their faces off. Once I took all that in, I turned around the lights went dark and the fans stood up and screamed loud. People that were sitting on their chairs suddenly rushed up to the barricade. This thinly veiled or string like curtain slowly started to surround the stage. As the curtain closed you saw Danny Carey come out first then Justin Chancellaor followed by Adam Jones. The guys look at each other and started into the first song. A few moments after the first guitar string was struck and bass riff was played out comes Maynard. The crowd goes insanely wild. Maynard walked up to a platform behind Danny Carey and was in complete shadow. They had a huge screen behind them that would play video from various music videos they have out as well as random colors and art concepts. The arena felt almost still as every fan was waiting in anticipation to hear the only one and undeniable voice of Maynard come through the speakers. Maynard started to sing his first lyrics and the arena went wild. The band was powerful and deep with every riff and drum hit perfectly synchronize as if they were being guided by a conductor. Maynard’s voice was on point and perfect and the band sounded amazing. You could feel ever bass hit, every guitar note and every drum hit as well as Maynard’s vocals reverberating through your head. During their show they did have an incredible light display mixing across the arena that seemed almost synchronized with each song. It was incredible. Maynard stayed on the platform at the back of the stage the entire show but as a fan of Tool that did not matter. You were their hearing these incredible musicians play their incredibly unique music live and in person.

All in all the show was powerful and sounded amazing. The band played a phenomenal set with songs from their first albums to their most recent one “Fear Inoculum” which was released in 2019. If you are a fan of Tool you will not be disappointed. Just remember to keep your phone in your pocket!! If they see you with your cell phone out, they will kick you out of the venue. So just enjoy the show! 😊

~ Lead Photographer and Editor Chris Sturk

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