Tool’s Highly Anticipated Winter Tour in Oklahoma City
Words & Photos by Madison Walters | View the full concert gallery here
February 3, 2024 — Tool brought their highly anticipated winter tour to Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center for a night of top-notch musicianship, providing a soundtrack for the immersive and incredible visuals that Tool became known for in their early days on MTV. Thousands upon thousands of devoted fans flocked to the 16,000+ capacity venue and were treated to a show unlike any other. Eschewing their hits like “Schism” and “Sober” for deep cuts, Tool’s concerts are truly a love letter to their most passionate fans.
The evening began with support from four-piece psychedelic rock band Elder, who had the tough act of opening for Tool. Elder were able to hold their own, almost instantly winning over the audience with their dark and moody sound. Similarly to Tool, each of their songs lasts a bit longer than the status quo; Elder’s set lasted about thirty minutes and was comprised of three songs: “Sanctuary,” “Merged in Dreams - Ne Plus Ultra” and “Halcyon.”
The Massachusetts band has reinvented themselves over the years-–and the course of six albums—shifting from their roots of doom into the realms of heavy rock. Where some bands are embarrassed by their beginnings, Elder embraces theirs, fusing elements of doom into their music still. The result is a genre-defying sound that is a rarity in the scene today. It’s safe to say that Elder ended up with more than a few new fans by the end of their set.
Next, Tool took to the stage for a performance that was somehow intimate, despite the 16,000+ people in attendance. Perhaps this has something to do with the band’s no phone policy. It’s uncommon these days to go to a concert where a musician has this rule in place—in fact, the only other musician that comes to mind is Jack White. It’s more than a bit mind boggling to not see a single light in the audience during a performance, making each and every moment all the more fleeting and special with the knowledge that you won’t be able to rewatch your memories from the show on your phone afterwards.
Tool kicked off their set with “Fear Inoculum,” the title track from their fifth—and latest—studio album which was released in 2019. The group played predominantly Fear Inoculum, treating fans to performances of “Chocolate Chip Trip, “Descending,” “Invincible” and “Pneuma.” Vocalist Maynard James Keenan puts on a show unlike any other. Opting to stand towards the back of the stage for the entirety of the performance, all eyes were still on him as he squatted close to the ground, arms swaying side to side as if he were a gorilla as he growled his way through the songs. Throughout the entirety of the concert, Maynard kept his mysterious aura, only dropping it once to chastise the crowd for “sounding like they were in Kansas City.” His bait worked as the audience booed him loudly; Maynard smiled and reveled in the adversity.
Perhaps one of the most spectacular things about Tool’s highly visual performance is the lighting. Whoever their lighting tech and designers are, they deserve all the praise in the world. The otherworldly lights filled the air, taking on an almost textured appearance. More than a few times, I caught myself staring at the ever-changing and shifting light show, completely captivated like a moth to a flame.
Not too long later, the band exited the stage for the intermission—again, a unique experience in concerts today. As the time ever so slowly clicked down to zero, drummer Danny Carey took to the stage for a drum solo unlike any other, beginning with the gong. With each strike of his mallet, the crowd cheered and whooped at the reverberating sound that shook the hairs on their heads. He transitioned to his impressive kit and proceeded to play one of the most impressive solos as he made his performance look almost effortless, though that is far from the case. No drummer does it quite like Carey with his masterful approach. At the end of his performance, he hopped up from his kit to show everyone his outfit, an OKC Thunder jersey which had a “23” on the back.
As the show approached its end, diamond-like confetti dazzled and sparkled in a graceful cascade to the ground. The arena was in near darkness, so the confetti looked like snow—fitting as Oklahoma had recently been iced over thanks to an Arctic front.
Tool is just one of those bands that blows you completely away, regardless of if you’ve seen them live before. It’s no wonder why they’re still going strong after 34 years as a band; they’re only getting better with age.
Their winter tour is sadly coming to a close with only a handful of dates remaining, but soon the band kicks off their EU/UK leg! Check out their tour dates at https://www.toolband.com/content/tour
