TOOL, Manchester Arena. 2nd May 2022

Honestly there’s potential for disaster here, but I’m going in with confidence. This is purely down to TOOL being bloody brilliant. The concern comes from this being an arena gig. I’m not a big fan of large venues like this and to compound things I’m seated, which always feels a little unnatural. Everyone’s seated, including the floor. It’s pretty funny to watch people still attempting to bang their heads around. Until Maynard James asks why we’re sat down. Well that will be the seats that you’ve obviously asked for Maynard. Pretty fucking stupid if you ask me. Standing in a row of seats is a pain in the arse. He might have plenty of room to move up there. On two risers either side of a formidable drum set up. We don’t. Nevertheless TOOL fans I’m quickly learning are heavy populated with fanboys, one stands, so we all stand. TOOL occupy an unusual space in current rock. Firmly at the prog end of the spectrum, their music is dense and worthy of chin stroking reflective pretension. Perfect for me! and to be honest it doesn’t really matter whether we’re stood. After the initial excitement of being out of the seats, everyone pretty much calms down. I’ve got to be careful though. Phones are strictly band by the… band. Caught with one and you’re facing ejection, although I doubt the Arena staff are that bothered about trying to enforce this. This is obviously due to idiots who film gigs on their phones and post the heavily compressed footage to social media. There’s a special place in hell awaiting them. Anyway, the almost sold out crowd obliges and it’s very refreshing not having your view obscured by thousands of glowing screens. I though, tend to write these reviews on the fly, during the set, on my phone. Although one reader did accuse me of pre-writing my last review, a stupid suggestion, but you get a lot of those and they can keep the gig videographers company in hell. TOOL ironically write music that would sound awesome on Satan’s stereo and fuck me, what a spectacle! Stick a great band in a big space and I’ve got to tip my hat, it’s incredible to see what they can do. The video projections are stunning, spanning not only the entire back stage with looping 3D kaleidoscopes, but also a transparent curtain that envelops the front of the stage. Coupled with an impressive lighting rig, they’ve clearly decided to bring all their toys. Now seeing as I’ve mentioned the devil a couple of times, I’m gonna play his advocate. Listening to a TOOL record can be highly immersive, but truth be told it can also be brilliant wallpaper. I’m sure they wouldn’t like that latter admission but it’s true. Live though, brilliant as they are, there are moments where I’m caught feeling that it’s a little indulgent and can’t help wondering if the people having the most fun in here are those on stage. I’ll admit though, it’s oddly meditative and the lighter moments are quite transportive. I’m impressed too with whoever is working the desk. Whether it’s the more melancholic melodies where you can really hear the rich tones in Maynard’s voice or the pulverising stuff, with the rhythm section locked in perfectly to the power chord guitars, the sound is pretty spot on… I mean for an arena. Trust me I’ve been in here plenty of times when that’s not been the case. The wonderfully titled ‘Chocolate Chip Trip’ that kicks off the encore with its synthy bleeps and pips even sounds great. Bonkers but great and dare I say it, intentionally so? Is this TOOL flexing their fun side? There’s plenty of diehard fans that will get into a debate with you about many of Maynard’s lyrics. I’m not that man, so I’ll just offer the catch all that they’re mostly lent to the darker side and he’s not afraid to get you reaching for a dictionary. It makes for a wonderfully eloquent performance though and he’s quite the frontman… although he never leaves the risers at the back. To be honest though, I think a lot of people are here for the music rather than the lyrics, there’s so much of it that’s instrumental, you’d have to be. TOOL songs are long, so it’s no surprise that the set is too. For nearly two and a half hours we’re treated to a blistering set of brutal sonic wizardry that ticks off every album (I think!), leaning heavily on the latest album ‘Fear Inoculum’. That does include an intermission with a 10 minute countdown clock on screen which is rather civilised though. I love TOOL and this was a great gig, but I’ve seen better. I know, I’ve been spoilt. I’m going to blame this on the cavernous volume of spaces like this that just kill any intimacy. TOOL do the very best possible though and as they bring the set to a close, Maynard announces an amnesty on the phones and out they come. It’s quite an experience though and if you’ve not seen them, you should. If you’ve seen them before, you know and if you saw them in a smaller space, I envy you.