Legendary Los Angeles-based progressive metal band, Tool, arrives in Colorado tomorrow to rock the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland. Coloradans can get prepared for a sonic—not to mention visual—experience the likes of which you have never experienced before.
Tool, formed in 1990, is fronted by the enigmatic Maynard James Keenan, also known as MJK or simply Maynard for short. They’re also notable for having kept most of their original band members, only having changed bassists in 1995, but otherwise containing their original lineup. They’ve put out five albums to date, with a pretty big gap between 2006’s 10,000 Days and 2019’s Fear Inoculum, with the record being delayed by legal difficulties as well as Keenan’s other projects. But fans have been excited to see the band back at what they do best on the new record. Fear Inoculum is a certified gold record in the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand, and it topped dozens of list of the best albums of 2019.
Keenan is a known for being an eccentric and elusive figure. In addition to Tool, Keenan also fronts two other bands, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, both of which are considered active and have put out new albums within the last five years. He’s also a practitioner of Brazillian jiu-jitsu and owns a winery called Caduceus Cellars as well as a vineyard called Merkin Vineyards. And if you’re wondering, Merkin Vineyards is named after exactly what you think it is.
Tool’s live shows are known for their mesmerizing visual effects. Critic Jon Hudasek writing for Consequence says of Tool’s live experience, “The band challenge the listener to look inward, to approach the music spiritually and viscerally. Whether through the aid of ambiguous visuals or the diversion of rock and roll tropes, Tool manage to conjure the emotions and meditation of hearing their records when you see them live, bridging the chasm often felt between performer and audience. The band offer you the chance to experience the song with them, as they play it, entering into their world and their art.”
Opening for Tool is openly queer alt-rock solo artist Emily Wolfe, whose new album The Blowback comes out on October 20. Wolfe’s previous album, Outlier, was released in Pride Month of 2021, something that Wolfe said in an opinion piece she wrote for Idobi Network was on purpose. “Releasing a record during Pride Month is something very special to me,” Wolfe explains. “Pride is about bravery and celebrating who you truly are. It’s about not hiding from anyone, even if it means feeling like an Outlier.” The Blowback is available for pre-order from Bandcamp.
Tickets are sold out, so hopefully you have yours by now because this is an experience you won’t want to miss.
Photo courtesy of social media.
