Tool. 2022.

The O2 Arena hall was only partially filled. There were a little over a hundred people in the club floor, the sky boxes were two thirds empty. Some sectors were closed, including the entire upper floor. The area where the seating was prepared gradually turned logically into a kind of cauldron in its front part and an open space was created in the line behind the mixing desk. The American band Tool certainly did not sell out the O2 Arena. The promotion wasn't very significant, but considering that over sixty thousand people came to see Rammstein twice in two days a week ago, expectations were probably higher. There are a number of concerts planned during this period and the audience can choose which of their favourites to see live. Los Angeles' Tool (progressive metal) do not have such a large fan base in the Czech Republic as one would expect for a globally renowned band with over thirty years of tradition. They have received numerous awards for their five full-length albums and are a band that typically performs at major festivals and in stadiums and large halls as part of their concert tours. In the Czech Republic, only connoisseurs love them.

The band Brass Against, with vocalist Sophie Uristou, opened Tool's Prague show. Eight musicians, including a five-piece brass section (two trumpets, trombone, saxophone and tuba) dressed in white outfits and Sophie in high heels in front of them. A spirited performance including a number of covers was rewarded by a good applause from the audience. It's a shame the band is better known for Sophie's excesses in the form of a stage show involving a so-called "golden shower" than for its unorthodox approach to songwriting.

The Tool Stage has its rules, and these have long been observed. Adam Jones (guitar) on the left, Justin Chancellor (bass) on the right, and Danny Carey with a battery of percussion instruments in the middle on a raised practice bench. Vocalist Maynard James Keenan, wearing a coloured mohawk, has two elevated areas to the sides, a little in the background and in permanent semi-shade. The first unproduced track is Fear Inoculum from the album of the same name (2019). The transparent, mesh curtain the band is behind doesn't lift, and pulsating space-themed images appear on the screen in the background, gradually evolving into strange fiery creations. The cello motif, which is enriched by transitions to tom-toms, floor-toms, bongos, congas and cymbals, gradually graduates into a powerful finale. Above the rhythmics looms the vocals, which, especially in the inserted part, do not deny the inspiration of Jon Anderson (Yes). In the first part of the concert, the sound engineers struggle a bit with the smaller audience in the space and the sound gets a bit choppy, but it gradually settles down and by Pneuma (2019)and The Grudge (2001) it's perfect. At the same time, lasers are involved in the visual impression. The audience is satisfied and they show it, even if it is not anything innovative, but rather a bit "oldschool". Adam Jones switches from guitar to keyboards for a while. Surprisingly, Austrian guitarist Bernth Brodtraeger enters Opiate (1992) as a guest and flashes some nimble runs across the fingerboard. As the end of the basic set approaches, the visual effects increase, laser beams stab into the audience and the projection often slips into blood colour. Gradually the musicians disappear from the stage, leaving only a kneeling Chancellor with his bass laid out on the ground. The grand finale abruptly segues into a dry announcement of a ten-minute intermission in the form of a digital countdown. Tool's songs have a longer than average running time and are designed for attentive listeners. Few tracks are based on the standard three or four-quarter bar, and the drummer in particular changes dozens of different tempos and rhythms in a performance. Each of the musicians had room to demonstrate their instrumental equilibristics. The most notable solo was Chocolate Chip Trip, which began with an encore by Danny Carey, traditionally clad in a blue Kansas 22 tank top with his own name tag on the back. Then all the band members came on to the dimly lit stage and played Culling Voices (2019) seated, almost unplugged. Glitter flies down from the ceiling, and before it hits the intimate affair becomes an urgent three-quarter track. After that, the show is already winding down with M. J. Keenan's intriguing offer for the audience to record audio and video of the last track, Invincible (2019). The guitar intro of the quarter-hour opus leads into the final crown, which is the punctuation to an extraordinary experience.

Tool really are a little different, provocative in some ways, innovative in others, and traditional in others. They probably didn't win new admirers, but they certainly delighted their fans and thrilled the vast majority of them.