Tool shook the grounds of the MS Coast Coliseum last weekend, making a triumphant appearance in Biloxi for the first time in over twenty years.
The show sold out quickly, as die hard Tool fans and hard rockers all around the region jumped on the tickets as soon as they dropped. We spotted plenty of out of state tags on approach to the Coliseum on show night, feeding the collective of headbangers, band tee wearers, and cheerful admirers who soon filled the venue.
Psychedelic prog rockers Elder kicked things off, delivering their set with the raw energy of a straight up jam and little banter. Their dynamic and often lengthy songs wove together to set the stage nicely for what was to come, and their tight performance certainly won them some new fans in the area.
Tool’s performance carried every bit of power that the band has come to be known for. The audience was seated, as they often are when the band does arena shows, and crowd photography was strongly discouraged until the final song of the night. The audience was meant to be immersed in the spectacle of the show, and we were. The Coliseum was taken in by the far reaching visual effects, with lasers cutting through fog and reaching to trace patterns on the far walls of the arena, and massive video screens displaying abstract and synced visuals to underlay the songs being played. The band members performed in more subdued light and free from any live camera feeds, only just visible to the eyes of those watching. Vocalist Maynard often appeared only as an eerie silhouette against the backing visualizations.
As a band with a number of exceptionally long pieces of music, Tool’s set list only included 11 songs and an intermission in their two hour slot. The set opened with the doomy sounds of the title track to their latest album “Fear Inoculum” before kicking into the prominent guitar chop of fan favorite “Jambi” from 10,000 Days. The set included instrumental sections, earlier material, and a killer full rendition of “Rosetta Stoned,” a song which had rarely ever been performed live until recently. “Stinkfist” capped the night off in a hard hitting way.
Tool’s North American tour continues into late February, when the band will break before heading overseas for the summer. Publications report that Tool hopes to continue working on new music after touring wraps.
View the January 2024 Coast Observer for our feature on Tool and remarks from lighting director Mark Jacobson here:
https://coastobserver.com/tool-live-in-biloxi/
Live photos by Canonblue Lalley
Scotti Redd
scott@coastobserver.com
@scottiredd9
Tool official website: toolband.com
Did you attend? Let us know what you think!
-Coast Observer Live-
