The Fearless Inoculum of Tool comes to Colorado Springs’ Broadmoor World Arena. The modern progressive metal band, Tool added a third date in Colorado at the Broadmoor World Arena for their 2022 Fear Inoculum Tour. Like Denver, Tool sold out the World Arena as well. Tool with Blonde Redhead brought an eclectic mix of time signature changes prog-rock and alternative indie music to the city of Colorado Springs this past Friday night.
Personally picked by Maynard James Keenan, Blonde Redhead opens the cold January night. The World Arena crowd was amused and polite while waiting for their headliner. Blonde Redhead is a mixture of experimental, noise art rock with dream pop and transient avant-garde music. Kazu Makino (rhythm guitar and vocals), Simone Pace (drums), and Amedeo Pace (lead guitar and vocals) incorporated individuality and adrenaline that can be collected when the heavens collies with reality.
Blonde Redhead is known for Makino’s incredibly high-pitched banshee-like vocals against the raw anger musicianship of twin brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace. The short 40-minute show started with “Falling Man” from their 2004 release, Misery Is a Butterfly. Amedeo Pace handles the lead vocals on this pop-punk track about the fragility of man. BR followed with a track off the Fake Can Be Just As Good album, “Bipolar.” Sonic Youth meets the Cocteau Twins is my best interpretation of this. They finished the short set with the critically acclaimed and popular title track from the 2007 album 23.
No photography was allowed during Blonde Redhead’s set.
Band:
Kazu Makino – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards,
Amedeo Pace – Lead Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Simone Pace – Drums
Setlist:
1.) Falling Man
2.) Bipolar
3.) Spring and by Summer Fall
4.) Elephant Woman
5.) Doll Is Mine
6.) Dr. Strangeluv
7.) 23
After a brief set change, Tool continued the Fear Inoculum Tour that initially started in 2019. There was a strict policy of no photos or video of the show. This is common for any Tool concerts. Big security guards with flashlights shined at and warned anyone pointing their cell phones at the stage. I didn’t see anyone removed at the World Arena. There were several fans removed from the Denver show on Thursday. The ninety-minute set began with the title track from Fear Inoculum. Everyone at the World Arena was finally ecstatic to see Tool in Colorado Springs. This was the third show following two sold-out nights in Denver for some dedicated Tool followers.
The entire Tool stage was very sparse. Natural fractal motion images played on the giant screen for each song. The transparent chain curtain in front of the stage gave a mysterious line pattern to the band members as various spotlights fell upon them. Except for the few spotlights, the stage remained darkly lit throughout the show.
Singer Maynard James Keenan dressed in all black with his signature punk rock mohawk. He walked on to the towering riser to screaming applause from the packed Tool fans at the World Arena. Keenan sang from the back on two elevated platforms on either side of Danny Carey’s massive drum set. Maynard spent the entire evening at the back of the stage with a few sporadic performances on Carey’s drum riser. Guitarist Adam Jones mainly stayed on the left or moved to play with Carey. At the same time, bassist Justin Chancellor remained on the right side of the sparse stage.
The 90-minute concert featured the first-time live performances of songs from their newest album, Fear Inoculum. The rest of the set contained fan favorites from 10,000 Days, Ænima, Lateralus, and Undertow.
Confetti rained from the World Arena rafters during the three-song encore. All those who attended the World Arena show were impressed and happy to see Tool live again after a 2-year absence. The band is back to its true form with mohawk-Maynard.
They will never be one of the radio-friendly progressive metal bands, but every Tool fan in attendance knew every song played tonight by heart. Tool is the modern equivalent of King Crimson merging with Peter Gabriel‘s Genesis during the 70s.
Band:
Maynard James Keenan – Vocals
Adam Jones – Guitars
Danny Carey – Drums, Percussion
Justin Chancellor – Bass
Setlist:
1.) Litanie contre la Peur (Taped)
2.) Fear Inoculum
3.) Sober
4.) The Pot
5.) Pushit
6.) Pneuma
7.) The Grudge
8.) Right in Two
9.) Descending
10.) Hooker With a Penis
Intermission
11.) Chocolate Chip Trip
12.) Culling Voices
13.) Invincible
Hi, I’m a professional photographer based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I started to take photos at concerts because I get bored very easy and need something to do while watching a musicians or bands perform. So I started taking my point and shoot camera with me and recording what I saw and to show my friends. At first, the camera was just a photographic diary of my concert experience. But after a while I started liking the quality of my shots and concert photography became my hobby. I decided to post my pictures on instagram and facebook. I think fans liked what they saw and started to follow me. Concert photography became my passion and finally I asked All Music Magazine if I could take photos for them. They like my concert photography Instagram page and that opened the door to a whole new area – the photo pit. Now I am happy to say I’m chasing my photography dream – as a professional concert photographer.
