Tool Break ‘Sober’ Silence at Toronto Show

2012-01-30

Story by Cat Badra

Tool pull out fan favorite on current tour

Right when grunge was starting to evolve into the “post-grunge” variety and radio stations began turning to punk-pop players, Tool’s “Sober” reached the airwaves, securing metal’s distinction as a popular musical genre. Off 1993’s “Undertow,” the song featured striking, haunting prog-rock aesthetics and lead singer Maynard James Keenan’s intense lyrical rants: “Why can’t we not be sober? I just want to start this over.”

While “Sober” is arguably Tool’s biggest hit, it’s become commonplace for the band to skip it during live shows. Until now. Tool broke their “Sober” silence Jan. 25 at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, when the band surprised fans and pulled the archetypal song out of hibernation. Keenan even mentioned that the band hadn’t played the song in a while before chugging into it.

The National Post asserts that Tool’s Toronto stop was enough to cement the prog-rockers are one of the finest heavy music bands on the landscape: “Beneath the pretension and condescension, this is still one of America’s great heavy rock bands. Just remember to suck on some orange slices once the lasers start firing.” AntiQuiet added to that sentiment: “Tool’s persistently spectacular performances during the course of this current tour demonstrate that this band is still capable of sonic richness and ingenuity. As long as they transfer this very same vigor and urgency into a studio setting, there is no doubt that the follow-up to ‘10,000 Days’ could transcend even those mere fragments of inventiveness that the band hasn’t touched upon already.” Despite Tool’s sporadic touring, they sure know how to put on a rock show.