Spinal Tool?

     Three members of the band Tool recently came through Pittsburgh in what was billed as a music clinic.  Their website described this event, which was closed to the media, as an immersive dissection and performance with everyone in the band, except Maynard.  With intimate discussions taking fans behind the scenes and into the inner workings of one of “rock music's most mysterious bands.”

     For a mere $500, plus service fees and parking, those in attendance were treated to a breakdown of their writing process with a Q&A.  There was also some sort of archival exhibit on display with various items from from the band's history.

     The most bizarre aspect of this whole thing was the three separate busses and two tractor trailers that were being used to transport this tour down the road.  That is quite the large carbon footprint for something that could have been accomplished with an Econo van and a box truck.

     This tour reeks of pretense and has gotten my Spinal Tap senses tingling.  There is no way I could justify coughing up the equivalent of a mortgage payment for something that could have been done in a series of YouTube videos.  The only lesson that I probably could have learned from Tool was how to properly exploit a fan base at $500 a head.

     I am curious to know if there were any green M&Ms in the dressing room and an 18-inch replica of Stonehenge on the stage since there were enough busses for each band member to have their own. Instead of the exploding drummer, they suffer from the singer that's too busy to show up.

     And I'm not really buying into Tool's claims of being a “mysterious” rock band.  I will concede that they are in fact a rock band, but mysterious?  Why so precious about it?  They're a prog rock band that plays more aggressively than your average prog rock band.

     This all goes back to my previously stated opinion that maybe Tool has run their course.  I don't begrudge these guys trying to make a living but if you go on tour without your singer maybe something is wrong with this situation and it's time to move on.

     Maynard is clearly showing signs that he is bored with the band.  He has other music projects going on and he owns and operates a winery.  That certainly sounds like somebody that has taken their ball of creativity and gone home.

     A Perfect Circle just put out a new record which means there will more than likely be a tour to support it.  Which means that it will be even longer before the next Tool album comes out.  Maybe it's time that everyone went their separate ways and only reconvene when the festival offers come in.

     This music clinic thing feels like their fan base is being taken advantage of.  That certainly crosses a line with me since I consider myself a part of that fan base.  At this point, if their new record ever does come out, it will take some really cool looking vinyl for me to be willing to spend any more money than the cost of a digital download.