Tool Performs Rare Songs in New Zealand After 20-Plus Years

3 hours ago7 min read2 comments

In a move that sent shockwaves through the dedicated fanbase, the progressive metal titans Tool performed a setlist in New Zealand that felt less like a concert and more like a curated excavation of their own deep-cut history, reviving tracks like the visceral 'Prison Sex,' the raw 'Crawl Away,' and the enigmatic 'H. ' for the first time in over two decades.For a band known for its meticulous, almost ritualistic approach to live performances, where setlists can become predictable symphonies of their later-era epics, this was a seismic shift in the established liturgy. The decision to unearth these songs, particularly 'H.' from their monumental 1996 album *Ænima*, is not merely a nostalgic gesture but a profound communication with their audience, a band finally acquiescing to the decades-long, whispered pleas from the die-hards who trade bootlegs and dissect every lyrical nuance on online forums. The atmosphere in those New Zealand arenas must have been electric, a collective intake of breath as the opening notes of a song last played in the late 90s or early 2000s cut through the haze, transforming a crowd of thousands into a singular, time-traveling entity.Consider the context: Tool has spent much of the 21st century operating on a grand, cinematic scale, their albums becoming increasingly complex and their live shows a multi-sensory bombardment of art and polyrhythms. To return to the grittier, more angst-driven textures of their earlier work requires a recalibration, both technically and emotionally, for the musicians.It speaks to a band confident enough in its current identity to revisit its formative shadows without being consumed by them. This isn't a simple greatest-hits tour tactic; it's an archival release brought to life, a gift to the fans who have traced the band's evolution from the claustrophobic intensity of *Undertow* to the cosmic sprawl of *Fear Inoculum*.The ripple effect of this decision will be felt far beyond the shores of New Zealand, setting a new and thrilling precedent for their upcoming tour legs and igniting speculation about what other rarities might be pulled from the vault. In the grand discography of a band that treats its art as a living, breathing entity, these performances in New Zealand were not just concerts; they were historic restorations, adding new, vital chapters to songs many thought were permanently entombed in the past.

#Tool

#concert

#setlist

#deep cuts

#Prison Sex

#Crawl Away

#New Zealand

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