Tool Revives Rare Songs at New Zealand Concerts.

3 hours ago7 min read

For the faithful gathered in New Zealand, Tool’s recent concerts were less a series of performances and more like sacred, long-lost rites being resurrected. The band, known for its meticulous and often stubbornly static setlists, shattered decades of expectation by unleashing deep cuts that haven't echoed through an arena in over twenty years.The opening chords of 'Prison Sex,' a visceral and complex track from 1993's 'Undertow,' signaled this wasn't a typical night. The song, with its disturbing thematic content and polyrhythmic intensity, had been largely absent from their live repertoire, making its return a seismic event for longtime followers.This was followed by the raw, sludgy force of 'Crawl Away,' another 'Undertow'-era relic that harks back to the band's more aggressively raw beginnings, and the enigmatic 'H. ' from the seminal 'Ænima' album, a track revered for its dynamic build and lyrical ambiguity concerning sacrifice and connection.The decision to dig so deep into their catalog feels like a deliberate gift to the hardcore base, a nod to the fans who have tracked every bootleg and debated every setlist online for years. It’s a radical departure from their usual modus operandi, where setlists are often polished to a high sheen, changing only incrementally across a tour.This New Zealand run, therefore, wasn't just a tour stop; it was an archival excavation. It prompts the question: why now? Is this a one-off anomaly, a specific thank you to the Antipodean audience, or a sign of a more flexible, retrospective approach from Maynard James Keenan and company as they navigate their legacy? The band has always operated on its own inscrutable timeline, making these unexpected revivals all the more potent. They've proven that their music isn't frozen in amber; even the rarest songs can be woken from their long slumber, offering a jolt of living history that transforms a concert into an unforgettable, collective experience for the initiated.

#Tool

#concert

#setlist

#deep cuts

#Prison Sex

#Crawl Away

#New Zealand

#featured