Tool performs rare songs on New Zealand tour.

9 hours ago7 min read

The air in Auckland was thick with more than just anticipation; it was charged with the collective breath of a congregation holding out for a miracle. And on the second night of Tool's seismic New Zealand tour, the faithful were rewarded with a benediction they'd scarcely allowed themselves to hope for.After a twenty-year exile from the live stage, the opening, dissonant strains of 'Prison Sex' crept from the void, a haunting specter from 1993's 'Undertow' that felt less like a song and more like an archaeological unearthing. For the vinyl collectors and setlist archivists among us, this wasn't merely a deep cut; it was the Holy Grail, a track whose complex and controversial subject matter had rendered it a near-mythical artifact, discussed in hushed tones on fan forums but never expected to be witnessed in the flesh.The performance was a masterclass in Tool's signature alchemy—Danny Carey’s polyrhythmic drumming a tectonic foundation, Adam Jones’s grinding riffs weaving a tapestry of unease, and Maynard James Keenan’s vocal delivery, which has evolved from raw, visceral fury into a more controlled, yet profoundly unsettling, narrative force. This deliberate resurrection speaks volumes about the band's current ethos.They are not a nostalgia act content to replay the greatest hits; they are artists re-contextualizing their own history, challenging their audience to confront difficult material with the maturity of decades passed. This New Zealand run, therefore, transforms from a simple concert series into a curated journey through their labyrinthine discography, a signal that even their most challenging creations are integral to the whole.The decision to unleash this particular demon in New Zealand, far from their American home turf, feels significant, a gift to a dedicated antipodean fanbase that has waited through cancelled tours and long intervals. It sets a thrilling precedent, suggesting that no song is truly off the table, that the vaults are open, and that the true setlist for this tour is a living, breathing document, promising that every night holds the potential for another such seismic revelation.

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#Tool

#concert

#deep cuts

#Prison Sex

#tour

#setlist

#New Zealand