More than just a concert, TOOL creates a mind-bending, life-altering experience

Photos and Writing by Kenny Brown

I’ll just start by saying I’ve been a huge TOOL fan for many years. I’ve been lucky enough to catch them live quite a few times over those years. The first time was nearly 30 years ago, November 16 1996 at The Garage in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a small club, maybe a couple hundred people. Tickets were $16.50. The masterpiece Ænima had just been released. Back then I don’t think I realized how important TOOL’s music would become to me, but I knew I had just witnessed the most amazing musical experience of my young adult life. From that moment on, I was hooked. Even back then, it wasn’t just the music. They created an experience unlike anything I had ever seen. Like a drug, I craved returning to it and took every opportunity I could over the years to feel it again. Each time I’ve seen them since, I’ve allowed myself to be fully immersed in the experience, to drown in that wave of mind-bending visuals and sound. The experiences continued to become deeper, the crowds grew larger, and yes, the ticket prices went up. And each time my desire to feel it again became stronger.

Fast forward to January 21 2024. TOOL at The Spectrum Center in Charlotte NC. I find myself in the photo-pit standing just feet away from the humans who’ve created those experiences that have impacted my life so profoundly. The sound of Fear Inoculum is wrapping itself around me. Adam Jones is there, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, appearing almost omnipotent, gracefully walking around the stage, guitar in hand. Justin Chancellor is there, with that big smile on his face that makes him seem like he could be the best friend we all need a hug from. Danny Carey is there, creating the most beautifully unique drumming I’ve ever heard. And Maynard is there, deep in the shadows at the back of the stage, doing his Maynard thing. My mind keeps jumping back in time to that day in 1996. I wasn’t much more than a kid just getting started on the journey of life. Twenty eight years later, here I am, with those same overwhelming emotions TOOL has consistently brought to my life time and time again.