Full Review by The Riff Report Blog โ July 5, 2025
Stage: Back To The Beginning Main Stage
Band: TOOL (USA)
Time: 11:11pm. Full moon. Phase-shifted reality. ๐โณ
๐ง โTHINK FOR YOURSELF. QUESTION EVERYTHING.โ โ TOOL TRANSCEND REALITY IN BIRMINGHAM ๐ธ
If you were expecting circle pits and beer-fuelled chaosโฆ you wandered into the wrong dimension, butt. TOOL didnโt just perform at Villa Park โ they summoned a parallel universe, dragged us through it, and deposited our shattered souls gently back into our skulls.
For 90 surreal, cinematic, jaw-dropping minutes, Maynard James Keenan and crew unleashed a sacred geometry of sound, where every note was calculated and every silence spoke louder than pyro ever could.
๐ง THE SETLIST โ A TRIP THROUGH TIME, SPACE & THE HUMAN PSYCHE
- Fear Inoculum
- The Pot (yes, that bassline still thunders through your bones)
- Parabola
- Pneuma
- Schism (played in reverse time signatures? Weโre still confused)
- Descending
- The Grudge
- Intolerance
- Jambi (that talkbox solo was actual sorcery)
- Forty Six & 2
- Stinkfist (the finale: spiritual. cathartic. filthy.)
๐ค MAYNARD: THE ENIGMA IN THE SHADOWS
Maynard didnโt strut. He didnโt crowd surf. He didnโt scream for pits.
He stood on a riser at the back, cloaked in shadow and LED light, barely visible โ a priest of the weird, chanting over us like we were part of some psychedelic ritual.
At one point, he simply whispered:
โYouโre not at a concert. Youโre at a recalibration.โ
And then launched into โPneumaโ with the quiet intensity of someone mid-exorcism. ๐ฏ๏ธ
๐ธ ADAM JONES = RIFF SCIENTIST ๐จโ๐ฌ๐
Jones didnโt just play guitar โ he sculpted sound from thin air. His work on โSchismโ and โJambiโ felt like watching a man wield a laser scalpel made of distortion. Razor sharp. Emotionally surgical. Trippy as all hell.
His tones made people sway involuntarily. One guy near us whispered, โMy spine is vibrating.โ Yeah, same.
๐ฅ DANNY CAREY: ACTUAL WIZARD IN DRUMMER FORM ๐งโโ๏ธ๐ฅ
We donโt say this lightly โ Danny Carey might be the greatest living drummer.
His solo in โThe Grudgeโ was a polyrhythmic hurricane delivered through sacred geometry.
He played on a drum kit forged in another galaxy and tuned to the sound of your soul dissolving.
During โForty Six & 2,โ he hit a triplet sequence so intense someone in the crowd spoke in tongues. Another person fainted. Probably just overwhelmed by the off-time genius.
๐จ JUSTIN CHANCELLOR โ THE BASSLINE SERPENT ๐
If Tool is a puzzle, Justin is the glue that holds it together while whispering riddles in Latin.
The bass tone on โThe Potโ was so filthy you could smell it.
His groove on โIntoleranceโ physically altered the Earthโs magnetic field. Scientists may be investigating.
He played entire passages with his eyes closed, head tilted, looking like a monk being electrocuted in slow motion. Iconic.
๐ฅ VISUALS โ NOT A SHOW. A COSMIC EXPERIENCE.
The screen behind Tool wasnโt just a backdrop. It was a portal.
Spirals. Aliens. Eyes. Cells dividing. Interdimensional jellyfish.
Think HR Giger meets Carl Sagan on mushrooms, and youโre still not close.
Every song had a visual experience layered in. โParabolaโ showed rebirth in reverse. โStinkfistโ was basically a night terror in 4K. It was beautiful. It was disturbing. It was art.
๐งโโ๏ธ THE CROWD โ HEADBANGING & MEDITATING SIMULTANEOUSLY
No pits. No beer showers. Just thousands of people entranced, headbanging in unison.
There were tears. There were people hugging. One guy sat in full lotus position for half the show. Another whispered โIโve seen the inside of my brainโฆโ
You donโt mosh to Tool. You ascend.
๐ฏ๏ธ POWERFUL MOMENT: THE WHOLE DAMN THING
Tool didnโt do tributes. They didnโt do shoutouts.
They just delivered โ sonically, emotionally, spiritually.
When โStinkfistโ hitโฆ you could feel 30,000 people explode silently inside. A final purge. A release. A moment of collective catharsis.
Then they left the stage. No fireworks. Just a whispered โThank youโ and a spotlight fading into static.
๐ฏ FINAL VERDICT: TOOL = METALโS STRANGE, BEAUTIFUL MESSIAHS
You canโt explain a Tool show. You survive it.
They donโt care about being cool. They care about truth. And in that moment, they were the truest band on the planet.
Score: โ/10 Fibonacci Time Signatures ๐
Mood: Spiritually punched in the face, then gently tucked into bed.
Diolch, Tool โ for making us feel everything and understand nothing at all.
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene specialโfrom legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether heโs battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, heโs always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When heโs not writing or interviewing artists, youโll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than musicโtheyโre about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. Thatโs exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. ๐ค
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