In January, a 34-year-old Las Vegas chef named Kristopher West was in San Diego for work when he found a cheap ticket to see the prog-metal band Tool. Ever since high school, West had been drawn to Tool’s musicianship and spectacularly weird artistic vision that encompassed everything from album art to concert lighting to cryptic self-presentation.
West had seen Tool in concert more than a dozen times over nearly two decades but had recently tired of their less-than-fan-friendly antics, like the last-minute cancellation and then reinstatement of pricey VIP tickets for a show later that month in Vegas. But West had a free evening and wasn’t so fed up as to pass up an $80 ticket when scalpers regularly charge $300 or more for the often sold-out shows.
Arriving early, West noticed fans milling about the merch booth. With money to spend and time to kill, he joined the line. A fan behind West struck up a conversation and urged him to buy two posters if he could. He followed the advice, grabbing two $70 limited-edition Ryan Heshka prints depicting a nunlike figure following a man in a gas mask.
