Polyrhythms, existentialism and dick jokes – that’s the Tool we all know and love! With a snarl of tongue-in-cheek cynicism and a flourish of prog-infused sonics, the group have become the face of daringly dissonant metal. But every legend has to start somewhere: Maynard James Keenan certainly didn’t exit the womb intending to rumble out Satanic German cookie recipes or piece together Fibonacci-inspired time signatures. Luckily for us, we can witness the night that started it all. Tool’s first show was captured on film, and it’s a thing of raw, reckless beauty.
Tool would first cross paths thanks to Bill Manspeaker’s satirical shitstorm of a band, Green Jellö. Keenan had just got over a creative slump after fronting the flop that was C.A.D., dipping his toe back into the music scene in 1990 by entering the lineup, while Tool drummer Danny Carey would also eventually join. Guitarist Adam Jones offered his creative talents to Green Jellö to help Manspeaker create some daft new onstage costumes.
