Tool
Live In Perth

In the definitely not vast discography of Tool, there has always been, and still is, a serious lack: a live album that showcases their greatness on stage.

This is the necessary premise to say that what I will review is not what many are still waiting for, but a bootleg recorded in Perth, Australia, on May 4, 2002.

No need to dwell on introductions about the band, which has gained almost universal visibility with the latest "10000 Days" (whether you like it or not) and now needs no presentations. This bootleg, as can be easily deduced from the year, is a testimony of the world tour of the masterpiece "Lateralus", and consequently offers a setlist focused on their most successful studio work.

The sound of the album is understandably dirty, poorly defined, and equalized, but it is sufficiently indicative of a high-level performance: the setlist is opened by "The Grudge" in which Maynard spares no effort with his ravenous shout and delivers the canonical twenty-second scream towards the end.

Even amidst the lo-fi chaos, it's possible to realize the skill of that monster behind the drums, Danny Carey, hungry for beats, countertimes, improvised parts (fantastic the one in "Stinkfist") and who with this record might also convince you that he's one of the best around. Impeccable in execution and personality are also Adam Jones and Justin Chancellor (the latter plays with a very distorted sound, listen to the intro of "46&2").

Many classics are featured, and it's wonderful to hear Maynard announce them amidst the roar of the crowd, which sometimes overwhelms the instruments at the beginning of the tracks, and sings all the proposed songs in unison. These tracks almost entirely retrace "Lateralus", except for "The Patient" and the acoustic/noise parts of the album, passing through the beautiful "Sober," the only excerpt from the first studio album, and reaching the classics from "Aenima" among which "Stinkfist" and "Aenema" couldn't be missed.

Some tracks are significantly extended and diluted, giving the delightful sensation of "live," and in general of a deeply felt and therefore incredibly engaging show, almost like a pagan religious ritual (a complement to the deliberately cold studio albums).

In the second half of the concert, the tones become more subdued, and the audience welcomes in reverent silence the impeccable execution of the triad "Disposition," "Reflection," and indeed "Triad." A special mention for my favorite song, "Reflection," performed impeccably, with heightened tribalism and a feel even better than the studio version, with Maynard improvising as an acid muezzin in the initial part. The show worthily concludes with an excellent version of "Lateralus," perhaps too faithful to the studio version.

What can I say, I find the absence of an official live album inexplicable, especially in light of these excellent credentials, widely testified by all those who have attended one of their concerts; because this album, despite being a bootleg, contains a good dose of quality, emotions and extreme professionalism (to be understood like the English term "musicianship").

So, one star less for this unforgivable absence, another one less because it is a bootleg, but despite everything, one cannot help but love them.