It's a busy November for Adelaidians born before 1990.
Metallica returned for the first time in 12 years a few weeks ago, AC/DC perform for the first time in a decade on Sunday and last night (28 November) and tonight (29 November) is two nights of TOOL.
Adelaide has been waiting nearly as long to see TOOL live again as fans waited for their 2019 album, 'Fear Inoculum', which was 13 years in the making.
The last time TOOL were in South Australia was in 2013 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, the same building they're playing in 2025.
They did come back to Australia in 2019, but flew over South Australia, so – for once – Adelaide is the envy of the east coast as they're treated to two of three dedicated sideshows ahead of TOOL's headline Good Things Festival appearances next weekend.
The night opens with HEADSEND. When these shows were announced, if you looked up HEADSEND online you wouldn't have found any released music on streaming services until their first single 'Stove' was officially released on 15 November.
Respectfully, it begs the question, who the F are HEADSEND? How is a band with only two singles released supporting TOOL and then AC/DC in Brisbane within a few weeks of each other?
The three piece are a modern homage to the '90s grunge giants. It's like Nirvana, Silverchair and Soundgarden had a baby that was raised in Byron Bay. The trio consists of brothers Kyuss King on vocals/ guitar and Rasmus King on bass.
A quick Google turns into a rabbit hole of countless successes by the brothers. Apart from being amazing musicians, they're both pro surfers and actors. They're the kind of overachievers that make you question where your own life went wrong.
Can't they pick one field and succeed at that? Save some for the rest of us. I guess if you are – presumably – named after the legendary stoner rock band Kyuss, you're destined for musical greatness.
HEADSEND - image © Mike Lockheart
Putting the seething envy aside, HEADSEND is a joy to watch. Despite the audience only knowing the two released songs – if that – they're transfixed by the band who feel like they're time travellers from '90s Seattle.
The band confidently weaves in and out of nameless songs, one being a Queens Of The Stone Age style, upbeat, charismatic anthem. It's not even the two singles, 'Stove' and 'Chugg', that are necessarily the standouts. Their unnamed set list is filled with back to back headbangers as Kyuss' vocals range from soaring to gritty.
Kyuss shares they'll have an EP to release, then another EP and an album in the future. As the set wraps up, it's clear this audience has seen a band that's going to be unstoppable.
A big brother-esque voice bellows through the speakers above reminding everyone that there is a zero-camera policy tonight.
'We respectfully request that you please watch and listen to the show, not your phone,' reads an A4 piece of paper stuck to one of the walls of the concourse. It's a policy the audience are taking seriously as TOOL open with 'Fear Inoculum', the title track of their 2019 album.
Security guards with what seem to be super-powered flashlights target and blind the one or two phones still raised above people's heads in the mosh.
They're like secret service snipers guarding the president as vocalist Maynard James Keenan climbs onto the stage in his trademark position beside drummer Danny Carey at the back of stage.
TOOL - image © Mike Lockheart
He's hidden in the shadows compared to the rest of the band who are all spotlighted. Behind the band, the LED walls transport the room with psychedelic, spiritual and abstract landscapes as lasers shoot through the venue.
Once 'Fear Inoculum' ends Keenan notices one last phone in the crowd and reminds the punter to "put it away, buddy," before further explaining to the audience to not let your phone be in charge of you. "Stay here, stay present and stay with us."
To really finalise the point Keenan says "take the phone, shove it up your ass, so you can't reach it very easily".
TOOL - image © Mike Lockheart
That seems to work and the view from the seats shows a sea of silhouetted heads without phone screens glaring, a rare sight in the 21st century and a policy that should be adopted by other bands.
If you came tonight as a casual fan only knowing a handful of TOOL songs, you might be a bit lost. This set is reward for the hardcore fans; it's all deep cuts – not many other bands would be bold enough to do a set list like this.
The obvious omissions from the night are 'Forty Six & 2', 'Schism', 'Sober', 'The Pot', basically any song that would appear as an answer to 'Name a TOOL song' on 'Family Feud'.
It just makes tonight feel even more special. It's a unique set list where no one in the audience seems to know which song is around the next corner.
TOOL - image © Mike Lockheart
There's genuine sounds of awe coming from the crowd when they hear guitarist Adam Jones ring in 'Crawl Away', a song Keenan says "the last tour we played this next song on, you weren't even sperm yet," to anyone under 22 years old in the audience.
Justin Chancellor leads 'Pneuma' with the iconic bassline and the 11-minute song builds the tension in the room with a satisfying eruption at the end.
As 'Intolerance' ends, a 12-minute timer goes onto the stage showing how long until the encore begins. A refreshingly efficient technique – we all know an encore's coming, so why not own it?
Tonight has been a clinic from the four members of the band. They're each a master of their craft. Carey's renowned skills are on display as he returns for the encore for 'Chocolate Chip Trip', a near five-minute drum solo performance. He proves why he's an inspiration and known as one of the most precise and technical drummers in the world.
TOOL - image © Mike Lockheart
The rest of the band joins Carey back onstage for their cover of Black Sabbath's 'Hand Of Doom', which they've added to the set list after covering it at the Back To The Beginning concert earlier this year – Ozzy Osbourne's final show.
'Invincible' and 'Vicarious' end the show as Keenan lets fans "take out your stupid cell phones and film the last song, be careful not to get any poo on your fingers should you have chosen to put it where we suggested earlier".
Seeing TOOL at a dedicated headline show with a set list this unique feels precious. It's a statement, demonstrating the breadth of their discography by resurrecting dust-covered songs long tucked away.
TOOL - image © Mike Lockheart
It's recognition and a gift for the fans who have been with them since the beginning. Tonight proves why they're one of the most important and influential bands in metal.
It will be interesting to see if the set list will be the same for Good Things Festival next weekend and how a festival audience responds.
