Tool packs a lot into a too-short concert

TOOL, EnergySolutions Arena, July 19

Think you know all the conventions of a rock concert? No matter the musical genre, you can just about bet your life on the energetic stage antics, the audience sing-along, telling the audience it's the best city on the tour and the oh-you-like-us-so-much-I-guess-we-will-play-an-encore closing.

Tool, long swimming against the musical grain, went out of its way to toss convention out the door Sunday night at EnergySolutions Arena.

Playing a third concert in a city supporting the same album, like this show was, is unusual although not unheard of. The band's latest, "10,000 Days," released in 2006 dished up the opening tune, the gutty and hard-driving "Jambi."

Immediately following, vocalist Maynard James Keenan asked the audience to raise its hand, and greet the band not with a shout or a scream or a yell but with a whisper of "Welcome home," which mostly full house was happy to comply with.

Next came old favorite "Stinkfist," and "Forty Six & 2." These and every song was accompanied by impressive visuals in the form of lasers and lights, but it was background scrims that did the most to set the mood. Creepy images of flaking skin, circulatory or muscular systems fit for anatomy class writhing or flowing behind the band or winged skeletons or embryonic brains nestled in skulls, all added layers of mystery to the already moody and emotional songs.

Unlike most bands with hard rock roots, Tool isn't afraid to slow down live, just as they don't follow conventional album formulas of rockers and ballads. Instead they change time signatures in songs, grind portions of tunes with up-front bass lines that carry the melody and use both drums and guitar as color and accents. Live this was intensified and instead of prancing around the stage like rock typical stars, the foursome (drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Justin Chancellor) stood stationary, each on his corner of the stage, and played his guts out.

Breaking again with convention, no spotlights highlighted Keenan or any of the musicians, instead leaving them displayed in silhouette by the industrial images scrolling behind them.