Tool Play Boston Calling: Photos, Set List, Review

Tool's closing set at Boston Calling was by far the most packed, while the band's merch line stretched longer than the one for general festival products. The prog-metal act owned the night as this three-day event concluded.

They took the stage just after 9 p.m. on May 28, bursting into "The Grudge," the eight-and-a-half-minute opening opus from 2001's Lateralus. It was classic Tool: frontman Maynard James Keenan was anywhere but near the front, positioning himself a few degrees behind Danny Carey's drum kit. The show was cloaked in darkness, broken only by the music and a series of wildly artistic, swirling, disturbing on-screen images — many concurrent with their videos.

Click through the above gallery to see exclusive images from the show. A highlight arrived when Keenan, clad in tactical SWAT gear on Memorial Day weekend, launched into a well-received call to arms for those present and past.

"As artists, we interpret and report, that’s our job," he said. "We are merchants of emotion. We have the privilege to do that because of active and former law enforcement and military defending our right to do so. Those of you who are law enforcement and military, your job is to defend our right to act like whining, entitled snowflake a--holes, myself being one. Snowflakes, your job is to respect them f--king doing that for you. Divided we fall. Don’t believe the hype dumb-dumbs; we’re all in this together."

Tool's on-going tour of North America continues into June.

Tool's Boston Calling Set List:
"The Grudge"
"Parabola"
"Schism"
"Opiate"
"Ænema"
"Jambi"
"Third Eye"
"Forty-Six & 2"
"Sweat"
"Vicarious"
"(-) Ions" [tape]
"Stinkfist"