Drummer Danny Carey sat down with Rick Beato to discuss his favorite Tool songs. During their chat, Carey also explained how Tool chooses their setlist. He revealed that Maynard James Keenan is usually in charge of the setlist. Well, his vocal abilities are. The drummer explained:
“I mean we obviously… we’re playing a lot of the ‘Fear Inoculum’ stuff now. Whatever the current record is gonna take precedence, but when it comes to the older songs, it’s kind of what Maynard’s voice can handle.”
He added:
“He’s no spring chicken either, man, and it’s a lot harder when your instrument is your body.”
Keenan Is ‘Too Old’ To Sing The Tool Classics
Keenan is turning 60 in April, and he will be celebrating his birthday with a special show. While this special concert might be a one-time thing, he might sing the classic Tool songs for the day. So, why doesn’t he sing them on regular shows? Because Maynard believes he is ‘too old’ to sing them every night.
In an earlier interview, the singer revealed that he finds the classic Tool songs too physically challenging to perform. He resembled his voice to old cars and said:
“Old cars… Just like an old Barracuda man, just tearing up the streets. You try to do that with an old Barracuda now and it’s gonna break. Something is… You just can’t do that. So I think with age you find ways to sing the thing where it’s not creating damage. You can actually recreate it without having to pick a scab, emotionally and literally, like hurting yourself.”
What New Tool Fans Should Listen To?
Tool is known for having lengthy and complex songs. Of course, their entire discography isn’t filled with 20-minute songs, but Keenan is well aware lengthy songs can exhaust new fans.
During an interview in late 2021, the frontman mentioned the one song that can easily hook new fans up to the band. The rocker named ‘The Pot’ from their 2006 album, ‘10,000 Days.’
“To me, that’s one of the examples of some of our earlier energy blending perfectly with our more mature energy and kind of nods to our influences over the years. I feel like we really kind of struggle to make sure that all four of us shine as best we can on everything we do, to exhaustion.”
Keenan also mentioned that starting with a 27-minute song is not the most efficient way to introduce a band to an audience. He continued:
“But I feel like this one is one of the one’s that felt, not effortless, but fresh and conscious, consciously effortless, if that makes sense? It just captures that vibe that I think, if you’re gonna play a song for people to kind of get them into our band, I don’t think you should start with the 27-minute one. Calm down. Don’t get all QAnon on us.”
You can watch the interview below.
———————————————————————————————-
Source: rockcelebrities.net