Bonnaroo 2022 Artist Spotlight: TOOL

Like we’ve been doing for many years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorite acts from Bonnaroo‘s 2022 lineup. And, for the first time in three years, we finally feel confident that there definitely will be a Bonnaroo this year, after a postponement then cancelation in 2020 due to Covid, and an unfortunate rainout of last year’s would-be September event. Returned to its traditional timeframe of June 16-19, this marks Bonnaroo’s 21st summer and 19th installment, and features a largely new lineup for the festival’s much-anticipated return!

As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, and most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. And as our time at ‘Roo approaches, we’ll also be bringing you some special features and full list-style daily lineup guides, to help you plan your weekend ahead of the fest. While these previews won’t span every artist, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend on the farm!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight!

LEARN

This year’s only Bonnaroo headliners to carryover from 2020’s would-be fest (though they weren’t on 2021’s bill), and one of just a handful who’ve headlined the fest twice, LA alt/prog metal and art rock outfit TOOL are one of rock’s biggest, most beloved and enduring acts, despite only releasing five albums in their 32 year run. Formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, TOOL cut their teeth at the height of the grunge explosion, but with 1993 breakout debut album Undertow, forged their own niche in the alternative metal scene thanks to their complex, unconventional writing style and ability to channel angst. Throughout the ’90s, the group became a huge success, performing on tours like Lollapalooza and Ozzfest, and racking up commercial hits, despite having a rocky relationship with mainstream music media over censorship issues. By 2001’s third album Lateralus, frontman Maynard James Keenan had already launched his other famed project A Perfect Circle, and the nu-metal craze (which TOOL have never been apart of stylistically) was at its peak, but the band pushed forward into the new millennium with even more expansive, progressive, art rock, and psych-tinged ambition, retaining their heavy base while continuing to broadly expand their artistry. Though the last 20 years have been a little less active than the band’s first decade (particularly the grueling 13 year gap between most recent releases), they’ve included two more albums (most recently 2019’s critically-acclaimed Fear Inoculum), huge world tours, Grammys, further success with side projects (Keenan also debuted Puscifer, who will also play ‘Roo this year), and more, as TOOL have maintained a cult-like following, and settled into their legacy as one of their generation’s most important alt-metal acts. Inspired by groups like King Crimson and The Melvins much more than they ever were by any of their ’90s and ’00s metal scene peers, TOOL’s classic composition approach, knack for blending their music with rich multimedia visuals, art rock and prog rock spirit, and smart and subversive thematic aims has made them one of rock’s most beloved and enduring acts of all time, and their live show is a visually stunning, bombastic, and captivating experience certainly fitting of a headlining festival placement. Whether you’re a fan or not, you don’t want to miss it!

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