Tool: Cell Phone Free as the Most Respected Band in Rock

Tool.  An institution. Legendary. Pure rock. And beyond respected by their fans.  The proof?  Well, aside from the crowd size, the energy, the live show.  It's the cell phones.

When was the last time you went to a concert where not one person held their phone up.  The last time you went and got to just enjoy the stage light show in full, with no distractions by a phone screen or someone texting next to you.

Well for me, I'd say it has been at least a decade.  Until this past Thursday.  I had the chance to go catch Tool on their current tour.   I had to make the trek to Boston, since the tickets I were able to score were for the TD Garden show.  Seeing the massive crowds walking up to the arena, I knew I was in for a treat.  By massive- I mean a packed stadium, fans squeezed in like sardines all to enjoy the music of Tool

Getting to my seat, I noticed an interesting piece of paper on the chair.  I looked closer and it was an alert, that no phones or cameras were allowed during the show.  Before Tool took to the stage, a few more announcements were made over the loud speaker about the policy.  Strict- with a removal from the stadium if you were caught.

Now, clearly I got a photo. That was because Maynard James Keenan rewarded the crowd for being patient with the permission to film and photo the last song.  That being said, it was clear just HOW respected the band was.  It's not easy nowadays to put away a cell phone.  To not automatically try to take a photo or a video.  But throughout the entire two hour set, I didn't see one person in the entire arena light up a phone.  I didn't see any scuffles with security over it. What I did see was a crowd that had no problem turning off their cell phones to enjoy Tool. I saw was a crowd, enthralled, enjoying the rock, and the phenomenal laser light show (mind-blowing).

As Maynard creeped across the back of the stage, showing off a silhouette of spikes and singing along the legendary instrumentals, the crowd just enjoyed.  That was it.  Pure enjoyment.  The light show took over, without ANY distractions from cell phones.  The focus was on the band, not a phone in front of me taking a video.  It was perfection.  The second the cameras and phones came out for the last song, it was an entirely different experience.

If you have the chance to catch Tool, do.  With technology nowadays, it really is a once in a lifetime experience, thanks to the band and the fans.