"If you hated Tool fans, this is what you would do": Tool booed by their own fans at their own festival

Tool
(Image credit: Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Governors Ball)

Well, this is all a bit embarrassing. It seems that Tool were booed by their own fans, at their own festival over the weekend, for playing what some judged to be a ‘disappointing’ set.

The Tool In The Sand fest took place at Punta Cara in the Dominican Republic, and in addition to the likes of Primus, Coheed and Cambria and Mastodon, the headliners played twice. Once on the Friday and again the night after.

The Friday night show by all accounts went well. The band played ten songs, including fan favourites such as Schism, Stinkfist and Vicarious.

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However, event marketing had promised "two unique sets". On the Saturday night, four of the nine songs the band played were repeats from the previous night – Fear Inoculum, Jambi, Pneuma and Rosetta Stoned. A fair number of punters seemed to take umbrage at this.

Video footage has been posted online in which you can hear fans booing, with many screaming 'f*** you.' Then, of course, some took to social media to voice their displeasure.

One fan on Reddit, for example, said: “Friday night was extremely good but Saturday night was definitely a let down in length, variety and style. The whole reason I did this was to see two different sets and be able to walk back to the [hotel] room.”

Another person wrote on the band’s Facebook page: “So much for the ‘two unique sets’ we were promised,” with another fan adding, “And they quit 30 minutes early tonight. If you hated Tool fans, this is what you would do. It’s perplexing that they are this disconnected from reality. I think it’s more than fucked up; I think it’s a breach of contract and they owe us a refund for tonight.

"Unacceptable. At least Primus kicked ass, and the other bands were great. Tool is my favorite band, and I’m just beside myself that they would do this after all that hype.”

There’s been no response as yet from the band. Technically, they could argue that the two sets were different. It’s just that they weren’t completely different. But given that Tool been have a going concern for over 30 years and have released five albums over that time, it’s not as if they could use the shortage of material as an excuse.

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Will Simpson
News and features writer

Will Simpson is a freelance music expert whose work has appeared in Classic Rock, Classic Pop, Guitarist and Total Guitar magazine. He is the author of 'Freedom Through Football: Inside Britain's Most Intrepid Sports Club' and his second book 'An American Cricket Odyssey' is due out in 2025

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