The iconic Tool guitarist Adam Jones recently joined in for an interview with Metal Hammer. He went on to explain why he doesn’t approve of fans who film and take photos of the band’s live shows with cell phones.
Adam Jones talks about the matter
It was noted several days back that Tool embarked on the European leg of their 2022 Fear Inoculum tour, which began with an April 23 show at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark. The band’s usual top-notch performances of their setlist was loved by fans, and the ongoing Tool tour brought forth a few more surprises, mainly in the form of the frontman Maynard James Keenan coming up with all sorts of mischief on-stage.
However, any fan who wanted to capture some of these moments would find themselves in trouble due to the Tool’s long-held policy of no phones and/or cameras flashing the stage, and the desire to have a photo of Maynard James Keenan providing Danny Carey with a Dildo to bang the gong with mid-performance.
In the interview, Jones was asked whether the band was having trouble implementing their policy in recent years, where more and more people think of filming live shows as completely normal. The guitarist replied:
“Yeah, I mean, for us, we’ve actually seen it changing and more and more big acts are asking their fans respectfully to enjoy the show, rather than looking at their camera the whole time. I think one of the problems is you get a lot of lights because people don’t know how to use their cameras correctly, which makes it very blinding onstage. It’s just…it’s that connection. You lose something without that connection, and you just want people to be in their own world rather than getting the whole show on their phone and then never looking at it again.
“It’s a big distraction. Have you ever been to a concert and you can’t see the show because the person in front of you is holding their phone up in front of the stage? It’s just kind of obnoxious. Just keep your phone in your pocket, enjoy the show and we’ll see you after and you can get back on it! (laughs) People need a break. I feel like [phones have] become an appendage, like part of our anatomy, you know?”
When asked if the band ever saw pushback from their fanbase due to Tool’s stance on filming live shows, Jones replied:
“Yeah, look, I get it: I go to shows sometimes and I want to capture a little something, your blood is pumping and you want to capture it, you want to capture that feeling. But it’s like a drug, you get that feeling and then you come back down to Earth, it’s no big deal. You look at it once maybe and that’s it, unless you’re a blogger or something. I get it, but we spend a lot of money on the show, we spend a lot of money on getting the best people on the video and the laser show. We have this three-dimensional curtain effect, which is incredible.
“I just think, once you pull your phone out, you’re not connecting, you’re not at the show, you’re more about capturing it from your phone, watching it from your phone. Okay, then just go on YouTube. Why bother? You’ve paid the money to immerse yourself in this, we’re taking you by the hand and trying to take you on a little journey and do our magic for you. Which is something that requires your attention and your eye contact. It’s a different world, it’s a request and it’s respectful, and I think our fans seem absolutely fine with it.”
