Culture Tool Is Booed Onstage at Their Own Music Festival as Fans Mull Class-Action Lawsuit Over 'Disappointing' Set

https://people.com/tool-booed-onstage-at-their-own-music-festival-over-disappointing-set-11695719

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Tool Is Booed Onstage at Their Own Music Festival as Fans Mull Class-Action Lawsuit Over 'Disappointing' Set

The rockers performed two sets at the Tool in the Sand festival, and played four repeat songs on the second night

By Rachel DeSantis Published on March 12, 2025 02:40PM EDT

When Tool announced its Tool in the Sand music festival in the Dominican Republic in October, fans were excited to shell out upwards of $7,500 for two concerts over two nights that promised “unique sets.”

But after the Grammy-winning rock band repeated four different songs over the two shows, festivalgoers turned on them, booing from the crowd and even threatening class-action lawsuits.

“Why fly to the [Dominican Republic] on a 3 night ticket to watch an hour of repeat songs from the night before?” one fan wrote in a post on Reddit that’s received nearly 3,000 upvotes. “Not sure what to say but this was a very disappointing show.”

A rep for the band declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE.

Tool in the Sand, which was billed as an “all-inclusive destination festival,” took place on March 7, 8 and 9 at the Hard Rock and Royalton resorts in Punta Cana. The lineup also included Primus, Mastodon, Coheed and Cambria and more. Tool performed on the first two nights, and tickets were sold as a package, meaning fans were not able to buy one-day passes.

During their first set, the rockers played 10 songs, including hits like “Stinkfist” and “Schism.” The next night, they played nine — four of which had been on the previous night’s setlist.

In fan video posted to Reddit and YouTube, fans can be heard booing throughout the set, though the band was greeted with applause as they finished.

In another post on Reddit, one fan who claimed to have seen the band in concert 16 times called the repeated songs “inexcusable,” as Tool “advertised unique setlists and played the same s--- they’ve been playing for six years now.”

Stas Rusek, a Georgia-based lawyer and Tool fan who attended the festival, told Louder Sound he’s even considering a class-action lawsuit against the festival’s promoters, as the band did not deliver on the “two unique sets” that were advertised.

“There was a palpable sense of betrayal in the air as the show began the second night, and it lingered throughout the remainder of the weekend,” he said. “Most Tool fans, like me, have attended multiple shows on the same tour, and we know that, due to the spectacular and complex nature of their show, most songs will be repeated. However, this is not what festival attendees were promised. [I’m] a huge Tool fan, but also a festival attendee who feels your pain and seeks justice for all of those ripped off by a classic bait and switch.”

Other fans, however, felt differently, with one person posting on Reddit that they “loved [Tool in the Sand] and I would go again.”

"Unpopular opinion, let me start by saying I was absolutely disappointed/let down by the setlist for both nights,” the fan wrote. “People were booing at the start of the duplicate songs but mostly cheering (at least from where I was) and I had such a good time that’s an invaluable experience even if I didn’t see a single song I’ve never heard them perform at least a handful of times each.”

The festival’s website said that packages included a room at either the Hard Rock or Royalton Punta Cana, all-inclusive food and drinks, all music events and transportation to and from the airport. Prices ranged from to $2,358 to $7,775, depending on room size and number of people.

Tool — comprised of singer Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor — have released five albums. Their most recent, Fear Inoculum, came out in 2019.

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TOOL SUUUXXXXX11!!!1!

 
Whenever I think about Tool, this always comes to mind for some reason.

tool-fans-vs-primus-fans-v0-lmfpiu2ssw3a1.webp
 
Whenever I think about Tool, this always comes to mind for some reason.

View attachment 7094854
Never understood why Tool fans praise their lyrics so much, because they're easily the weakest part of their songs. There's literally one Tool song (Jambi) that has lyrics that don't make me cringe. The preceding song (Vicarious) on that album has lyrics so brain-meltingly awful that even as a moody 15 year old they gave me second-hand embarrassment.
 
I immediately asked the AI if this is a Jewish surname.

Yes, it said. It's an Azkenazi Jewish name.
Those guys are everywhere, how creepy


How I feel about Lateralus. Not a troll. Aenmia is goat.
It's my favorite album actually
I remember being a stoner in school back in the mid 00's, and the Tool fans who would smoke with us sometimes were absolute faggots.. like white middle class pricks with dreadlocks and goatees who would sniff their own farts. I bought one of Tools albums (Aenima or w.e it's called) and listened to it quite a bit for a few weeks, was alright but nothing to write home about.. the ballwashing of that band is super cringe tbh.
I never thought that "tool junkie fans" was that literal, it's really that common? I'm a misfit between the tool fans?
Went to Danzig, King Diamond, and Electric Six last year. These niggas are getting ooooold. If you get the opportunity to see them one last time? DO IT.
I didn't saw the last black Sabbath concert and I will regret it my whole life
 
Never understood why Tool fans praise their lyrics so much, because they're easily the weakest part of their songs. There's literally one Tool song (Jambi) that has lyrics that don't make me cringe. The preceding song (Vicarious) on that album has lyrics so brain-meltingly awful that even as a moody 15 year old they gave me second-hand embarrassment.
I'm kinda agree with you, to me the best that tool has to offer is the music and the experimental sounds, A perfect circle lyrics are a little better but still a little cringe, TBH some tool lyrics sound like a high school boys rant, like the outsider

What the hell are those lyrics
 
I'm kinda agree with you, to me the best that tool has to offer is the music and the experimental sounds, A perfect circle lyrics are a little better but still a little cringe, TBH some tool lyrics sound like a high school boys rant, like the outsider

What the hell are those lyrics
The only song with lyrics that I like is probably Wings for Marie. On the whole their music is solid 'drug trip' fare but kind of overrated otherwise. Like nobody goes on a multi-hour car ride and says "Hey lets bust out Lateralus!"
 
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