Tool is one of the many artists set to play this weekend's Back To The Beginning farewell tribute to Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne, set to take place on Saturday, July 5th, at Villa Park in Birmingham, UK.
While Tool originally passed on the opportunity to perform, it was guitarist Adam Jones' long-standing friendship with Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello that became the catalyst for their eventual involvement. Morello, who is curating an all-star tribute jam session, reached out to Jones for a collaboration alongside Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins.
What started as a one-off performance between friends quickly evolved into a full-band commitment. In an interview with Guitar World, Jones shared his excitement: "I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it. I pinch myself every day. You go, 'When I was 16, did you ever think you'd meet these guys? Did you ever think you'd open for these guys? Did you ever think you'd have your own guitar line with Gibson? Did you ever think you'd have four Grammys?' My life's good, man. It's good, and on that day, it'll be even better."
Tool's internal discussions initially leaned away from performing. According to Jones: "It came through Tom Morello. The four of us [in Tool] were on the phone, or texting – I can't remember – and someone went, 'I don't think I can do it.' Someone else went, 'Okay, yeah, I think I'm gonna do this other thing.' I think I even went, 'Yeah, let's not do it.' But it was really an honor that they asked us."
The turning point for Tool playing the show came when Jones learned his bandmates were already connected to the show: "I was again talking to Tom, and I went, 'Yeah, I'm sorry we all couldn't do it.' He goes, 'Well, you know Dan [Carey, Tool's drummer] is playing with these guys, and Maynard [James Keenan, Tool's singer] is playing with these people…' I went, 'I didn't know that…' It hit me, and I said, 'If the three of us are there – and I know Justin [Chancellor, bass] will want to do it…' That's how it happened – and why it was announced later."
As for Black Sabbath's influence on Jones, he explained their lasting impact on his music: "I always wanted to do a compilation of music that scared the shit out of me when I heard it for the first time, Black Sabbath was like that for me… I still put that music on today, and I get the same thing I was getting out of it when I first heard it."
He also gave special credit to Tony Iommi: "It's why I'm obsessed with drop D… The riffs were so good. I could play them, but there's a vibe, and it's wonderful. And if you don't hear it in Tool, you probably aren't really into Black Sabbath."
