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

Mar. 15, 2025

Maynard Keenan of Tool performs onstage during the 2017 Governors Ball Music Festival - Day 3 at Randall’s Island on June 4, 2017 in New York City.Photo:Steven Ferdman/Getty

Steven Ferdman/Getty

WhenToolannounced 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 apost on Redditthat’s received nearly 3,000 upvotes. “Not sure what to say but this was a very disappointing show.”

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.

Adam Jones, Maynard James Keenan, Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor of Tool perform live onstage during 2017 Governors Ball Music Festival - Day 3 at Randall’s Island on June 4, 2017 in New York City.Taylor Hill/Getty Images/Governors Ball

Taylor Hill/Getty Images/Governors Ball

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 toRedditandYouTube, fans can be heard booing throughout the set, though the band was greeted with applause as they finished.

In anotherpost 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, toldLouder Soundhe’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.

Maynard Keenan of Tool performs onstage during the Governors Ball Music Festival - Day 3 at Randall’s Island in June 2017 in New York City.Steven Ferdman/Getty

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

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.

source: people.com