It’s one thing to attend a concert and be disappointed. Most would have experienced this before.
You conjure this vision in your head of what it’s going to be like. The stage, the atmosphere, the performance. Only for you to get there and have the performance not quite marry up with what you expected. It is quite another thing though to threaten legal action against that very same band or performer.
At the Live in The Sand festival in the Dominican Republic, a group of Tool fans left in a furious state. Promised ‘two unique sets’, fans were only served up one full show and another half-packed with repeats. Many subsequently proceeded to boo the band and one individual even flipped them off mid- set.
Now, things might get legal. Stasio French Rusek, a lawyer and festival attendee, is looking into a class action lawsuit over the festival’s advertising. After rumours started circulating online, several publications reached out to Rusek’s firm and confirmed it’s legit.
The lawsuit, if it happens, won’t be against Tool but against the festival promoters for misleading marketing. “These were my 27th and 28th Tool shows. There was a palpable sense of betrayal in the air as the second night started, and it lingered throughout the remainder of the weekend,” Rusek told Metal Hammer.
At the core of the issue is what “two unique sets” actually means. Some argue that minor changes count, but most expected two completely different setlists. Many shelled out thousands thinking they’d get that, only to see half the second set repeat songs from the first.
For context, Tool’s second set on March 8 featured eight songs, four of which they had already played the night before. Fans didn’t take it well. Booing started mid-set, and one fan made a statement by hanging a “Fuck Maynard James Keenan” sign outside their hotel room.
So far, Tool and the festival promoters have kept quiet, but this one isn’t going away anytime soon. Given how intense Tool fans are—both in devotion and criticism—this could get interesting fast.
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