Geddy Lee’s opinion on Tool

The classic line-up of Rush, formed by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart, was one of the first to mix Hard Rock and Progressive Rock, becoming a major influence on groups that would emerge later, whether playing a similar style or what would eventually be known as Progressive Metal.

Geddy Lee had the opportunity to witness the evolution of many of those bands and to meet their members. Throughout his career, he has spoken about several of them, giving his opinion on groups such as the acclaimed American band Tool.

What is Geddy Lee’s opinion on Tool

Geddy Lee is a fan of Tool and when he was part of CBC’s “Jam or Not a Jam” and  ‘Schism’ was played through his headphones, he said: “This is a jam already. You just have to give an odd time signature and I’m all in. This is one I want to turn up, I’m digging it. I don’t remember who it is, but I heard it before,” then they tell him it is Tool and he says: “Oh, yeah. Well, there you go,” he told CBC in 2019. That track is part of the band’s third album “Lateralus”, released in 2001.

Geddy Lee had the chance to perform with Tools’ drummer Danny Carey in 2023 at Taylor Hawkins’ tribute show. He was the one who played the drums with Alex and Geddy when they were performing Rush’s “YYZ”. Talking with The Guardian that year, he said that Carey was one of the best drummers in the world. “There are so many (great drummers). We’re living in a time rich with great drummers. I love Danny Carey’s playing. I love Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers).”

Geddy Lee continued:

“Very different to Neil (Peart), but the man has so much power. I heard this drummer the other day, I think her name is Anika (Nilles). She played on the last Jeff Beck tour and I thought she was terrific,” Geddy Lee said, at the time mentioning Anika who was announced in 2025 as Rush’s touring drummer.

Geddy knows the members of Tool for a few decades already and curiously mentioned the vocalist Maynard James Keenan when he was once asked if he knew any other Rock stars who were also wine lovers. “There are many, but I can think of two guys right off hand who got bitten by the bug and started their own wineries. There’s Maynard from the band Tool who has started a winery in Arizona. Also, Les Claypool from Primus is now making his own wine as well. Pinot Noir, I think, from his winery in Sonoma,” Geddy Lee said in an interview with TidingsMag.com in 2011.

Alex Lifeson is also a fan and played with Tool

Rush’s guitarist Alex Lifeson is also a big fan of Tool and one of his favorite songs by them is “Their Eye”, from the album “Ænima”, released in 1996. “Adam Jones is a fabulous guitarist and songwriter, and Tool are such a powerful band. You know it’s Tool when you hear them, because they’re intensely dynamic, yet heavy, even when their playing is light. I listened to this album over and over; I don’t do that very often. Tool have an interesting, intelligent approach to song construction and lyrics. It’s just too bad we don’t hear from them more often,” Lifeson said in an interview with Guitar World.

He had the chance to play with the band on stage in 2023 when they did a show in Toronto. He joined them on stage to perform “Jambi”, a track from their fourth album “10,000 Days” (2006). But before playing that track, Lifeson played a snippet of Rush’s “A Passage to Bangkok”. During their performance Alex and Tool’s guitarist Adam Jones played long guitar solos and in the end the singer Keenan said: “Thank you, Alex. What a Rush!”

Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1990, Tool has released so far only five studio albums. The acclaimed records turned them into one of the biggest bands from their genre. They are: “Undertow” (1993), “Ænima” (1996), “Lateralus” (2001), “10,000 Days” (2006) and “Fear Inoculum” (2019).

The band’s line up has remained the same since 1995: Maynard James Keenan (vocals), Adam Jones (guitar), Danny Carey (drums), and Justin Chancellor (bass). They have won three Grammy Awards so far and have been nominated six times. They have sold an estimated 13 million records in the United States alone. Today, Tool has nearly six million monthly listeners on Spotify.