TOOL Get Fired Up!

TOOL accidentally set fire to their dressing room on Nov. 12 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas, and are required to pay for the damage. Freeman Coliseum general manager J.C. Hrubetz says the fire was minor, and that the band's bill for the damage is "less than the amount of a used Chevy Truck."

The band owe a few thousand for damage to the door and drywall of the dressing room. The fire was caused by a burning candle that came in contact with a drape that had fallen onto it off the wall.

The TOOL webmaster gave this account on the band's website. "[TOOL vocalist] Maynard [Keenan] heads for the dressing room. As he is about to enter, he sniffs, turns to our recording engineer in the nearby booth and says, 'Mike, can you smell that?' Mike, being engrossed in computers and recording equipment, has noticed nothing. The door opens and smoke billows out engulfing the room. A candle put there to mask the smell of old Hockey pads and jock straps. Nice."

"Anyway, flames everywhere and the room is full of smoke swirling and spreading. The alarm raised, Maynard wanders off to soundcheck nonchalantly stating... 'My dressing room is on fire. What song should we start with tonight?' Stage manager Eric heads in to the room with an extinguisher to douse the flames assisted by a building rep. Myself and Matt (sound tech) take deep breaths and dive into rescue band equipment, computers, bags and personal stuff. After a few minutes we carry out the offending burnt table for further dousing outside the room. Mike is frantically covering all his computer gear to avoid smoke and extinguisher fumes."

The authorities were called, fire marshals arrived on the scene, and after "a quick change of rooms and a restock, the show went on as normal."

TOOL have reportedly been filming their recent live shows with plans to compile the footage for an upcoming live DVD release, due early next year.