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The signs were hard to miss, as was all the shouting that the road to hell was paved by entering the concert venue. I don't remember ever attending a concert before with protestors outside, thus, it was extremely jarring to see them greeting thousands at the Fort Worth Convention Center that evening.

The show in question was Tool. Admittedly, I am not a ravenous Tool fan, but I have a couple of their albums and enjoy the tunes. The fact that Tomahawk - fronted by the alternative legend Mike Patton - was opening the show cemented my decision to accept a free ticket.

The protestors in front of this third tier facility were what you might expect; high-school aged kids armed with Bibles, signs, courage and memorized scripture that could be quoted loudly out-of-context at a moment's notice. I considered trying to engage one of these folks in a conversation to explain why culture and faith are not immediately at odds and how something is not necessarily evil just because they do not happen to like it. I refrained, though, as I knew the path the conversation would take. Instead, I went on down the "road to hell" that I was being sternly warned about by those who were bearing the brunt of a great deal of very harsh criticism

Tomahawk's set was short, loud, and very different than what was expected. Mike Patton and his crew of underground all-stars shredded and screamed their way through a forty-minute warm-up set to the absolute and unfortunate disdain of the crowd. It was very disheartening to hear the throng of teens booing the man who fronted the fabulous Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, and the current Fantomas in addition to the band of the hour. Tomahawk's sound was a mixture of hardcore punk and metal sounds mixed with industrial, electronica bits and even a little funk. It was truly marvelous work that the Tool-heads never gave a chance.

The crowd's disinterest can be forgiven based primarily on their youth. Most of the young men and women probably have never heard "We Care a Lot" by Patton' s more famous previous band, and may remember "Epic" as simply a radio tune they saw on MTV between Madonna rock-blocks. Concerts for rock bands are a young person's territory, no doubt, but it is somewhat shocking in the case of a band like Tool, with deeper lyrics and more challenging progressive sounds than most metal bands.

Tool took the stage to treat the crowd to over two hours of blasting art metal. Giant video screen on either side of the stage flashed images similar to the disturbing artwork in the "Stinkfist" and "Sober" videos. Those two songs emerged early in the set, along with other popular tunes. The latter half of the set reflected more of the progressive, longer songs from Tool's various albums, building from minimalist foundations into searing metallic anthems. Tapestries were unveiled later in the performance, and an excellent lighting system illuminated the stage, the backdrop and the crowd. It was an impressive performance with equally impressive staging.

The crowd was very ready for Tool, but Maynard James Keenan, clad in a black two piece bikini chose a spot near the back of the stage next to the drum kit to lurk. Much of the time he allowed the remainder of the band and the images and lights to stand out, hiding just beyond the edge of the spotlight. On this night at least, he did not want to be the centerpiece of the festivities. The music and the experience were to be remembered instead.

Keenan remarked that the crowd sounded like Houston rather than Fort Worth. He meant this as a compliment, but the crowd let him know that comparisons to Houston are unwelcome here. Regardless, much of the capacity crowd knew every word to every song and shouted along in appreciation.

Tool's lyrics are certainly not Christian and in fact can often be viewed as anti-Christian. There are doubts throughout and questions aplenty. That must have been the point of the protestors. the spirituality of King David shouldn't be compared to Maynard James Keenan, but the Psalms were full of doubts of their own. Tool's lyrics can be vitriolic, but they are thoughtful and measured in many respects. One cannot simply dismiss every question as blasphemous. Is it not the charge of believers to understand those who do not believe so that we can love and serve them better?

Keenan did briefly address the protestors and the band's message. He did not know how many had been converted on the way into the building, but, "In the beginning was love, and love should be infinite, unconditional and without judgment."

Overall, I did leave feeling inspired. The music itself was cathartic and interesting, but I left thinking as well. Not doubting - thinking. I do not know if a scholar before me has coined this phrase, but I come back to it again and again every day:

Those who dismiss everything that on face value does not agree with their belief system and discard it without trying to find meaning in it are missing the point of Tool. Is God not big enough to use even those who cry out against him? What about those who yearn for unconditional love? Despite the anti-Tool crowd's admonitions and perhaps despite Tool's wishes, this was an inspiring, thought-provoking evening of cathartic music. God is found in some of the strangest places.