After a day of alt-rock and indie pop, this reviewer needed some metal charge in his diet as Tool headlined Friday night for a dependable two-hour set that showed a good surprise towards the end of the set. The crowd at the large What Stage was estimated somewhere in the 35-40,000 range as the night gave away to loud guitar thunder.

Taunting the crowd as usual, lead singer Maynard James Keenan entered the stage and mockingly said “I smell patchouli” as he laughed and launched into the intricate rapid fire jam of “Jambi.” He would later taunt the audience as he remarked, “I just took a cold shower and went back to my air conditioning” which the mostly hot, dirty and sweaty fans took in stride.

The first part of the band’s set revolved heavily on their latest “10,000 Days” record. With Keenan and guitarist Adam Jones blasting into hit tracks like “Vicarious” and “The Pot” early on. The 12-minute “Rosetta Stoned” was a strong bridge between the beginning and tail end of the set. But that didn’t stop the band from diving into their past. The band did play beefed up jam versions of “Schism” and “Forty Six and Two” to perfection.

The band’s usual visual imagery was shown for all the fans to see, as the video and visual concepts created by guitarist Jones left the audience captivated . I believed people would want to see the band, but the band has been more about on-stage mystery than their self-image. It’s probably part of the reason why no photography was allowed during the band’s set.

The best and most surprising moment of the show was when Tom Morello joined the band on stage for an intense version of “Lateralus” which sent the crowd wild. Between his own Nightwatchman set and his on stage work with Tool, Morello had more than a busy day.

Being known as a “thinking man’s metal band,” Tool is one of the few hard rock/metal bands that could pull off playing Bonnaroo. Even though most of the true Bonnaroo diehards probably went back to get some rest, Tool delivered a tried and true set that puts them apart in the rock scene today.

The Police - Bonnaroo Festival- Saturday, June 16^th
One of the reunions that it was said would never, ever happen is now three weeks old and counting as the long awaited Police return hit the massive What Stage as Saturday night’s headliner for a somewhat brief, but still enjoyable 100-minute set. The grounds of the What Stage were the most full this reviewer had seen by this point, with a conservative estimate of around 55,000 as the reformed trio blasted through all of the band’s many hits, but with much improvisation which worked better in some cases than others.

As lead singer/bassist Sting, drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers let loose with a stellar version of the opening “Message in a Bottle” to start the set as the sun had now set and the moon was starting to dwell on the grounds. The nighttime seemed to be the best time for the band’s set, as the mellow vibes of such songs as “Synchrocity II” and “The Best of What’s Still Around” seemed to fit perfect with the festival.

Most of the band’s set was a hit parade, such as hits like “Every Thing She Does is Magic,” and even slightly more obscure material like “Walking in Your Footsteps” were given a very slick and energized feel.

As much of a hit-fest as it was, many of the songs were reworked in their arrangement and instrumentation. This was done more than likely to accommodate the jam-friendly fans at Bonnaroo. Some of the new arrangements blended together better than others: “Do, Do, Do, Da, Da, Da” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger” were given a tinge more of a jazz and reggae shift that fit really well. Meanwhile, some of Sting’s improvisations in his vocals were a weird mix of scat and jazz music, which took away from the songs themselves. This reviewer though more of the set should sound far more straight forward than it was at some points. But on tracks like “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “Walking on the Moon,” the songs sounded just like it was envisioned.

The strength of the band these days is not actually with global crusader Sting, but with Copeland and Summers, who provided the meaty fusion of rock and reggae with near flawless precision. Copeland was provided the most style and rhythm to the Police’s sound and it showed at their Bonnaroo set. It may seem that Copeland and Sting are still all are not that chummy, but they are at least avoiding fisticuffs that we have heard stories about in the past.

Copeland stated in a pre-Bonnaroo interview that this show would be the “jam band version” of their show compared to the rest of the dates. The Police at Bonnaroo was a fine start, but it will be intriguing to see if they stick more to the supposed game plan when they hit Detroit in mid-July.

For more Detroitbuzz coverage of Bonnaroo 2007, click here and here.