I saw them in 1992, when nobody had even heard of em'. They played in dive bars on small stages with minimal to no lighting. Their setlists was just songs off of Opiate and a few from the yet-to-be released Undertow. In '92 there was maybe 100 people at the show. Maynard pulled his pants down, tucked his dick between his legs, and pranced around silence of the lambs style for a whole song.
I saw em' again in '93 at Lollapalooza on the side stage. Again, hardly any people there. Another great show.
Maynard, despite deliberately trying to avoid the spotlight, has almost caused that sentiment to backfire, as he now gets a lot of the credit for their success. The true lynch pin and creative talent is Adam Jones tho. He is a genuine badass.
I never became a Tool groupie like so many others. I like em', but don't think they are greatest band ever like most of their fans, but Adam Jones is a force of nature. Huge fan of him, personally.