Clutch
Psychic Warfare Tour – 10/13/2015
The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN
Anytime I get the chance to see Clutch, I take it – no questions asked. They are veterans of the stage, with over two decades under their belt and the original lineup in tact. Their music touches just about every genre on the planet – maybe most evident by a relatively new song called DC Sound Attack, that features a killer Go-Go beat on a cowbell as a prominent theme. Seemingly nothing is out of bounds for Clutch – Metal, stoner rock, blues, southern rock, and many more fall right in their wheelhouse, and the result is a seemingly endless catalog of fantastic songs, and albums that range from solid to absolute classic. However, in my humble opinion, their real brilliance only comes to life during their show. Oh man that live show…
My most recent opportunity to catch them live was at The Vogue in Indy, which is a great small venue in the Broad Ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis. (Recently, Nonpoint and 10 Years performed there). Clutch was on tour supporting their latest (eleventh!) album, called Psychic Warfare, and hit Indy on a rainy October day. To open up the night, The Shrine and Corrosion of Conformity both put on really good shows, and my initial introduction to both bands was one of pleasant surprise. As CoC finished their show, I snagged one last Sun King WeeMac and headed to the front of the venue. Something told me that the mob was about to go wild… My expectations couldn’t be higher Clutch – let’s do this.
I spent the first couple songs just watching the band do their thing. The technical ability of this band is really impressive – Jean-Paul Gaster on the drums and Tim Sult on the guitar are really fantastic to watch because of the way they lock in – neither of them are animated when they play but they both totally lose themselves in the music. In contrast to that, vocalist/guitarist Neil Fallon can’t be held back, and is so animated that he makes it impossible for me to stand still. He’s also quite the singer, and his chops were on display right out of the gate, as halfway through the opening song (X-Ray Vision), he introduced the band: “And on the drums….Gemini. On the Bass guitar. Pisces. On Lead guitar, presenting Ares. and on the MICROPHONE – SCOORRPPIOOONNN!!” It was one hell of an opening, and the place went absolutely nuts. They followed that up with a fantastic rendition of Crucial Velocity, in which the crowd’s “Rocket 88” seemed louder than the speakers. Clutch fans are diehard, and this show was no different – the energy at this show was extremely high, and Clutch really never let up. As they moved into the heart of the set, Clutch focused more on their latest material, which is a pretty common theme for them. (A benefit to always putting out solid music – people are actually excited when you “play the new stuff”) A Quick Death in Texas was awesome – the song features a killer groove-oriented guitar riff that really allowed Tim Sult to put on a display. I also loved the live version of Behold the Colossus, which wasn’t a song I recognized. I absolutely loved the chorus, and couldn’t get the song out of my head for about a week.
After a quick break to let us know how glad they were to be back in Indy, they moved into the final third of the show, which practically abandoned new material in favor of a slew of greatest hits. As Behold the Colossus finished up, the lights were cut, and Fallon walked up to the mic and smiled. Mayhem ensued as Fallon said “Please allow me to adjust my pants. So that I can dance the good time dance.” One of their best songs ever, The Mob Goes Wild was a clear highlight, just as it always is. I also was reminded of how great Pure Rock Fury is at this show – one of those song sI had sort of forgotten about. However, of all those songs in this section of the show, DC Sound Attack was the biggest surprise for me. I love this song, but at this show it hit me like a freight train. The first time through the chorus, Fallon did his trademark eye-bulge while pointing in my general direction and bellowed “Trouble I Love. Peace I do despise. I’m a warmonger baby, I got BLOOD IN MY EYES and I’m looking at YOU!” It was the best moment of the show, and judging by the crowd reaction, many present agreed with me. It was such an intense song, and watching the energy transition from the epic harmonica intro, to huge guitar riffs and fast drum fills in the meat of the song, to the cowbell go-go beat at the end made it a real masterpiece. Just another song that shows the Clutch’s ability to weave together a song in such a unique way. Awesome.
DC Sound Attack ended with the band walking off stage, although we all knew they had more in them. They did return, of course, and they treated us to a couple more songs before landing on the ultimate closer – Electric Worry. I could spend three paragraphs listing all the things that make Electric Worry a fantastic song live, but just imagine every single thing that makes music great, and then pretend a band makes it all happen at once. If you’ve ever seen Clutch live, there’s no doubt that for days afterward, an endless loop of “Bang Bang Bang Bang! Vamonos Vamonos” was playing in your head nonstop. If you haven’t, it’s one of the best closers around. At its conclusion, the crowd went nuts, and just like that, it was over.
There’s something so unique about this band’s live show – they aren’t overly exciting or animated on stage. They don’t have guitar players criss crossing and jumping up and down and crowd surfing. There’s no pyro, or crazy LED screens. It’s just a kickass band, walking up on stage, and absolutely crushing it. As other 90’s bands have either folded or begun to mail it in, Clutch continues to deliver a high-quality experience every single night they play. No gimmicks, just great music, played by great musicians. This show was no exception.
Everyone always asks me “Where did all the rock bands go?” Here’s one. And a pretty great one at that.
Cheers!