Get Out! Eject!

Clutch has always been my dirty secret of bands I'm obsessed with, but after last night's show I no longer feel dirty about them. It would be unfair to give a specific label to the musical stylings of Clutch, but here is the best I can come up with...stoner alt jam metal with a touch of southern rock, jazz and blues. Boy that is a handful, but gives you a sense of the complexity of their music. Clutch is a two headed monster, you have the incomparable Neil Fallon on vocals whose death metal esq voice and lyrics have been known to insight a riot...backed up by a dark stoner rawk jam band. Two worlds collide in making up the magic of Clutch and you'll either hate 'em or LOVE every minute of it.
Earlier in the day I went online to get the start time and noticed the show was SOLD-OUT, which I was actually surprised by due to ticket cost with ticetbastard charges and The Bakerton Group show turnout (less than 25 people) back in January at the Knitting Factory. The Bakerton Group is basically Clutch without lead singer Neil Fallon playing completely instrumental music. This illustrates my point above, take away Neil on vocals and a chunk of their audience is no longer interested. The joke was actually on them because Neil was at The Knitting Factory TBG show and took the vox during the encore for a few new Clutch songs. That show in January was the reason I got a ticket for Irving Plaza...hadn't been to a Clutch show since the late 90's and all those old memories had instantly returned getting me AMPED to see them again full on.Got to Irving Plaza at 9:30pm and after thirty minutes of waiting in lines to check my coat, go to the bathroom, and grab some beers (longest lines ever at IP for each BTW)...I found a perfect spot dead center. Unfortunately after about 5 seconds of Clutch hitting the stage I was dead center of a mosh pit. I love a good mosh pit as much as the next guy, but the problem with Clutch is that their music can't sustain a most pit. One minute it's pure out thrash and burn with Neil on the verge of popping a blood vessel, but the next minute they are playing some blues riffs and jamming out some space metal. The funny part is that during some low key moments of the show, the mosh pit would actually slow down with the music and become more posh than mosh. Wasn't into the whole mosh scene, so I just moved over a few feet and was completely fine the rest of the show. One quick side, all the fans around me (including the moshers) were very friendly and polite...and even though the show was +16 I felt like one of the youngest people there (a refreshing feeling for a change).Only recognized a handful songs and wished they had played some more off their self-titled second album, but I'm really not complaining in the least...the new songs are really great and can't wait to get their new album From Beale Street to Oblivion next week. Eric Oblander from Five Horse Johnson (opening band) sat in for a few songs on harmonica and bluesd up the set...it was fun seeing Eric and guitarist Tim Sult go back and forth trading licks. Dan Maines on bass and Jean-Paul Gaster on drums kept those signature Clutch grooves going all night long. It was my first time seeing them with Mick Schauer on keyboard/organ (they used to be pure power trio)...he really fills out their sound nicely and allows them to explore more during the jams. And Neil Fallon goes into my top five all-time favorite frontmans after last night...I'm not even sure who the other four are so maybe he is my number one. Overall the show was incredible and definitely the best I've ever seen them. The second I walked out of Irving Plaza all I could think about was seeing them again and for sure it won't be another ten years this time. The set clocked in at 1h45m building up to the "Escape From The Prison Planet" monster jam for the encore.Clutch
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007
Irving Plaza
New York, NY

The Soapmakers/Jam
Burning Beard
The Incomparable Mr. Flannery
Child of the City
10001110101
Pure Rock Fury
I Have the Body of John Wilkes Booth
You Can't Stop The Progress
Power Player/Jam
Mice and Gods
Pulaski Skyway
Big Fat Pig/Jam
Black Umbrella
Brazenhead/Jam
Electric Worry/Jam
One Eye Dollar
The Mob Goes Wild
(In the Wake of the) Swollen Goat
White's Ferry/Jam

Encore:
Promoter
Escape from the Prison Planet/Extended Jam

Neil Fallon (vox/guitar)
Tim Sult (guitar)
Dan Maines (bass)
Jean-Paul Gaster (drums)
Mick Schauer (keys)
Special Guest: Eric Oblander (harmonica)