Clutch - Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH - 02.28.07
Posted by Jeff Modzelewski on 03.08.2007
You can't stop, you can't stop progress
The first thing that you realize when going to a Clutch show is that they’re not showing up just for a show. They’re not out on tour, just playing their set every night, getting the crowd going, and then going home. They’re there to truly put on a show. They play different sets every night. They keep the crowd interested. They jam out on songs. They truly mix all of the elements that I love about jam bands with some of the best hard rock around. On top of all that, the music itself is always top-notch. The band is getting ready to release their 8th album, and they’ve continued to shift, evolve, try new things, and still stay true to their roots and fanbase. They’re beginning to really gain a larger mainstream following, and one of the main ways that they keep growing their base is through spectacular live shows.
The show on February 28th was the first of their tour promoting the upcoming “From Beale Street to Oblivion” album. Many of the 20 songs played were from the new album, but they also managed to play some of their best songs from other albums. They mixed up the heavier songs like “Burning Beard” and “Mob Goes Wild” with blusier stuff like “Gravel Road” and “Who’s Been Talkin’”. They mixed in some stuff that I didn’t expect them to play (mainly “I Have the Body of John Wilkes Booth”) with their “hits” (such as they are) like “1000110101” and “Mice and Gods.” On top of that, new songs were intermixed throughout the set. Some of my personal favorites are “You Can’t Stop Progress,” “The Devil and Me,” and “Electric Worry->One Eyed Dollar.” I could go through a song-by-song breakdown of the show, but it really wouldn’t do the band justice.
Along with the diverse set list, the band did a great job jamming on songs and doing unexpected things. “Cypress Grove” had a nice jam added to it, which was the highlight of the night for me. The band also jammed on “Gravel Road” for over 10 minutes, and ended in a strong way with an extended “Who’s Been Talkin’.” They even had Eric from Five Horse Johnson playing harmonica on quite a few songs. Overall the band played for nearly 2 of nonstop rock.
What probably impressed me the most about the show was how well the new songs fit into the set. I knew all of the songs (the wonders of the internet), but I'm always amazed when a band is able to take their new stuff and work it seamlessly into the rest of their set. The band played 9 new songs, but there was never a time that I thought "Man, I wish they'd stop playing this new stuff." Sure, there are other songs that I’d like to hear, but not so much that I'm upset about what they played. If they were gonna play every song I wanted to hear, they’d be on stage for 5 hours. ]Clutch continues to build their new music on the foundations they've laid with previous albums, and that's how they keep their fans excited about the music.
I would be remiss if I didn't take a minute to thank the folks that I went to the show with also. I met up with some cool guys pre-show, and I have to say that Clutch fans are one cool bunch of motherfuckers. Good music pre-show, a bit of drinking and partying. Hanging out with some cool guys always makes a good show even better, and that was a big plus to this show.
I am not an old-school Clutch fan. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really aware of the band until a few years ago. However, I’ve realized now that I need to make sure to catch their shows whenever possible. Their albums are always very good, but their live shows take the band to another level. Even if you don’t know their stuff, check them out. The first time I saw them I knew all of 1 song that they played that night. Didn’t bother me at all. That got me into the band, and they’ve turned into a band that I need to see every time they come around. I recommend that you do the same.
The 411: Clutch is a band that is worth seeing every time they play a show, whether you know the band or not. Clutch is a top-notch band and a spectacular live act.
