A glorious night of rock and roll was held on October 28th 2016. The Fillmore in Detroit, Michigan was packed full of fans ready to rock with Clutch on their Psychic Warfare tour.
Kicking off the show was Los Angeles based band, Kyng, dishing out a set full of hard hitting rock music and playing many songs off their recent album release, ‘Breathe In The Water’. Eddie Veliz was a delight as he riffed away on the axe and vocals unique of his own. Tony Castaneda on bass guitar and Pepe Clarke on drums kept the rhythm session going like a freight train thundering away. Kyng is a great band that set the tone for the rest of the night.
Up next was Zakk Sabbath, Zakk Wylde’s Black Sabbath tribute band. Never have I heard Black Sabbath songs in such a way. Zakk was on fire as he wailed away on the guitar filling the ears of everyone inside with grade A rock and roll. A killer set wasn’t accomplished alone, with Blasko on bass guitar and Joey C on drums; these guys were as energetic as Zakk’s guitar playing. All three creating music that made you dig the groove. You can never go wrong with Zakk Wylde in concert with his world class guitar shredding. The audience was riveted, Clutch’s drummer, Jean-Paul Gaster made an appearance to drum along with the guys, whetting the fans appetite for Clutch to hit the stage.
Even after 25 years of performing, Clutch had a stage that was simple and minimalist. No elaborate props or pyrotechnics, just four guys taking the stage to play some in your face hard rock and roll music. The presence of lead singer Neil Fallon was felt,as every fan in the house from the front to the back was feeling the vibe. It’s rare to see a band anymore, especially one that’s been around since 1991 have stuck together. It’s great to see and know some things stay intact, with Tim Sult on lead guitar, Dan Maines on bass guitar and Jean-Paul Gaster on drums. Clutch is a group with a loyal fan base and the band returned that support with a great show. There wasn’t much if any crowd surfing. The signs at the entrance must have been noticed as it warned against crowd surfing. An odd sight to see such a sign at a rock concert, as metal music and crowd surfing tend to go hand in hand. But I did see the moshing as fans thrashed along with the songs.
The night showed you that not everything needs to be shiny and over the top to be good. Just pure talent, some instruments and a stage is all you need to have a good time. All three bands delivered a wonderful set of rock n roll.Sometimes less is more and that’s alright. Rock on, my fellow concert junkies!!