Doom Saloon 1 & 2

 

I think we’re all trying to do our best to survive the coronavirus.  In my case the biggest impact has been a summer of concerts wiped out.   King Crimson and Dead & Company were cancelled outright, Judas Priest, Fu Manchu and All Them Witches were postponed to much later dates, and TOOL is postponed to a date still unknown.

 A few bands have figured out that conducting online concerts is a way to circumvent this whole issue, and of these, Clutch is one. I’ve enjoyed both of their Doom Saloon shows, May 27 and August 7.  If there is one downside – in addition to missing the energy of a personal appearance and a similarly motivated audience – it’s these shows are fairly short, less than an hour each.  Normally a headliner, Clutch included, can be expected to play at least 90 minutes.   Some bands like Dead & Company and King Crimson play closer to 3 hours.  Well, I’d rather a 50 minute online live show than no show at all.

 A few benefits of online shows vs. in person.  1) No obstructed view issues.  None of this business of Shaquille O’Neal deciding that the exact center of the floor area is the perfect place for him to stand and block everyone else’s view.  2) No moshing.  I came to see the band, not some drunken asshole who feels that he’s not enjoying himself if he’s not ruining it for everyone else.  3) Flip side is that you can intoxicate yourself anyway you want with no hassles.  4) Logistics.  Log in, watch, no issues of getting to the venue and back again in one piece.  5)  No virus.  Of course, the most pertinent issue is that you won’t catch the virus from your fellow audience members. 

 Doom Saloon 1:  May 27, 2020.  Setlist: Who Wants To Rock?; Pure Rock Fury; Weird Times; The Soapmakers; The Regulator; Firebirds!; The Incomparable Mr. Flannery; Unto the Breach; Electric Worry; The House That Peterbilt; A Shogun Named Marcus; Minotaur; Evil (Cactus cover); In Walks Barbarella.

 I got a t-shirt, but I did not see that they released the show itself as a recording.  This one actually had opening acts, of which Crowbar was the only band I cared for, though as I was unable to free myself from work until Clutch’s show, it was moot anyway.

 Doom Saloon 2: August 7, 2020.  Setlist:  How To Shake Hands; Power Player; Rock’n’Roll Outlaw; Far Country; Smoke Banshee; What Would A Wookie Do?; Mice and Gods; Profits of Doom; Ghoul Wrangler; King of Arizona; (In the Wake of) the Swollen Goat; Your Love is Incarceration; Brazenhead; Oregon

 I did order the t-shirt and vinyl recording of the show.   No opening acts this time around.  This setlist was submitted by a fan (Marshall Snyder) and includes a fair amount of deep cuts.    A fellow Clutch fan made the astute observation that, even if we picked our least favorite Clutch songs, we’d still have an excellent set. 

 Next up: DOWN.  The supergroup with Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity, Phil Anselmo of Pantera, and Kirk Windstein of Crowbar, will be playing its first album, NOLA, in its entirety, on August 29.  I have my ticket and I’m ready to go.

 I might as well address this “play the whole album” deal.  Generally I’m NOT keen on it, for several reasons:

1.         No surprise.  I like NOT knowing what a band is going to be playing.  If they announce they’ll be playing a given album, you know at least that part of the set in advance.

2.         Already part of the set.  When bands do this, they pick their most popular album, which is already a major part of the set.  Rush did Moving Pictures, but since “Tom Sawyer”, “Red Barchetta”, “YYZ” and “Limelight” (side A of the original 1981 vinyl) were already set staples, that left “Camera Eye”, “Witchhunt” and “Vital Signs” as the odd ones out.  Priest did British Steel, most of which they were playing anyway.  The exception was Jethro Tull, with Aqualung.  Stuff like “Hymn 43”, “Mother Goose” and “Wind Up” weren’t common in the set (if ever), and Ian Anderson did something very clever:  he didn’t play the album track by track consecutively, he alternated with non-album tracks to mix it up.

I would advise bands to do this at least, or – if they’re feeling really bold – play an entire album, sure, but a different album each show. 

 Anyhow.  Both Clutch shows were excellent, inexpensive, and highly enjoyable, and I eagerly await the DOWN show online.  See you there!