Claypool Gold: Les Claypool Brings Primus, Claypool Lennon Delirium & Frog Brigade To Salt Lake City

Les Claypool's eagerly anticipated Claypool Gold Tour reached the one-week mark on Tuesday with a concert in Salt Lake City. Claypool put his Primus, The Claypool Lennon Delirium and Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade projects through both separate and collaborative paces over a span of two hours at SLC venue The Complex.

The bassist came up with the idea for the trek after Primus embarked on the Sessanta tour with Puscifer and A Perfect Circle. Claypool Gold adopted the same format of blending three different bands into one memorable show.

Frog Brigade opened the action with a four-song performance drawing from four different Claypool projects. Up first was “Riddles Are Abound Tonight” from Les’ days in Sausage. Les Claypool then looked to his 2006 solo album, Of Whales And Woe, for “Rumble Of The Diesel.” The group moved forward with Primus drummer John Hoffman contributing to “Precipitation,” a song originally recorded and performed by the short-lived Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel outfit and closed their portion of the show with Frog Brigade original “David Makalaster.”

The Claypool Lennon Delirium took the stage next and launched into “Blood And Rockets: Movement I, Saga Of Jack Parsons – Movement II To The Moon” off their sophomore LP, South Of Reality. The group led by Les Claypool and Sean Ono Lennon proceeded to work through “Troll Bait” and “The Golden Egg Of Empathy” from their recently released The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy album.

From there, The Claypool Lennon Delirium returned to South Of Reality for its title track and served up a performance of “WAP (What A Predicament),” the lead single featured on The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy. The collaborations continued with a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine.” Primus guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde and drummer John Hoffman each added to the final song of The Claypool Lennon Delirium’s mini-set.

Primus closed out the show in Salt Lake City as they have all Claypool Gold Tour performances. The trio of Claypool, LaLonde and Hoffman has been changing up the setlist at each stop. On Tuesday, they kicked off their 11-song set with oldies “Here Come The Bastards” and “Dirty Drowning Man.” Primus then played “The Ol’ Grizz,” the song that opens the band’s recent EP, A Handful Of Nuggs.

The rest of the three-piece’s main set was loaded with career-spanning favorites, including “American Life,” “HOINFODAMAN,” “Seas Of Cheese,” “Mr. Krinkle” and “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver.” Additionally, Primus brought out members of the Frog Brigade for “The Ol’ Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman’s Chronicles, Part 3).”

Primus began the encore with Brown Album gem “Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread.” The stage was then loaded with members of all three bands for the evening’s “Southbound Pachyderm” finale.

The Claypool Gold Tour resumes tonight, May 28 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City. Primus, The Claypool Lennon Delirium and Frog Brigade will be on the road together through July 4.

Watch a series of fan-shot videos from the Claypool Gold show in Salt Lake City below:

Photos by Ryan West