In a time where Covid has us all cooped up,  Clutch brings their 30 years of Rock tour to Detroit and the fans were ready.  People showed up to the Fillmore early and in masses.  People were lined up around the block before doors opened at that’s saying something as is was a cool 35 degrees outside with gusty winds making it fairly brutal.  

On tour and opening this stop was Nate Bergman from Lionize.  If you haven’t heard him sing,  one word to describe his vocals is riveting.  He opened his show a cappella and immediately had everyones attention.  Everyone around me had completely shut up and had a thousand yard stare right to the stage.  Look up @NateBergmanSings.  You won’t be disappointed.  And hey,  even you disagree, he still entertains with a killer sense of humor between songs. 

Next up on the stage was a band I hadn’t heard before, Stoner.  This may come as a shock,  they embrace stoner metal.  Apparently,  many in the audience know of the band as the venue was quickly engulfed in the smell of chronic.  Either that, or someone lost a pet skunk in the place.  But seriously,  these guys have serious groove.  The music almost seemed to come out of the amps in chunks.  Seriously good notes. Heavy on the blues at times,  other times just straight up rockin’. These guys started the band in 2020 and are quick gaining notoriety.  Definitely worth looking into. 

Finally on stage came the band so many had been buzzing about and clamoring to see, Clutch.  Our beloved Detroit is a big stop for a lot of rock artists and quite frankly,  it’s been too slow of a year for concerts which cause a lot of pent up emotion.  The energy release when clutch hit the stage was instant combustion.  

It seemed almost surreal to me that the band on stage was celebrating 3 decades of pure hard rock.  I guess that’s a sign of my own age when I still think of them as band in a newer stage of music.  They played their asses off for this show too.  There is no shortage of drive during their set.

So let’s go back to that crowd that was waiting in the blistering cold to get in.  You guys SHOWED UP.  I did not expect to see such an active mosh pit as there are obviously going to be a lot of fans over 40 when you’re a band celebrating 30 years.  But holy shit!   Detroit rockers are always respectful when moshing but a few got a little carried away as casualties were sitting on the outside aisles.  One guy had his nose blown out and pair of throbbing shiners to match while another guy was helped to the lobby with his noggin wrapped in bandages.

Don’t let that last bit bring you down from going to a show.  Plenty of normal people outside of the pit that were just there for a kick ass show without getting their ass kicked in the process.

Lastly,  I’d say the content of the set list was absolute fire.  Over the years,  Clutch has made a LOT of incredible music and I’m sure its hard for the guys to narrow down a set list to fit the time slot of a show.  That said,  it was a great blend of classics including music from all of their walks along their musical journey.  One thing for sure, Clutch has never been untrue to their style.  You will know exactly what you’re going to get any time you pop on a clutch jam. They just don’t wear out.  Might be 30 years but it all seems timeless to me. 

Set list:

Passive Restraints
Impetus
A Shogun Named Marcus
Power Player Ghoul Wrangler
A Quick Death in Texas
The Elephant Riders The Soapmakers
Gimme the Keys
Rats
Pure Rock Fury
Mice and Gods
Rock n Roll Outlaw
How to Shake Hands
Strive for Excellence
X-Ray Visions
Firebirds!