For a band that gets little to no radio play in the Capital Region front man Neil Fallon and the other members of Clutch had a sold out Upstate Concert Hall on its feet singing every word to every song Saturday night.
There was no light show and no gimmicks. Clutch is a straight forward kick you in the teeth rock band and that is just what they did as they ripped through their seventeen-song set. They opened the show with the crowd favorite “Burning Beard” and didn’t stop until the last song, “X-Ray Visions,” off their latest release Psychic Warfare.
Neil Fallon tells just as much of a story with his vocals as he does with his movement, like a king holding court with spastic movements and commanding vocals, he owns the stage every second he is on it. Fallon’s vocals as well as the rest of the band are just as crisp and clean live as they are on their recordings. You must see Clutch live to appreciate their genius.
Show openers Kyng are a solid three piece from Los Angeles who really got the crowd going. They tore through their eight-song set from their three albums. The crowd at UCH really responded to the band and they showed their appreciation by hanging out at their merch booth for much of the night.
After Kyng left the stage Zakk Sabbath, Zakk Wylde’s Black Sabbath tribute band, invaded UCH and played the music of the gods. I believe that there was just as much anticipation for this band as there was for Clutch. They tore through six classic Sabbath songs with the highlight of the night for me anyway was when they completely tore up “War Pigs.” If there was anyone to front a Sabbath tribute band the lead Berserker himself is more than capable to wear the crown that Ozzy possesses.
Kyng setlist: Burn the Serum, Trails in Veins, Pushing & Pulling, Pristine Warning, Self Medicated Man, Breathe in the Water, Electric Halo, Falling Down
Zakk Sabbath Setlist: Children of the Grave, Snowblind, Supernaut, War Pigs, Into the Void, Fairies Wear Boots
Clutch Setlist: Burning Beard, Decapitation Blues, Crucial Velocity, Noble Savage, The House That Peterbilt, Sucker for the Witch, The Face, A Quick Death in Texas, The Soapmakers, Firebirds!, Cyborg Bette, Power Player, Passive Restraints, Cypress Grove, X-Ray Visions, Encore: Spacegrass, The Wolf Man Kindly Requests…
The crowd was alive and buzzing with anticipation before the show. Many in the audience wore different costumes that represented different stages of Al’s career. From the Devo inspired one piece suits to full on Amish clothes, the atmosphere combined a concert and Comic-Con.
Spiller is a true Rock ‘n’ Roll front man, writhing and dancing around the stage capturing every member of the audience in the palm of his hand. When he told the crowd to sing they sang and when he told them to jump they jumped. The Struts are the definition of a down and dirty rock band.
Dorothy Setlist: Kiss It, Dark Nights, Gun in My Hand, Wicked Ones, After Midnight, Woman, Raise Hell, Bang Bang Bang
The acoustic show opened with the band, singer John Cooper rhythm guitarist and Cooper’s wife Korey playing percussion on a wooden box, drummer Jen Ledger also playing percussion on a wooden box and lead guitarist Seth Morrison, taking the stage and performing their hit “Monster”. The show continued with local DJ Candace from 
Capping off a weekend of headlining shows after opening up for the legendary
Blackberry Smoke play their music their way and have not changed that thinking over their long career, and it now seems people are finally starting to take notice. They have gone from a bar band to a band that is capable of headlining arenas, and this writer for one hopes that more people take the time to listen to them and appreciate one of the truly great modern bands that is keeping the rock and roll spirit alive.