CLUTCH are kings of the album playthrough at the Myth!

CONCERT REVIEW :: CLUTCH
9/29/24
Myth, Maplewood, MN
Photos by Brett Zisler
Review by Nick

CLUTCH returned in glorious form to the Myth in Maplewood, MN to celebrate 20 years of their stellar record “Blast Tyrant” on the Two Headed Monster co-headline tour with Rival Sons and opener Black Stone Cherry. This long fan favorite record was a perfect choice to celebrate by playing in full front to back just like on the album.

As a long time fan of CLUTCH getting to see “Blast Tyrant” played in it’s entirety was a treat in itself and well worth the price of the ticket right there. The album comes out swinging with a nice little intro jam of “Mercury” that sees guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines and drummer Jean-Paul Gaster getting a little warm up before slamming in for the second half of the track with vocalist extraodinare Neil Fallon joining in on the fun. The band driving straight into “Profits of Doom”, Clutch brings the funk and groove to the proceedings and the crowd ate it up. The always enjoyable “The Mob Goes Wild” comes along with plenty of sing alongs from the crowd. I always look forward to hearing “Cypress Grove” live and tonight’s version did not disappoint in the slightest.

The crowd tonight was well versed in Blast Tyrant and enjoyed taking the ride through the full album with songs that maybe haven’t been in CLUTCH set lists for a little bit like “Worm Drink,” “Army of Bono”, “Spleen Merchant” and “Ghost”. “Subtle Hustle” was another standout track from the evening continuing on the sets infectous grooves. “Ghost” was a nice change of pace during the set and one that I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Clutch play previous to tonight. Which brings in the point, is there anything in the Clutch catalog that Clutch can’t pull off live?! Clutch really pulled an ace out of their sleeve playing this track with ease. There had to be practice involved but I don’t believe there’s a song in the catalog that they couldn’t crank out in a flash if the moment of inspiration strikes.

Now the “bonus tracks” for the evening, Clutch brought out some deep cuts from earlier albums to much delight from the crowd. Beginning with “Binge and Purge” and going in to “El Jefe Speaks”, the crowd was here for it and were entranced as Neil Fallon worked the crowd making sure everyone in the crowd got a moment of the vocalist’s attention. In the area where I was standing, concert goers got excited when they launched in to “The Soapmakers” from The Elephant Riders (an album that definitely needs to be reissued or re-recorded and released) which sounded stellar tonight. “A Shogun Named Marcus” showed up for a 3 minutes of pure rock fury before ending the set with a song everyone could agree on, the legendary “Spacegrass”.

CLUTCH continues to be one of the best live rock and roll bands touring today with amazing chemistry that only happens when these guys pick up their instruments together in a room. An amazing sense of musicianship that can not be duplicated, making instant grooves that take you along on a journey to the ends of the Earth and back on vinyl from side A to side B just like they do from opener to closer live. Do yourself a favor and catch CLUTCH when they come thru town next and you’ll be racing for the merch line at the end of the set too.

SEE MORE of BRETT's PHOTOS OF CLUTCH and RIVAL SONS HERE!

STATIC-X delivers in Minnesota

REVIEW :: STATIC-X, MUSHROOMHEAD, DOPE, WEDNESDAY 13 and RAVEN BLACK
Myth in Maplewood, MN
December 4, 2019
Photos and Review by Brett Zisler

The Minnesota region found itself as one of the few lucky markets in 2019 to have the Static-X “Wisconsin Death Trip” 20th Anniversary tour and Wayne Static Memorial pass through this area in less than 6 months. As one person that was fortunate enough to be at both, I must say, it’s an experience like none other. Static-X dominated the tour circuit in the early 2000’s, finding themselves on nearly every tour they could get their hands on. I can honestly say, few bands carry the clout and fanbase from that era like Static-X does. Their show at Myth proved it once again.

The whole tour is centered around the tribute to Wayne Static and the 20th anniversary of their major label debut, “Wisconsin Death Trip.” An album that carved their path onto major tours such as Ozzfest and Pantera’s last major arena campaign. While it still hurts that the legendary and polarizing front man, Wayne Static, is no longer with us, there is no doubt the fans feel the impact he made when the show starts. Static-X starts their set perfectly with their digital screens projecting early images of the band as “December” starts to echo through the speakers. Pictures of Wayne drew loud roars from the crowd as the bandmembers started to appear one by one onstage. With the intro to their hit “Bled for Days” starting, it was clear the crowd it was go time. Tony Campos, Ken Jay and Koichi Fukuda took their spots as the now tribute/fill in on vocals, xer0, patiently waited for his turn in the light. Almost instantly it felt like the old days of seeing Static-X back at the Quest Club (RIP) and multiple other venues around the area. Having the luxury of seeing Static-X off their first album in small club settings to seeing them make it big to arenas and other major tours, I must admit, I was skeptical the first time I saw. That was until they started playing. They overdeliver and do everything right during this live show.

As I and other photographers noted, it was great to hear how many people were saying, “I’ve been dying to see them for over 10 years” or “I never got to see them.” It’s a way to fill the void for fans. And with the success of the show and tour, as the plowed their way through all of the hits, “I’m with stupid, “Love Dump,” Fix,” and “Pushit,” it's clear that this band still has so much life left playing to their one of the many sold out dates on the tour.

Static-X brought along an incredible supporting cast to help open. To help fill in for Devildriver was the fan favorite, Mushroomhead. If you haven’t seen them before, it’s a must to cross off your live show list. They bring so much visually to the table that even if you aren’t familiar with their entire catalog of music, you still walk away satisfied. Between the dual vocals, over the top stage attire and their additional percussion with water splashing the audience at times, it’s something to not miss the next time they make their way through the area.

Also on the bill was the band Dope. No strangers to the early 2000’s “nu metal” genre, Dope does a great job with their current live show distinguishing themselves from others proving there are still alive and well. Lead by long time front man, Edsel Dope, they played crowd favorites “Debonaire” “Die MF Die” and what was intro'd by Edsel himself as “the dumbest fu*king song” their cover of “You Spin me Round.”

Early support on the bill came from acts Wednesday 13 and Raven Black. Wednesday 13 definitely brings the element of enhanced stage props to the table. Whether it was performing with an almost prosthetic “voodoo” head on while doused in paint to reflect in black lights or completely dawned in a black cloak with mask and pitchfork, Wednesday 13 knows how to add to their live performance.

Raven Black was a very pleasant surprise. I had only heard of the band but had not had the pleasure to see them live, and now that I have, I must say, they made a fan out of me. The quartet comes out dressed in various paint and costumes that need to be seen and not described. I think the best way to describe their sound is almost “evil carnival” style of rock/metal. Raven’s voice fits perfectly with the music as she walks with various props to add to the live show. Needless to say, I feel I am not the only one that will check out their next show when they are on town after this last performance.

CHECK OUT MORE OF BRETT's PHOTOS from STATIC-X and MUSHROOMHEAD HERE!

CHECK OUT MORE OF BRETT's PHOTOS from DOPE, WEDNESDAY 13 and RAVEN BLACK HERE!

SKILLET, ALTER BRIDGE & DIRTY HONEY deliver a show good for the mind, body and soul!

CONCERT REVIEW :: SKILLET, ALTER BRIDGE, DIRTY HONEY
October 8, 2019
Myth in Maplewood, MN
Photos by Brett Zisler

Tonight was a perfect example of why these co-headlining tours work and are successful. Not only did each band bring it a little harder, they make each other shine stronger. ALTER BRIDGE is an arena headlining band in Europe and I still can’t believe they aren’t here while SKILLET proved they are running full force towards headlining arenas in the very near future.

SKILLET came out to a thunderous roar from the near capacity crowd. It’s hard to stand still when “Feel Invincible” comes on and it got the crowd going just as crazy as the band. It’s hard to top the energy that Skillet leaves on the stage. John Cooper running around like a madman with or without bass in hand. I’m surprised Jen Ledger’s drumset didn’t collapse for as hard as she was pounding the drums. Korey and Seth both commanded the stage with a confident swagger. John did a well-executed karate kick right in front of Seth that made Seth bust out laughing – it was so good Chuck Norris would’ve stopped in his tracks to give a nod of approval. I still love seeing a band on stage that makes each other laugh and their set was full of all that and more.

SKILLET is currently getting a huge look from WWE as they are using “Legendary” as the theme for Monday Night Raw this season and even better SKILLET themselves show off their live show in the opening along with clips from various wrestlers. The crowd sang along to the chorus just as loud for “Legendary” as they did any of the other hits from their catalog. “You Ain’t Ready” went over extremely well towards the beginning of the set as SKILLET perfectly paced the new songs in between all the songs the crowd knew and loved.

I caught SKILLET with LACEY STURM back in March and not to take anything away from that special show that we got to see – but there’s an undeniable infectious energy when these 4 get on stage together that made an incredible difference between the two shows. When Jen came out from behind the kit for “Hero” there was definitely a huge difference between the two shows as the crowd was even louder at that point. While we didn’t “Rebirthing” on this tour, you can’t deny “The Resistance” as being an epic show closer. If you were holding anything back during the show, “The Resistance” was your chance to leave it all at the Myth. I can only imagine the band needing a few minutes to catch their breath after that performance.

ALTER BRIDGE threw the show in to high gear right out of the gate with “Wouldn’t You Rather” from their forthcoming Walk the Sky record. Myles Kennedy has one of the best voices in the rock scene. Mark Tremonti was throwing out the riffs like candy on Halloween. Brian Marshall laid down some seriously thick bass grooves and Scott Phillips commanded the drums with incredibly tight precision. Interestingly, Myles kept to stage left and only went to center stage every once in a while during the show. Like Skillet, everyone in this band is an essential piece to making this band the force to be reckoned with that they are.

Hearing “Rise Today” again live, I scratch my head as to why that wasn’t a bigger song for them and it sounded huge live today. “Addicted to Pain” goes over massive and “Take the Crown” is even better live than on record.

The crowd erupted when Myles started the beginning of “Blackbird” which led in to a phenomenal showcase with “Metalingus”. It’s always a trip when you hear a song that you forgot they do and then you really get excited about it with the show closer “Open Your Eyes”.

ALTER BRIDGE left the stage with an incredibly strong 70 minute set that left the entire crowd wanting more. I personally can’t wait to see what they do when they come back around – give me “An Evening With” show and you can take my money right now.

DIRTY HONEY had a well-crafted 6 song set that included everything on their EP that’s out now and just recently released on vinyl. The band itself has improved greatly in the 5 months since I saw them at Sonic Temple in Ohio. Marc Labelle is an undeniable front man who seems even more confident. Guitarist John Notto threw out some crunchy goodness on the guitar. While bassist Justin Smolian and drummer Corey Coverstone kept a super tight groove.

I saw a lot of people go from brushing them off to really digging their sound by the end of their set. There’s a reason why this band has the #1 rock radio track with “When I’m Gone” currently. It’s an ear worm and they’re following it right up with another one in “Rollin’ 7’s”. It’s a perfect way to end the show as it’s the strongest songs in their catalog thus far. They are putting in the work and grinding it out on the road to what should translate into a very solid debut full length. Keep an eye on this four piece!

If anyone still thinks Rock is Dead, you clearly aren’t paying attention – check out this bill of SKILLET, ALTER BRIDGE and DIRTY HONEY and change my mind.

SEE MORE OF BRETT's SKILLET PHOTOS HERE!

SEE MORE OF BRETT's ALTER BRIDGE and DIRTY HONEY PHOTOS HERE!

CLUTCH and HATEBREED tear it down and go wild at the Myth!

CONCERT REVIEW: DROPKICK MURPHYS, CLUTCH, HATEBREED, AMIGO THE DEVIL
Myth in Maplewood, MN
October 1, 2019
Photos by Brett Zisler

When this tour was announced – you knew it was a show you cleared your calendar for. DROPKICK MURPHYS and CLUTCH teamed up for a co-headlining fall tour bringing out HATEBREED with them along to make this an unforgettable package with AMIGO THE DEVIL opening. Those 3 bands can all headline on their own (and have headlined this very venue on their own) but by teaming up this is a show for music fans of all types. Not to mention one they will probably never see again!

CLUTCH came out and launched right in to “How to Shake Hands” and instantly had the crowd engaged. Neil Fallon was all over the stage being the terrific energetic frontman that convinced even the toughest Dropkick fan. Tim Suit was riffing in fantastic form and probably the closest to the edge of the stage as I've ever seen him. Dan Maines and Jean-Paul Gaster were laying down the groove thick. This is seriously one of the tightest bands in the business. I stood there in awe most of the night just watching Jean-Paul bring the beat.

Stirring up the crowd real early with "The Mob Goes Wild" the set never had a lull. Clutch was bringing fan favorite after fan favorite tonight. "X-Ray Visions" went straight into "Firebirds!" which brought us to "Gimme the Keys" before giving us a little bit of a breather after "Burning Beard"! This is where I saw Clutch win over some Dropkick fans. That's seriously fun to watch when a band makes a new fan.

I don't know who's set went by quicker Hatebreed 30's minute set or Clutch's near perfect 60 minutes. While I was disappointed we weren't treated to "Evil" or "Precious and Grace" from their new Weathermaker Vault Series, we did get "Willie Nelson"! "Electric Worry" was raging but it seems weird not be followed up by "One Eyed Dollar" but we got perhaps the best version of "Rats" I've yet to hear!

I saw lots of extra mics on stage so I'm hoping this means a new live record as this is the best Clutch has ever sounded. This band has been on fire touring in support of Book of Bad Decisions and that's saying something with as massive as this band's catalog is and as much of a stand out live band they are.

HATEBREED had a quick 30 minute set compromised of 9 songs. (I still think they got 10 in but I can't remember the extra song they played either) "To the Threshold" and "Live for This" got the pits running real early! The band didn't have a whole lot of room on stage but they brought it a little harder to make up for not being able to move around much. One of these days they'll get me out of mosh retirement and in retrospect, this probably would've been the perfect time.

"Before Dishonor" and "Empty Promises" made the set from Satisfaction for all the people around in '97 and they brought it all the way to their recent release with the big pit turner "Looking Down the Barrel of Today"! While I miss Jasta just calling out the songs, it was good to see them stick to the same set list to make the most of their 30 minutes to get the crowd amped up for Clutch and Dropkick Murphys! Leaving the stage, they said they'd be back next year with a new album. Can't flippin wait!

The only disappointing factor in the show was the long waits in between bands. HATEBREED had the crowd amp'd up but then had to wait 30 minutes for CLUTCH to come out. Then there was 40 minutes between CLUTCH and DROPKICK MURPHYS to where the fans were getting extremely antsy waiting for The Boys to come back looking for trouble. In the end, everyone definitely got the price of their ticket and then some from this once in a lifetime bill! If this tour hasn't went thru yet and you got a chance to go, don't miss it! You'll kick yourself after words if you're not there.

SEE MORE OF BRETT's CLUTCH, HATEBREED and AMIGO THE DEVIL PICTURES HERE!

CLUTCH's set list
How to Shake Hands
Ghoul Wrangler
The Mob Goes Wild
H.B. is in Control
X-Ray Visions
Firebirds!
Gimme the Keys
Burning Beard
Vision Quest
Spirit of ‘76
In Walks Barbarella
Willie Nelson
Electric Worry
Rats

HATEBREED's set list
To The Threshold
Live for This
Before Dishonor
Last Breath
This is Now
Destroy Everything
Empty Promises
Looking Down the Barrel of Today
I Will Be Heard