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By his own admission, Les Claypool gets bored. That’s a great thing for fans, because you know he’s going to tour again, and you’re going to love it… you just don’t know under what band name and with which musicians. Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade arrived in Atlanta mid-tour, having titularly taken an 17-year break. Curiously, this was not a Claypool-Lennon Delirium exercise, as Sean Lennon is featured stage right as the only guitarist, and drummer Paulo Baldi also returns from that particular blend.
The band opened with “Up on the Roof,” and Claypool, hopefully not already bored, offered a bit of an origin story about a guy, drugs, a roof, no ladder and a decision to jump. It’s a good song, and it’s just as good to see/hear Claypool slap the heck out of his bass for his signature sound. Nowhere was that sound featured more weirdly than on the intro to “Amantias,” it’s first appearance this tour. There’s a humor to it, and his audience gets it.
Up next were the “movements” from the Delirium, decidedly psychedelic and featuring Lennon on both vocals and lead guitar breaks. Whether Ghost of the Sabre Tooth Tiger, Lennon’s own band, will continue is unknown, but he’s found a partner in Claypool, pushing the spacey sound hard and to great effect and impressing with his guitar licks.
And then, Animals, pigs, dogs, sheep all of them. It was understood that the band would cover Pink Floyd’s Animals in its entirety. This wasn’t a nod to the much advertised recent re-release of that album’s remastered version but rather revisiting one of Claypool’s favorite albums and one that the band played in the early 2000’s.
After the Movements, Pink Floyd is fairly calming, even though the guitar screams in sections. Sean Lennon could have been Dave Gilmour playing, but he nuanced it his own way.
Also, many in the audience may not have known it, but Harry Waters, Roger’s son, is playing keyboards for the band. Likewise, he had the Richard Wright sections down. And, of course, there are abundant stout bass lines that feed Claypool’s amped up bass. It wasn’t an exact replica of Pink Floyd like the numerous touring cover bands. That would be boring, right? It was a great performance holding the audience captive, the music itself prompting a mini sing-a-long to “Ha ha, charade you are!” Notably, the lighting exploded into a psychedelic rainbow to accentuate the presentation.
The night wasn’t (nearly) over. After another generous three songs, the band played “Tomorrow Never Knows.” This has been frequently covered on Claypool tours, often with a guest appearance. Well, with Adrian Belew in the house from the opening band, Remain in Light, why not? Belew contributed in his own unique style, coaxing electronic sounds and a rephrasing of the lead guitar lines. But Lennon was the star of this song, singing his father’s part and, again, blistering the guitar. Like on Revolver, only extended to a 10 minute jam, it was a great way to close out the set.
And still there’s the encore, “Cosmic Highway,” finishing strong from Purple Onion, many fans’ favorite release. Two and half hours? Call it a night. And hope he returns soon.
Additional photos follow.
Setlist:
Pink Floyd Animals
Encore:
