This concert took on a lot of special meaning. This was the opportunity to finally meet up with a best friend of mine from grade school that I have not seen since the first day of eighth grade at Ready Springs Elementary School in Penn Valley, CA.
The story goes as such: the summer of 1987, the family received notice that we were moving to Redding, California. The incredible disappointment in knowing after all those years that I wasn’t going to be finally the eighth grader in my elementary school (to take over the back of the bus, to be at the top, finally and to know that just around the corner was Nevada Union High School where my older sister was attending and flourishing was devastating to miss out on). It was amazing how quickly I grew up that late summer before school started in Redding, for it was time to turn a new leaf, new challenges.
Fast forward to the concert, I come to find out over time, via Facebook that my best friend from elementary school was living now in the Coeur D’ Alene area of Idaho. We had a few interactions on Facebook, hoping to meet up at some point in the near future and we finally found a moment at the Clutch concert.
It was great getting a chance to catch up and meet his new girlfriend at the time (for she was the big Clutch fan). The three of us discussed the past and present throughout the evening and I really cannot thank him enough for the opportunity to catch up…felt like home. We did seem to attract a couple of worthless souls who couldn’t leave us alone for the longest time but my friend seemed to put them in their place as questions were asked and stances were taken. The two of us, as close as we are at this time, plan to meet up more and I look forward to every moment.
As for the concert review, first band on stage was Scorpion Child. Ultimately, they weren’t too bad, but they had a bad case of the Zeppelin’s. Squint and you thought Jimmy Page was up there. Next up was Lionize. Simply a wanna-be Clutch, very boring live. Up next was Orange Goblin. Finally, a good, noisy rock n roll band was up there. They reminded me a lot of Motorhead and Monster Magnet having a child. The lead singer has a Lemmy complex with an Ozzy twitch. The Spokane crowd seemed a little lost on how to enjoy the band which was a shame because Orange Goblin has earned their stripes but you can see they cannot go too far until they find their own style.
Clutch finally takes the stage and destroys everyone before them with one note. Their latest album release, Earth Rocker is probably my top album of 2013. A straight-forward powerhouse of rock and roll brilliance. If you have not experienced this incredible band live, go see them for you will not be disappointed.
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