Mastodon – Clutch – Graveyard: Live at The House of Blues, Boston, MA


mastodon clutch tour

It’s Sunday and you have work in the morning, you’re moving to a different state, and you’re going on vacation in a few days. What do you do? Squeeze in one more show while you still can, obviously. You can always sleep on the plane.

First to take the stage were Graveyard with that classic 60’s/70’s classic rock touch that I adore. A friend had said that I would like them and he was absolutely right. They opened with ‘Hisingen Blues’ and I knew that I was going to get sucked right into their world. The music sounded very American but the band is actually based out of Sweden. The spirit of rock and roll lives on through men like this and they are worth checking out if you have the chance to see them.

Graveyard, by Evil Robb Photography

Graveyard, by Evil Robb Photography

Next up, Clutch. This band had always been in a weird, grey area for me. I liked the music well enough but there was always something just didn’t click with me and I could never quite put my finger on what it was. The one thing I was told over and over again was that I just needed to see them live and I couldn’t agree more. Studio recordings do not do this band justice and Neil Fallon’s vocals are out of this world. You can’t go wrong with harmonicas and cowbell solos either. I highly recommend seeing Clutch in person, it’s a completely different experience in the best possible way.

Clutch, by Evil Robb Photography

Clutch, by Evil Robb Photography

Clutch, by Evil Robb Photography

Clutch, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon were headlining this evening and I was reduced to a giddy schoolgirl like always. I had another friend with me who had never seen them before which only added to my own excitement. Almost half of the set consisted of songs off of Once More Round the Sun (Reprise) including my favorite track, ‘Ember City’. The rest of the set contained a decent mixture of Mastodon’s previous work, nothing off of Call of the Mastodon (Relapse Records) or Remission (Relapse Records) though. The one complaint that I have is that we weren’t treated to a rendition of ‘Blood and Thunder’ featuring Fallon like some other dates on the current and past tours have. I would have loved to see it person but I guess I really can’t complain because I still got to see them perform ‘The Czar’ and anything off of Crack the Skye (Reprise Records) makes me happy.

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Every band was flawless and I walked away with two bands that I’m going to be looking into further and keeping an eye on. I can think of worse ways to spend a Sunday. I never did make it to the office the next day, but, that’s a different story.

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WORDS BY ALEIDA LA LLAVE

PHOTOS BY EVIL ROBB PHOTOGRAPHY