Rival Sons and Clutch have teamed up for the Two-Headed Beast Tour, with support from veteran stoner rockers Fu Manchu. On its face, this is an odd lineup. Fu Manchu pairs perfectly with frequent tourmates and stoner rock legends Clutch, while Rival Sons has led the charge of newer, 70s-inspired rock bands. The large crowd seemed fairly divided between the two co-headliners. Please scroll down for my Two-Headed Beast Tour photos and recap.
Fu Manchu, one of the originators of the stoner rock genre, took the stage first for a somewhat brief opening set. Founding guitarist/vocalist Scott Hill, alongside longtime bandmates Brad Davis (bass), Bob Balch (guitar), and Scott Reeder (drums) touched on a handful of the band’s 13 albums, including their latest release The Return of Tomorrow. The crowd responded well as guitarist Balch drove the songs with his fuzz/wah-drenched licks.
The co-headliners have alternated slots over the early weeks of the tour. Rival Sons played first this show. The band had 2 releases in 2023 (Darkfighter and Lightbringer) but their current 13-song set serves more as an overview of their career with a bit of emphasis on their 2014 release Great Western Valkyrie. Vocalist Jay Buchanan and guitarist Scott Holiday are clearly rock stars with a ton of stage presence, while drummer Mike Miley and bassist Dave Beste provide a solid rhythm section, Jason Nason joins the band on keys.
This was my first time seeing the band live. The essence of this band comes through much stronger on stage than on record. Songs like “Open My Eyes” and “Feral Roots” turn into extended jams and show a side of the band that may not always come across on record. Rival Sons has been touted as “the next big rock band” for most of their career. While that huge success hasn’t happened, Rival Sons is a top-notch live band and carries the torch for classic rock n’ roll.
Clutch had the closing slot for the New Haven show. It was clear that most of the crowd was there for Clutch as the GA floor really filled in as they were about to take the stage. Led by vocalist Neil Fallon, along with guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines, and drummer Jean-Paul Gaster, Clutch is celebrating their epic 2004 release Blast Tyrant. Their set opens playing the record in full, including classics like “The Mob Goes Wild” and “Cypress Grove”.
Since its first release in 1991, Clutch has been the gold standard of stoner rock bands. Neil Fallon is perhaps the top frontman in the genre and owns the stage the minute he walks on it. After completing Blast Tyrant, the band ended the set with a handful of tracks from throughout their illustrious career.
The Two-Headed Beast tour may seem like an odd pairing in terms of style, but it brings together two bands who have led the charge for real, live rock n’ roll. Both bands played on a sparse stage, letting their music speak for them rather than an elaborate stage set, every note was played live and two diverse fan bases discovered new music to support.
