I have it on good authority that doom metal legend Wino will be touring with Clutch in September, hitting London, Ontario on the 15th and The Phoenix in Toronto on the 16th. Tickets go on sale this weekend, in the 25-30 dollar range.
Needless to say, the news that Wino’s in town makes this a must-see for doomsters. Clutch drummer Jean-Paul Gaster played on his new solo record, Punctuated Equilibrium, but bass player Jon Blank, who rounded out the trio, died recently of a rumoured drug overdose. Presumably, JP will be pulling double duty, but who’s gonna be playing bass?
More importantly, what’s the set list gonna look like? Will they get proper billing as a co-headliner, or be stuck with a 30-minute opening slot? Will they stick to the Wino solo album, or toss in some Spirit Caravan, Hidden Hand, Vitus or The Obsessed? One can only hope, especially one who’s never seen Wino in the flesh…
Don’t get me wrong, I dig Clutch as much as the next flannel-wearing pothead, but this smacks reminiscent of the time when Lynyrd Skynyrd opened for Kid Rock. (And no, I’m NOT comparing Kid Rock favourably to Clutch, but y’know what I mean?) It will be interesting to see how things develop, but I won’t delay in purchasing my ticket, regardless. Clutch sold out the Opera House for their past couple trips to TO (opening slot for Coheed and Cambria notwithstanding), and even though The Phoenix is a bigger venue, I still expect this one to be packed. See ya there?
Peace,
Gruesome Greg
