I was looking for an excuse to go to Portland before the end of the year so I could see my mom since I would not get to see her for either upcoming holiday this year and would be gone all of next year traveling the United States. This show was a perfect excuse as I would also be able to go to my first concert at the Roseland since I lived in Portland 18 years ago. Time really does fly when you’re having fun! As a bonus I would get to see Joe, Claude and Joe’s friend Greg.
We arrived right after JD Pinkus had finished and right before Quicksand took the stage. I had not remembered that drinking was only allowed upstairs but it made perfect sense as I am positive the floor area would have been a total mess if they did allow drinking down there.
I own the Quicksand album Manic Compression because it was a free CD through Columbia House way back in the day. Other than that, I had not made an effort to hear any of their other material so seeing them live did not do much for me. They were ok but just did not knock my socks off.
Helmet on the other hand was great. It looked to be the same band supporting Paige Hamilton that he has had for years now, which certainly helped. I thought it was ironic that from my vantage point upstairs Paige was off by himself separated from the other “hired guns.” My favorite moment of their set was when they played “Speechless” because I distinctly remember mentioning that song to Paige several years ago when I was able to chat with him briefly.
I have seen Clutch a handful of times and the only complaint I have ever had is that they never play many of their older songs. I did not expect anything different for this occasion since Clutch just released their thirteenth album Sunrise on Slaughter Beach a few weeks before this show on September 16th. Boy was I delightfully wrong! They did play five songs from the new album but went deep into the catalog for the rest of the set including three songs from the first album! This was the Clutch setlist I had been waiting on for years. Well played sirs, well played.
SETLIST: Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone), Walking in the Great Shining Path of Monster Trucks, Nosferatu Madre, Promoter (Of Earthbound Causes), El Jefe Speaks, Pure Rock Fury, Green Buckets, The Elephant Riders, Mountain of Bone, Willie Nelson, The Mob Goes Wild, A Shogun Named Marcus, Animal Farm, Passive Restraints, Skeletons on Mars, Noble Savage, The Face, Slaughter Beach, Earth Rocker, The House That Peterbilt
