Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Man of many bands Les Claypool is as prolific as they come, which means cramming it all into a single evening wouldn’t ever be possible, although in the case of a three-hour “Claypool Gold” overview at The Salt Shed Fairgrounds, it came quite satisfyingly close.

Not only was it anchored by a full Primus set, but featured a fair amount by The Claypool Lennon Delirium, alongside co-leader Sean Ono Lennon, and Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade.

As far as the headliners were concerned, it was an intergalactic mix of alternative rock, funk metal and experimentations of every sort, boasting Claypool on vocals/bass, longtime guitarist Larry LaLonde and newest drummer John Hoffman.

The power trio continued its tradition of never repeating the same set list twice, opting for the quirky “Harold Of The Rocks,” “Duchess And The Proverbial Mind Spread” and “Spegetti Western” on the way to the increasingly trippy follow-ups “The Ol’ Grizz,” “Jilly’s On Smack” and “Bob’s Party Time Lounge” with multiple virtuosic solos in between.

Primus also tuned into the left side of the radio dial from the early 1990s, bringing “My Name Is Mud,” “Over The Electric Grapevine” and “Tommy The Cat” into the present tense of its unparalleled brand of heaviness and humor.

The Claypool Lennon Delirium, who besides its two namesakes, includes keyboardist/vocalist João Nogueira (Stone Giant) and drummer Paulo Baldi (Cake), took the tone towards more psychedelic/progressive rock directions thanks to spectacularly intricate oddities off “The Great Parrot-Ox And The Golden Egg Of Empathy,” plus Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine.”

Openers the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, which Lennon and other all-stars have since joined, kept things consistently intriguing by combining influences of Floyd, King Crimson and Frank Zappa while sampling “Buzzards Of Green Hill,” “David Makalaster” and a couple Claypool cuts.

Even those who didn’t arrive early enough still got a glimpse of each act during a collaborative finale of “Southbound Pachyderm,” an otherworldly jam if there ever was one, held together firmly by the glue that could only be Les Claypool.

For additional information on Primus, The Claypool Lennon Delirium and Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, visit Primusville.com, TheClaypoolLennonDelirium.com and LesClaypool.com.

Upcoming shows at The Salt Shed include Bleachers (Jun. 5 and 7); James Blake (Jun. 8); Sierra Ferrell (Jun. 10); Lupe Fiasco (Jun. 11-12); The Hold Steady (Jun. 13); Amyl And The Sniffers (Jun. 14); Marcus King Band (Jun. 19); Tash Sultana (Jun. 20); Ty Dolla $ign (Jun. 21); The Dead South (Jun. 25); Kurt Vile And The Violators (Jun. 26); Wale and Smino (Jul. 1); Ella Mai (Jul. 10); Royel Otis (Jul. 13-14); The Black Keys (Jul. 16); Silver Room Sound System Block Party (Jul. 18); Kaleo (Jul. 21); Pavement (Jul. 22); Jack White (Jul. 24); Houndmouth (Jul. 25) and Slightly Stoopid (Jul. 26). For additional details, visit SaltShedChicago.com.

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