Claypool Gold featuring Primus, Les Claypool's Frog Brigade & The Claypool Lennon Delirium presale codes

Claypool Gold is Les Claypool's roaming showcase, folding sets from Primus, Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, and The Claypool Lennon Delirium into one long night.

Three Projects, One Brain

The key context is the renewed life of Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, revived after two decades away and now sharing the stage with his other worlds. Expect a mix of punchy alt-funk and trippy psych, with likely anchors like Jerry Was a Race Car Driver, My Name Is Mud, and Delirium staples like Blood and Rockets.

Songs That Make Sense Tonight

The crowd skews multi-generational: bass heads in vintage tees, psych rock fans in bright prints, and curious newcomers trading song lore between sets. A fun tidbit: Les Claypool's Frog Brigade released Live Frogs: Set 2, a full-stage take on Pink Floyd's Animals, recorded at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. And yes, Les Claypool sometimes brings out the one-string whamola, a quirky instrument he helped popularize in the 2000s. You might also hear Cricket and the Genie or a deep Primus cut like Too Many Puppies if the pacing calls for a heavier turn. Note: these set and production guesses are informed hunches, not guarantees.

The Scene, Up Close

Fans often chant that Primus sucks as a long-standing in-joke, and it pops up before the first note and between songs.

Frog Pins, Odd Chants

Posters matter here, with a line for screen-printed art that nods to Frizzle Fry, Sailing the Seas of Cheese, Purple Onion, and South of Reality. Clothes run from plain black hoodies to bright tie-dye, plus a few frog hats and hand-painted jackets. Between sets, people trade stories about seeing Les Claypool's Frog Brigade in the early 2000s or catching The Claypool Lennon Delirium on their first run.

Little Rituals You Notice

Many parents bring teens who learned the riffs from games and bass lesson clips, and the younger crowd wears hearing protection and smiles through the weird. The mood stays curious and polite, with more nodding and focused listening than shouting. Merch leans into deep-cut lyrics, amphibian art, and odd instruments, so the stand feels like a small gallery. After the show, you hear calm debates about which era hit hardest, more like show-and-tell than scorekeeping.

Nuts, Bolts, and Bass

The night leans on Les Claypool's percussive bass as the lead voice, with vocals used more like a storyteller's rhythm than a crooner's melody.

Groove First, Then Color

Primus arrangements snap between clipped riffs and open vamps, so the drums can shove and then make space for rubbery bass tones. With Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, keys and sax thicken the edges, turning a simple line into a slow-blooming cloud. The Claypool Lennon Delirium favors dreamy harmonies and tape-like keys, then flips to a garage stomp when Sean Lennon digs in.

Little Tweaks That Matter

Tempos often start mid-speed and ramp during solos, which makes the last chorus land harder without feeling rushed. A neat detail: Les Claypool often switches from a six-string Carl Thompson to the one-string whamola mid-show, and the pitch bends you hear come from a lever he moves by hand. Another live habit is stretching a familiar riff, dropping everything to a hush, and letting the crowd bark the title before the band slams back. Visuals stick to warped colors and cartoon hints, letting the odd rhythms lead instead of screens.

Kindred Spirits On The Road

Fans of Ween will feel at home with left-field humor and sharp musicianship driving odd grooves.

Fans Who Cross-Pollinate

The Flaming Lips share the love of candy-colored psychedelia, though these bands push the rhythm section forward rather than the confetti. Jam-minded listeners who chase chops and adventurous segues often cross over with Umphrey's McGee, where tight cues set up big dynamic swings.

Why These Shows Click

For modern psych with teeth, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard overlaps on fuzzy riffs, quick pivots, and marathon sets that treat songs like living things. All four acts reward ears that like odd grooves but still want hooks to hum on the way out. If those names click for you, the Les Claypool universe likely fits, because craft and risk sit side by side here. You will hear humor, groove, and bright tone colors without losing bite.