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Houston… We Have A Problem… The Rocker Chic and I have been standing in the pit for over four hours now, and we need some anti-gravity boots to make it to the end of this Two-Headed Beast Concert!!! Houston… Can you hear me Houston?

Not even NASA could stop the ROCK in Houston October 4th at the Bayou Music Center! The Two-Headed Beast Tour features both Clutch and Rival Sons co-headlining with support from Black Stone Cherry, and this BEAST was really a FEAST to our Rock-Craving eardrums!

NASA must have sprinkled some invisible-venue dust on Houston as we had a hard time even finding the venue! We ended up parking behind the Center in a garage and having to hike a around just to find the small entrance to the Bayou Music Center. On our walkabout we did stumble upon a cool (literally) place to eat called the Downtown Aquarium which offered an affordable and scrumptious surf and turf menu. With our bellies full The Rocker Chic and I were ready to rock!

With an easy check-in process we found our way in front of the stage with other die-hard fans of this triple-threat dessert feast for our senses. We were lucky to stand behind a couple of shorter gals who were also Rival Sons’ fanatics, so we had great conversations AND also got descent concert pictures with our little point and shoots!

HUNGRY FOR MORE
BLACK STONE CHERRY!

Opening bands are usually up and coming groups with a small amount of time to impress you into buying their first CD and giving you a little taste as to their musical vibe… but Black Stone Cherry? Are you kidding me? The Rocker Chic and I should’ve not eaten supper already, because we got a Winner Winner Chicken Dinner with this kick-ass Kentucky powerhouse as the opening band! With Eight albums full of In your face American kick-ass rock and roll Black Stone Cherry could have easily been billed as headliners of this great triple-bill of talent.

Black Stone Cherry consists of Chris Robertson on lead vocals and also lead and rhythm guitar; Ben Wells on rhythm/lead guitar and backing vocals; John Fred Young on drums, percussion, piano and backing vocals, and Steve Jewell Jr. on bass and backing vocals.

I’ve been a fan of this great band since their debut album back in 2006, but it was their 2011 album “Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea” that really showcased their talent. Luckily they played a couple of great songs from that album during the concert with “White Trash Millionaire” and “Like I Roll”. If only they would have played “In My Blood”, but every fan has his or her favorites!

Hats off to guitarist Ben Wells for really bringing the energy level to 10+ with his pumped up excitement and guitar skills! We got some really cool pix of all the band members during their short 9-song set which left the audience craving more!

SWITCHING GEARS AND SOUNDS WITH CLUTCH!!

When Clutch arrived on the music scene in the early 90s I was more into groups like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Red Hot Chili Peppers than the blues and stoner rock of Clutch.

So, I have to admit The Rocker Chic and I didn’t know exactly what was coming with seeing Clutch live. We did notice the crowd had grown immensely and that they were a little more rowdy near the stage, LOL!

Just as the ladies in front of us were die hard Rival Sons fans the mob to the left and behind us were part of the Clutch clan of fans who follow their favorites from city to city also. I guess The Rocker Chic and I should be called The Rock Flock, because if it Rocks we’re there no matter what particular genre it falls into!

Clutch consists of Neil Fallon on vocals and rhythm guitar; Tim Sult on lead guitar, Dan Maines on bass, and Jean-Paul Gaster on drums and percussion.

With the Black Stone Cherry stage gear now cleared off it gave Clutch plenty of room to wonder around and perform… but that didn’t happen…

The guitarist and the bass player didn’t move from their spots all night, and of course the drummer couldn’t go anywhere, so that left plenty of stage for Neil Fallon to engage with the crowd. Don’t hate me on this, but my first impression of seeing Clutch perform was interesting to say the least. Bear with me on this description…

Imagine four fifty year olds getting together after a long day of factory work and hammering back some beers while jamming to some tunes in the lead singer’s garage- LOL… that’s the feeling I got watching Clutch perform. But was that a bad thing? Not necessarily so as I feel that the fans got to focus more on the actual music that these every-day dudes were hammering out to complete precision on every song they performed. And then it hit me-- That’s the secret to Clutch’s popularity- Everyday people performing extraordinary music for everyday fans! No wonder Clutch has the devout fan base they have…

Guitarist Tim Sult reminded me of Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine with all the effects-driven riffs and quirky melodies. Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster reminded me of Danny Carey of Tool with all the interesting time-signature beats, and Dan Maines’ bass playing reminded me of John Entwistle of The Who with all the solid bass patterns. And Neil Fallon… what an interesting cat he is… I’d say if Dave Matthews and Alice Cooper somehow had a fifty year-old baby… Well… never mind that comparison! Lol

All that matters is that fans love them some Clutch, so much so that a few tried to crowd-surf to the stage but were cut short due to an alert stage security staff. After a lengthy 21-song set the devout Clutch fans left as fast as they came, and that left the rest of us clutching for a bathroom break and to prepare for the experience of seeing Rival Sons.

RIVAL SONS
SOUL REVIVAL!!

Rival Sons is a rock band formed in Long Beach, California, in 2009 and also affiliated with Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Jay Buchanan (lead vocals), Scott Holiday (guitar), Dave Beste (bass guitar) and Michael Miley (drums). On this tour they are joined by keyboard player Jesse Nason, and Todd Ögren accompanied them on previous tours.

The Rocker Chic and I have witnessed the Rival Sons experience three times before tonight. The first was back in 2010 when Rival Sons opened for AC/DC at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The second was at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California in 2014, and the third time was at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre in San Diego, California in 2019. So it’s safe to say that in 2024 my favorite “new” band isn’t exactly new anymore, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still Rock better than most of the newer bands that have come out in the last 15 years!

And on October 4th, 2024 at the Bayou Music Center in Houston it was clear that Rival Sons still have a lot to say and play…

In preparation for the event The Rocker Chic Danette designed some Kick-Ass T-shirts for us to proudly display at the concert! Our “Electric Man” shirts were a hit with other Rival Sons fans and also those who just like cool tee designs! They’re part of our Rocker Gods collection in case you want to check them out! https://rockergods.printful.me/

With the massive crowd gathered at the stage we were feeling the heat and energy and so was the band… and this was just the start of the performance! So Jay starts if off cool with just an acoustic version of “Shooting Stars” to get everyone in the same vibe.

Jay has matured immensely as a frontman over the years. While I miss a lot of the wild energy from earlier concert performances, I also admire his confidence and stage presence now at this stage of the band’s career. His solo acoustic performance along with Electric Man (of course) and Feral Roots (always awesome) were standouts during this particular concert.

Like Jagger to his Richards or Plant to his Page you also have Buchanan to his Holiday… Scott Holiday that is!

The one-two punch of Jay’s incredible vocals against Scott’s magnificent “fuzz-lord” riffs and solos is one of the best musical combos of talent that you will find in the 2020’s of rock and roll.

The guitar sound is like a perfect blend of ZZ Top fuzz and Zeppelin riff for your ears to feast on. Scott played it cool to Jay’s heat during most of the performance, but he wasn’t afraid to let ‘er rip on two of my favorite songs, “Pressure And Time” and “Keep On Swinging”!

Of course, with soaring vocals and fuzzed-out guitars you’ve got to keep that bottom firmly grounded, and veteran drum master Michael Miley was locked in solid with Dave Beste on bass the whole set. Touring keyboard player Jesse Nason was top notch also.

In summary, Black Stone Cherry brought the excitement and energy and deserved to be the third monster on this two-headed monster tour. Clutch put the brakes on their stage performance but excelled in sounds and in connecting with their die-hard fan base. Rival Sons continues to awe and inspire with their stage presence and performance, but their shortened set left us, as always, wanting more…