Photos: Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade brings absurdity to Grinders
Including a performance of Pink Floyd's Animals from start to finish.
Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade
Grinders KC
Friday, May 26
Les Claypool songs are as if Dr. Seuss wrote the lyrics while reading a Hunter S. Thompson novel. The nonsensical flow somehow perfectly makes sense when combined with musical geniusness that is comparable to that of a psychedelic Mozart. When Les Claypool was talking to the crowd after the first song, we became personally invested in every syllable.
Due to a lack of an opening act, the Frog Brigade played the entire night without a set break. When the guitar player, Shiner (better known as Sean Lennon), later played a beat that the rest of the band wasn’t following (I don’t dare say he messed up—he was just on his own brigade—Claypool stopped the song and jokingly demanded Shiner “drop and give me 20.” To Claypool’s surprise, Shiner obliged with the drummers keeping a beat.
Claypool announced his surprise by telling the crowd, mid-laugh, “I didn’t think he’d actually do it.” This was a historical show for many reasons, not least of which was Claypool covering a classic album in its entirety for the second year in a row, this time tackling Pink Floyd’s Animals after last year’s Primus set at the same venue doing Rush’s A Farewell to Kings.
The sheer magnitude of talent that poured out of those speakers is truly unexplainable. In addition to Lennon on guitar, Roger Water’s son, Harry Waters, is on keys and Kansas City native Mike Dillon is on percussion, with Kansas City saxophonist Rich Wheeler sitting in on “Rumble of the Diesel” and “One Better,” as well.
All photos by Allison Scavo (Intsta: @scavosphotos).
Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade setlist
Thela Hun Ginjeet (King Crimson cover)
David Makalaster
Highball With the Devil
Rumble of the Diesel
Cricket and the Genie (Movement I, The Delirium)
Cricket and the Genie (Movement II, Oratorio Di Cricket)
Precipitation
Up on the Roof
Cosmic Highway
Drum Solo “Extravaganza”
Pink Floyd’s Animals
Pigs on the Wing, Part 1
Dogs
Pigs (Three Different Ones)
Sheep
Pigs on the Wing, Part 2
Whamola
Buzzards of Green Hill
One Better
