"This is not my beautiful house! This is not my beautiful wife!" |
Corrosion of Conformity, Clutch and Lamb of God at TD Echo Beach, Toronto - May 19, 2016
I missed all but the final three numbers of the Corrosion of Conformity set. Traffic into town was abysmal — which I had anticipated. But I had not accounted for the overabundance of Lakeshore Avenue construction which chokes traffic flow into a single lane, nor the masses of basketball fans flocking to "Jurassic Park" to collectively experience the gradual extinction of their playoff hopes.
And I'd forgotten what every out-of-town parent of school-age children learns through bitter experience — Ontario Place is the absolute worst Toronto destination to get to. It couldn't be more challenging if they'd built it under water.
After bending over a barrel to pay for my parking spot, I finally arrived at this new-to-me venue — admittedly with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. My first impression? Outdoor stage, fleets of porta-potties, all parked next to the tepid grandeur of industrial Lake Ontario — what's not to love? Bonus points — the foundation of sand is not just a convenience for attenders needing some place to extinguish their various smoking materials, it also aids fogies hampered with plantar fasciitis.
I hobbled close to the stage and picked up the final notes of CoC's set.
Leafs fan, joyously unburdened of playoff dreams. |
I wish I'd caught more of these guys. They add a pleasant layer of Sabbath-sludge atop Molly Hatchet-style anthems and riffs. Check 'em out.
Next was the act I'd come to see: Clutch.
No need for a smoke machine out here. |
Fallon's got a cowbell: must be 'DC Sound Attack!' |
Wups. A little too close to the stage... |
...still too close... |
Gotcha! |
Linking the first two bands — both of whom have been labelled "stoner rock" — with LoG's listener-friendly thrash struck me as odd, though not egregious. Listening to between-set chatter, I got the impression the kids enjoyed the warm-up. The preponderance of T-shirts indicated, however, that they were not going to be sated until they got their fill of double-bass fills — strictly the purview of LoG this night.
They're happy; I'm happy — mostly. Truth be told, I went out hoping this concert might somehow magically repeat itself, just for me. Didn't happen, but I'm not complaining — I've got my garden-watering T-shirt.
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