White noise spills anticipation into the audience as the bloody scoundrels jump into an embellished rendition of “Cricket and the Genie” the giddy-up single off Sean Lennon and Les Claypool’s latest album, Monolith of Phobos.
JJUUJJUU set the pace for the night with their desert-worshiping stoner-jams, meshing well to the retro-psychedelia developed by The Claypool Lennon Delirium. The night felt like pure delusion, setting your stomach on fire while handing your psyche to the man in the sky. The meteorological rapture created by teetering keys and tasteful guitar ornaments on “Monolith of Phobos” furthered you into abyss. The band becomes more enticing, but lethal to the touch with “Captain Lariat” holding the illusion of waltzing toads, as Claypool’s bass fondling burbled and pranced around ghoulish vocals. The eerie “Boomerang Baby” allowed Lennon to take the mic and give you nostalgia of his father. The tugging guitar and hollow vocals from Lennon had your eyes glued to him and his captain-pirate attire.
Besides playing all of their originals, the quartet tossed in a few little treats. Taking on King Crimson’s epic novel “The Court of the Crimson King” sending everyone into space, along with the free-form jam to the transient sitar dangle of The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows”. Now you know where Sean and Les derive their inspiration on a night that felt nothing short of a lucid dream.