Claypool Gold featuring Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, and Primus performing during the Claypool Gold 2026 at the ACL Live Moody Theater in Austin, Texas on June 23, 2026. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
The crowd filing into ACL Live knew they were stepping into something that didn’t feel like a typical tour stop. The posters called it Claypool Gold, but the name only hinted at the scope of what was about to unfold. Three different eras of Les Claypool’s musical life were being pulled into one night, each with its own history, its own strange gravitational pull, and its own loyal following. Fans weren’t just here for a concert. They were here to watch a single musician thread together decades of experimentation, humor, and technical audacity into a single performance.
The story begins long before this tour, back when Primus first carved out a place in the early nineties with a sound that didn’t fit anywhere except in the hands of people who loved music that refused to behave. The band’s early years were defined by a mix of odd time signatures, rubbery bass lines, and a sense of humor that felt both surreal and grounded in everyday weirdness. Albums like Frizzle Fry and Sailing the Seas of Cheese built a reputation for a group that didn’t sound like anyone else. The bass wasn’t just part of the rhythm section. It was the engine, the steering wheel, and sometimes the entire vehicle. Fans connected with that sense of freedom, the feeling that the band wasn’t trying to impress anyone except themselves. Over time, Primus became one of those rare acts that could headline festivals, score television themes, and still feel like an underground secret.
Years later, when Les Claypool stepped into the world of Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade, the shift wasn’t subtle. The music stretched out, grew stranger, and leaned into improvisation. The project became a playground for extended jams, psychedelic textures, and a rotating cast of musicians who brought their own quirks into the mix. The Frog Brigade shows developed a reputation for being unpredictable in the best way. Fans never knew if they were going to get a faithful cover of a classic rock deep cut or a twenty minute detour into something that felt like a dream sequence. The band’s live album from the early 2000s cemented its status as one of Claypool’s most adventurous projects, and the return of the Frog Brigade in recent years has been met with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for long lost favorites.
Then came The Claypool Lennon Delirium, a collaboration that surprised people at first and then made perfect sense once they heard it. Les Claypool and Sean Lennon built something that blended psychedelic rock with sharp songwriting and a sense of exploration that felt both retro and new. Their albums carried a warmth that came from two musicians who clearly enjoyed pushing each other into unexpected places. The Delirium shows often drifted into long, hypnotic passages, the kind that made time feel elastic. Fans who followed Claypool’s career recognized the familiar fingerprints, but the partnership with Lennon added a melodic depth that set the project apart.
All of that history is what makes Claypool Gold feel so unusual. It isn’t a greatest hits tour, and it isn’t a nostalgia act. It’s more like a curated museum of Claypool’s musical universe, except the exhibits are alive and loud and constantly shifting. At ACL Live, the night moved through these eras with a sense of ease that only comes from a musician who has spent decades building worlds that somehow connect even when they shouldn’t. The transitions didn’t feel forced. Instead, each segment felt like a different room in the same house.
The Frog Brigade material carried that loose, exploratory energy that fans love, the kind that makes people lean forward because they don’t know where the next phrase will land. The Delirium songs brought a different texture, more atmospheric and melodic, with the kind of psychedelic swirl that fills a room without overwhelming it. And when the Primus material arrived, the crowd reacted the way they always do, with a mix of excitement and recognition. Those songs have a way of pulling people back to the first time they heard them, whether it was on a scratched CD, a festival stage, or a late night music video block.
What stood out most at ACL Live was how naturally these different chapters fit together. Claypool’s bass tone tied everything into a single thread, that unmistakable snap and bounce that has become one of the most recognizable sounds in modern rock. The musicians around him shifted depending on the segment, but the energy stayed consistent. The show didn’t feel like three separate bands sharing a bill. It felt like one long story told in different voices.
Fans left the venue talking about different moments, depending on which era meant the most to them. Some were thrilled to hear Frog Brigade songs they never expected to see live again. Others were drawn to the Delirium material, which has a way of lingering in the mind long after the show ends. And of course, the Primus faithful got the jolt they came for, the reminder that no one else plays bass quite like this.
Claypool Gold isn’t a typical tour. It’s a celebration of a musician who has spent his entire career refusing to stay in one lane. At ACL Live, that refusal turned into a night that felt expansive, unpredictable, and deeply connected to the fans who have followed these projects for years. It’s rare to see an artist fold so many parts of their history into a single performance without losing the thread. Claypool made it look effortless.
Fan reviews:Setlist for Les Claypool's Frog Brigade
We had an awesome time at this show, and the entire crew on stage felt like a bunch of mad geniuses with Les as the leader. I haven't seen Primus live since 1992 when they opened for Rush, and it is unbelievable that Les still looks and sounds just as good as he did over thirty years ago. Everyone who stepped out to play was incredibly talented, proving that the band absolutely still has it and, of course, they still suck.
Having the Frog Brigade and The Lennon Claypool Delirium open up the night was perfect, turning the entire three hour show into a massive musical journey from start to finish. Seeing Les perform alongside Sean Lennon was wonderful, and adding live keys and a marimba player to the mix brought a whole new layer to the sound. It gave us a great opportunity to discover some incredible new music while waiting for the main set to crush.
The setlist was super great as always, balancing a solid mix of the classics with some new stuff I had never heard before. They threw in some older deep cuts that completely blew my mind, and it was a blast finally getting to hear American Life and Diamondback Sturgeon live. The show kicked off with an opening video that gave a great retrospective of their career, showing off a bunch of history and old details that even I didn't know about.
The production value and overall atmosphere were amazing, featuring perfect sound quality and great lighting that was dialled in more for a specific vibe than for just staring at the musicians. The visuals running behind the band were psychedelic to say the least, packed with tons of fun, crazy imagery that matched the music. It was easily one of the greatest, most life-changing experiences of my life, though if you want to avoid a contact buzz from the crowd, I would definitely recommend wearing a mask.
The setup felt like a cool mini-festival in an outdoor field, which offered plenty of food and drink options alongside enough facilities to easily accommodate the crowd without any painful, airport-style security screenings. The only downside was the lack of chairs, which made standing for a long outdoor set a bit tiring. Still, the people around us were awesome, the vibes were great, and it was a killer show that was worth every second.
- One Better
- Rumble of the Diesel
- Precipitation
- David Makalaster
Setlist for The Claypool Lennon Delirium
- Blood and Rockets: Movement I, Saga of Jack Parsons - Movement II Too the Moon
- WAP (What a Predicament)
- Troll Bait
- Meat Machines
- Cliptopia
- Astronomy Domine
Setlist for Primus
- Welcome to This World
- My Name Is Mud
- Jerry Was a Race Car Driver
- The Ol' Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman's Chronicles, Part 3)
- John the Fisherman
- Last Salmon Man
- HOINFODAMAN
- Bob's Party Time Lounge
- Shake Hands With Beef
- Southbound Pachyderm
- The Ol' Grizz
- Mirror in the Bathroom
Claypool Gold featuring Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, and Primus was the main act at the ACL Live Moody Theater. They continue across the United States with the last stop at the Meritage Resort in Napa, California on July 4, 2026.
Claypool Gold
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