Les Claypool and the Claypool Gold bands, image via YouTube

Les Claypool has made his mark on music for more than four decades with a litany of singular bands and releases. Since he introduced the world to his maniacal vision for funk metal with Primus in the early ‘80s, he’s voyaged ever further into genre-distorting in the dark corners of his mind, never letting up from his tireless pursuit of more freaked-out brilliance. This summer, he’ll look back on some of the highlights of his incomparable career so far with the Claypool Gold tour, banding together Primus, Colonel Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade and The Claypool Lennon Delirium for an unprecedented collaborative 30-stop trek across the country.  Last night, the caravan introduced the tour format with a kickoff from Reno, Nevada’s Reno Events Center.

Claypool Gold’s first staging featured three independent sets, with each of the ringleader’s storied outfits taking the stage in rotation. First came the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, featuring saxophonist Skerik, percussionist Mike Dillon, guitarist Sean Ono Lennon, keyboardist Harry Waters and drummer Paulo Baldi, who swarmed the stage for their first show since a 2023 reunion tour. The ace ensemble delivered a five-track introduction, featuring standouts from 2002’s Purple Onion like “Up On the Roof,” “D’s Diner” and “David Makalaster,” plus “Lust Strings” from Claypool’s 2006 solo debut Of Whales and Woe, which also featured Skerik and Dillon.

Next, Lennon stepped forward to share the spotlight for six-song show from The Lennon Claypool Delirium. The duo’s recent third studio album, The Great Parrot Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy, was represented with three entries – the title track, “Troll Bait” and “W.A.P. (What a Predicament)” – alongside older favorites like “South of Reality,” the titletrack form their 2019 sophomore album, and their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine.”

At last, Claypool was joined by his longest-running outfit, Primus, now featuring co-founding guitarist Larry ”Ler” LaLonde and drummer John “Hoffer” Hoffman, who assumed the seat formerly held by Tim “Herb” Alexander last year. The trio opened with the essential “Those Damn Blue Collar Tweakers,” then tore through eight other staples like “Bob’s Party Time Lounge,” “Shake Hands with Beef,” “My Name is Mud” and “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver,” plus a live debut of “The ‘Ol grizz,” the new track they released as part of the A Handful of Nuggs EP two weeks ago. To cap off the evening, all three bands packed the stage for a ferocious full company take on “Southbound Pachyderm.”

The Claypool Gold tour will continue tomorrow, May 22 with an engagement at Bend, Ore.’s Hayden Homes Amphitheatre, then continue through July 4. Find tickets and more information at lesclaypool.com.