On the face of it, even before the accolades of the current documentary, Lemmy in the plush surroundings of a casino seems oxymoronic. He's about as real as it gets, as opposed to the faux opulence conjured by the gaming industry. Yet, the seedy side of that business (gambling addiction, drinking, cozy with prostitution, etc.) fits right in with the MOTÖRHEAD frontman's longstanding philosophy (tattooed on his arm): Born To Lose, Live To Win. So the newly minted cinematic icon and his band of merry men returned to the only local House Of Blues, within the Showboat Casino, in Atlantic City, NJ.

Amongst the grandma day trippers, 4:30pm finds Lem, in full stage regalia, playing a slot machine on the casino floor, flanked by a couple of tour personnel to assure privacy, even though it's completely unnecessary. Funny seeing so many black Snaggletooth t-shirts in the midst of the flashing neon, push-up bras and high slit skirts of the usual AC clientele. The quixotic long haired, beer-bellied and bearded bastard of '70s rock acts like Ozark Mountain Daredevils or Black Oak Arkansas, aka VALIENT THORR, opened the show, as the room continued to fill. CLUTCH followed. Not really sure what I thought the band was about, but this certainly was a pleasant surprise! Bluesy jams were about the last thing on my checklist of preconceived notions (and perhaps others there to see the headliners). Without an intro and virtually silent stage banter, Neil Fallon's crew kicked off with the lead track from '04 Blast Tyrant ('La Curandera'). The bottom end groove/boogie (occasionally verging on death) of the understated, almost stationery, foursome went over well, perhaps helped by the hint of sweet leaf in the air, even though it's a non-smoking facility! At times, there's a bit of Danzig in Fallon's voice and the singer strapped on a guitar for a couple of tunes, including 'Immortal'. Wah wah pedal, cowbell and drum solo were all accents that worked well during a career spanning set that saw 'Ship Of Gold' alongside newer material like 'Struck Down' and 'Sleestak Lightning'. All won over many a new fan. 'The Incomparable Mr. Flannery' and 'Animal Farm' were up early. The later is off the '95 eponymous EastWest full-length, which also provided the set closing 'Big News 1 & 2'. Like SLAYER, opening for an institution like Motörhead can be a daunting prospect, especially on a drunken Friday night at a casino. Clutch passed their test with flying colors.

Have no idea whether Lemmy came out on top, downstairs on his slot machine, but musically, he's hit the jackpot for decades. Much like his mechanical nemesis, there's always a surprise that pops up, like the inclusion of 'Over The Top', not the quintessential 'Head tune. What is it about the British and hats? Maybe David St. Hubbins' thoughts of working in a haberdashery weren't as far fetched as SPINAL TAP would have implied. Although the waning days of the current US tour and having played in-state, less than an hour's drive away, just a day before, the night began with 'We Are Motörhead', a throw-back 'Stay Clean', 'Get Back In Line' and another one for the crowd of gray beards (receding hairlines, expanding waistlines), 'Metropolis'. Guitarist Phil Campbell did most of the early song introductions and was responsible for the "loudest scream" contest. With the recent trio of re-issues, more have had a chance to pick up Another Perfect Day, from whence 'I Got Mine' and the glorified slow '50s rocker 'One Night Stand' come. Somewhat rare how little new material was on offer, just the aforementioned 'Get Back In Line' and 'I Know How To Die' from The Wörld Is Yours, an umlaut riddled catch phrase adorning Mikkey Dee's drum riser. Speaking of the Swede, like Campbell, he was afforded a solo spotlight, which led into 'Just Cos You Got The Power.' The set ending 'Ace Of Spades' was prefaced with the caustic wit from the bassist, "We've got to go and get our beauty sleep. Well, it's a bit late for me, but these two need their beauty sleep. This is the last one, enjoy it."

More photos from BraveWords.com's Mark Gromen can be found in a photo gallery here.