Primus
"PRIMUS SUCKS! PRIMUS SUCKS! PRIMUS SUCKS!"
The traditional oxymoronic slogan of old school, Suck on This era Primus fans started pouring down when the first Primus roadie started switching guitars for basses after Gogol Bordello finished there raucous set. Much to the confusion of several Gogol fans I was standing on/with, the jeers continued for the next 25 minutes or so, through the inflation of two mammoth astronauts, several light towers, and a drastic change in lighting, until Les Claypool and his gigantic top hat finally walked on stage.
Immediately Claypool, "Ler" LeLonde, and drummer Jay Lane (back from the 1989 era Primus) launched into one of their fan favorites, "Pudding Time", and went uninterrupted into the next several songs on their set list.
Now, for those unfamiliar with Primus, it must be explained that for most, they are an "aquired taste", meaning of course, that they are a little odd. Claypool's vocals border on annoyingly nasal, spread, and monotone, the lyrics can often seem silly, pointless, or completely removed from the music, and I have had several people tell me they were "too prog-rock for me, man".
However, hearing Primus through a set of headphones or from watching South Park every night is UTTERLY different from seeing them live. The difference would be equivalent to watching Bobby Flay and actually eating his food, playing with Michael Jordan on an old school Nintendo and getting dunked on by him a la Patrick Ewing, between reading the Bible and actually living it literally a la A.J. Jacobs.
Besides the obvious visual spectacle of the show (two 10 ft + astronauts that had the music videos and various effects projected on their helmets, light stacks, the smoke/dirt form the mosh pit) and the insanely devoted fan base (including a group parading through the crowd with the "Mr. Krinkle" pighead on a huge stick), the technical side of Primus' music is absolutely awe inspiring. LeLonde's guitar work, too often overshadowed by Claypool's virtuoso, showed his roots under Joe Satriani (if Satriani was put into a blender with some LSD), and Jay Lane managed to play the several different styles of drums Primus has had over the years due to their musical-drumming-throne issues was respectable. Of course, Claypool's bass playing is the highlight of any Primus performance, but was it absolutely mind blowing witnessing first hand what this gentleman can do. From the impossibly fast double rhythms of the second encore, "My Name is Mudd", to Claypool's ability to work hand-stretching bass lines while singing and make it look completely effortless (specifically on "Jerry was a Racecar Driver"), I was in complete awe of his mastery of his field.
Primus - American Life (live at Essex Junction July 29, 2010)
Primus' lyrics would always bother me when I first began listening to them in the 90's. The music was some of the coolest I had heard, yet the lyrics were either completely moronic or didn't seem to do anything for the genius prog-rock supporting it. Now, for a 13 year old boy, this was a perfect match, but I quickly got tired of it and left for "better" things. I've come to realize however, that the lyrics truly don't matter too much (with the possible exception of the more "serious" Pork Soda, and that may be the whole point. Between lyrics, Claypool went on a comedic diatribe of the Fairground's famous fried dough. At another point in the set, in mid-song, Claypool nonchalantly stated "Uh, I forgot the words", to which pockets of the crowd yelled back "Make 'em up! Fuck it!"
Primus - Those Damned Blue Collar Tweakers (Live at Essex Junction, July 29, 2010)
The highlight of Primus's performance for me was twofold - first, there cover of The Police's "Behind My Camel", and of course, "Drum and Whamola Jam", the latter of which Claypool ditched his top hat for a monkey mask and his bass for a "whamola" - a crude, scythe-looking, bowed one-string bass - and jammed with Lane for roughly 5 minutes before starting "Eleven".
Primus - My Name is Mudd (Live at Essex Junction, July 29, 2010)
SETLIST:
Pudding Time
Duchess and the Proverbial Spread Mind
American Life
Golden Boy
Behind my Camel (cover of The Police)
Groundhog's Day
Over the Falls
Jerry was a Racecar Driver
Over the Electric Grapevine
Drum and Whamola Jam
Eleven
Tommy the Cat
Encore:
Those Damned Blue Collar Tweakers
My Name is Mudd
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