Concert Review Part 3: July 29, 2010 at Essex Junction: Primus

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 

Concert Review Part 2: July 28, 2010 Essex Junction: Gogol Bordello

GOGOL BORDELLO

In the few moments between Heloise and the Savoir Faire's last song and the appearance of Eugene Hütz and the rest of the smorgasbord of cultures that make up Gogol Bordello, there seemed to be one question on the crowds' collective subconscious - How were the 9+ members of the band going to fit on the a stage that seemed filled by the few members of the Savoir Faire?

The answer of course, was that it wouldn't matter much; Gogol Bordello wasn't going to be spending too much time in one spot. In fact, with the obvious exception of drummer Oliver Charles, it was quite possible that none of the band members touched the stage for more than 3 or 4 seconds at a time, and they definitely spent more collective time airborne then not. From the start of their opener, "Ultimate" from 2007's Super Taranta! to the closer, "Darling", Gogol Bordello made one thing extremely clear - this was going to be an adrenaline fueled performance.

All this may sound typical for a punk show - you may easily replace "Gogol Bordello" with "The Ramones", "Iggy and the Stooges", or "The Pogues" and the previous paragraph would still make sense. What differentiates Gogol Bordello from this irony-driven punk prototype however, is the band's main mission and its consequential impact on their performances and art.

Composed of a smattering of cultural origins (Ukraine, Ethiopia, Russia, Israel, Ecuador, China, America, etc.), the band strives for what it dubs a "neo-optimistic communal movement" that is probably best described by one of their slogans - "Think locally, fuck globally". The group celebrates global tribalism and wishes to break out of the ambiguously moderate era of postmodernism, specifically that cliche that originality is a con. As the band states in their official manifesto - "the beloved statement of postmodernism 'everything is been done' sound as an intellectual error".

As part of this attempted break from postmodernism, the group attempts to incorporate aspects from all of the members' seemingly infinite cultures in order to develop from a sense of authenticity rather than one of pretense or irony. Through a mixture of cabaret, punk, and and traditionally gypsy music, the band manages to incorporate the Reggae rhythm of bassist Timmy T's Ethiopian roots, the vicious lyrical attacks of Ecaudorian MC Pedro Erazo, and the masterful melodic swinging of Sergey Ryabstev's charming violin playing without overbearing the listener or impeaching the bounds of the music as a single entity. This characteristic of Gogol's work is what separates it from the other "foreign-fueled" punk bands like Flogging Molly or the Dropkick Murphys - Gogol's music is a culmination and interweaving of multiple entities into something new and inclusive, while these bands' products are an authentic celebration of one, seclusively particular entity.

The global message was certainly apparent in this show, via both the set list as well as a small talk to the audience of the importance of family by Hütz, who was donned in an "I love my Dad" t-shirt for the first half of the performance.

"Immigraniada (We Come in Rougher)" from Essex Junction 2010


Musically, the band was spot on (although the majority of Erazo's raps were unintelligible for those who didn't already know the lyrics due to the nature of the outdoor event), and the group definately earned some new followers. One Primus fan in particular behind me in the mosh pit immediately left after the last song in order to purchase the latest cd, Trans-Continental Hustle, rather than rush the stage in preparation for Primus.

To focus on the musical aspect of Gogol's show, however, would be silly. The music obviously is the key ingredient in the Molotov cocktail of an experience the show was. However, the groups' non-stop energy and authentic enthusiasm, masterful sequencing of a set list, and audience engagement/interaction created a timeless effect that had many of the crowd wondering why they hadn't noticed that the sun had gone down or dismissing the red wine stains (from Hütz's spastic wine spraying during mainstay "Start Wearing Purple") on their white shirts as honorable badges of authenticity. Overall, the performance was by far the highlight of the entire night, and was one of the more memorable shows I have ever seen.

SETLIST:

Intro/Ultimate

Not A Crime

Wanderlust King

My Companjera

Tribal Connection

Trans-Continental Hustle

Immigranadia (We Comin' Rougher)

60 Revolutions

Break the Spell

Universes Collide

Pala Tute

Start Wearing Purple

Punk Rock Paranda

Sun is on My Side

Darling

  

For more videos of Gogol Bordello at Essex Junction on July 29, 2010, check out these youtube links:

"Start Wearing Purple"
Further from stage, but much better camera work
Closer to stage, but with bad camera work

"My Companjera"
Good audio/visual





Next on the list: Co-Headliner, Primus!

P.S. - The videos posted are borrowed from various youtubers who had better quality videos than my own. The back of my head and my friend Greg (blond with the green bandanna) is visible in "My Companjera" at the 1:57 mark on the far right! Thanks!


 - MattintheBelfry