The last and only time I witnessed Primus in concert was back in 1992 when they were touring off of the seminal Sailing the Seas of Cheese album and opened for prog legends Rush. I had just recently become a fan and I remember just being tickled by their combo of goofy stage presence and exquisite musicianship.
Flash forward 25 years and I’m just now getting to see a full headlining set by this idiosyncratic power trio. I’m not really sure why it took me so long to see them again. I’ve always been a fan. It just never seemed to happen. Primus is just a good ole’ fashioned slice of quirky Americana. Like something you would see in a traveling side-show during the 1920s. Come on out, boys and girls, to see the Bearded Lady, Yak Boy and Les play his Stupefying Magical Bass!!
Anyhoo, seeing them roll out the full stage show and a long set that even had an intermission was extremely gratifying. The first half of the set saw them roll through a good chunk of classic older material. It’s always cool when a band just says “fuck it” and opens with something a little more obscure as Primus did with set opener Those Damned Blue Collar Tweakers. Hearing Frizzle Fry live just transported me back to early college days. The second half of the set started with a full play through of the new album, The Desaturating Seven, which came across really well in the live setting.
All in all, it was just a really great show.
Hamburger Train
DISPATCHES FROM THE VOID 