Metro City welcomed back the juggernaut that is PRIMUS to our shores for the first time since 2014 on the back of their latest album The Desaturating Seven on Friday night. With The Dean Ween Group in tow as support, this was always going to be an interesting and enjoyably unpredictable pairing.
The Dean Ween Group opened tonight’s festivities with the Ween cheeky classic ‘With My Own Bare Hands’ and immediately seized the attention of the Primus faithful. One half of the eclectic duo Dean and Gene Ween, Michael Melchiondo’s gravelly voice and great guitar work punched out a guttural set of rockers and foot stompers that had any axe lovers in the audience grinning from ear to ear.
There were riffs over riffs, solos over solos and not one ego grizzling about airtime. There were slow burning instrumentals and funked up strutters but when Les Claypool joined the boys on stage for ‘The Mollusc’, Metro City had collectively popped its cork. Primus fans pushed forward en masse to catch an early glimpse of the great man and drink in the presence of their idol. Claypool, having successfully delivered a little taster for the main course, apparated backstage as quickly as he had appeared and left Dean & Co to wind up the set with Ween’s tribute to Lemmy Kilmister ‘It’s Gonna Be A Long Night’.
First things first, PRIMUS fans are fanatical and the venue tonight was packed with fanatics. When the house lights dimmed for this one, anticipation was high and personal space was low. Wherever you go mentally when you listen to this peculiar trio, pack your bags, hold on tight and get ready for the trip of a life time led by the oddity that is PRIMUS.
Opening with the ominous guitar strokes of ‘Those Blue Collar Tweeker’s the next two hour journey morphed and merged between songs from past and present almost presenting like a musical rather than a paint by numbers setlist of any mere rock band.
PRIMUS’ live shows are a ride from start to finish with Claypool acting more like a train driver stoking the fire on a runaway train you don’t want to get off, passing through Strangeville, Euphoria, and Creepington. ‘Too Many Puppie’s and ‘Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver’ were crowd favs on the journey, and the appearance of Claypool sporting the pig mask for ‘Mr Krinkle’ turned up the weirdo vibes to 10.
Diehard PRIMUS fans all seem to have an almost unhealthily intimate knowledge of every song, note, peep, toot or fart that Claypool & Co have ever recorded and the obsession was only further fuelled by another awesome live show. When the ride was over, Primus left behind an exhausted but thoroughly satisfied legion of fans.
Fantastically odd.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Sharon Burgess Photography
