Primus/Les Claypool is Awesome Thread

[Ultimetalhead]

It's sitting comfortably beneath Deconstruction and A Dramatic Turn of Events for me.

The only other album that could potentially knock it out is the new Megadeth album which I refuse to call by its name because it's fucking stupid.

[Kotowboy]

You mean..

7H1R733N

 

[Ultimetalhead]

So, I upgraded my balcony tickets to the Primus show tomorrow to row G on the main floor.

FUCK YES.

[Kotowboy]

I've got a General Admission ticket for An Evening With Primus at The London Royal Albert Hall in April

[Kotowboy]

So how was the gig ?

[Ultimetalhead]

Fucking amazing. I'll post a full review when I'm not dying of allergy attacks.

Edit: Well, I'm still dying of allergy attacks, but whatever.

The night started off very well (after upgrading my seat, I was even more pumped). I got to my seat, and noticed that I was indeed extremely close to the stage. They had a really cool stage set up, with giant inflatable (I think) astronauts on each side, with a huge mesh screen behind everything. The pre-show music sounded straight out of a Tom & Jerry cartoon, so it was a great warmup.

The band came out, and I started going nuts. I soon stopped as I realized I was maybe 1 of 20 people who actually seemed to give a shit. A lot of people were standing up, but they weren't yelling or cheering or anything. It was the strangest thing I've ever seen, but I put it past me. Les started strumming the intro to Southbound Pachyderm, and I was even more confused. Now, I fucking love Southbound Pachyderm, but that has to be one of the oddest choices for a concert opener I've ever heard. I expected something that had at least a bit of an edge to it (a lot of shows were opening with Groundhog's Day, which would have been flawless), but I enjoyed it all the same. It definitely didn't help the already lethargic crowd at all.

The show went on. They played Frizzle Fry (which again, I seemed to be one of the few who even cared), Jerry (slightly more cheering), Tommy (about 1/4 of the venue cheered for that), Bob (nobody gave a shit), Eleven (nobody had heard it, I assume), Duchess (nothing), Over the Falls (nothing), Tweekers (with awesome Salad Fingers cartoons on the video screen). The band sounded awesome, but I kept feeling really bad for them because the audience was so fucking lame. Seriously, people were just bobbing their heads casually during the heavy part of Jerry. What the fuck?

The intermission was hilarious. They played 3 Popeye cartoons, which the audience seemed more enamored with than the rest of the show. I mostly sat there worrying about how poorly Green Naugahyde would be received when the audience didn't even flip over a song like Frizzle Fry. Sure enough, the crowd was pretty much silent during Hennepin Crawler (one of my favorite songs, nearly ruined by people being lame). They seemed to start getting into it with Last Salmon Man, ECE, and Tragedy, and I figured maybe it wouldn't be a total failure. Then, Eyes of the Squirrel came on and people were SITTING DOWN during one of the coolest extended jams I've ever heard. The sitting continued through Jilly's On Smack. Lee Van Cleef was definitely the most well-received number of the second set, but the lack of energy continued throughout the rest of the set. Of course, I enjoyed the living piss out of the entire album (it sounds like I let the audience ruin the entire show for me, but I was totally into it when I was there. Just looking back it was kind of disappointing).

They came back for the encore (though, if I was Les I would have just left after the second set) and played HAROLD OF THE MOTHERFUCKING ROCKS. I didn't care about the lazy crowd anymore, and I went nuts. Sang along the entire time, yelled out the spoken word parts before Les could say them, and most people around me thought I was some sort of psychopath. After Harold, Les dedicated the final song to a little kid who was in the first few rows. He jumped into Wynona, and people finally sort of cared. I still noticed people sitting, but it was the most crowd interactive song of the set (So, still pretty lame, but at least I didn't feel like an asshole for getting into it). I left the venue feeling very satisfied, but I heard someone deliver the line that made me realize what just happened.

"Man, they didn't play John the Fisherman. What the hell?"

I just started laughing. Everyone was there for that song that was on stupid fucking Guitar Hero. Just priceless. Oh well, I got to see a good show that was closer to me than most other concerts, and I also realized why no bands come to Ann Arbor. And now, some pictures.

[Kotowboy]

Eternal Consumption Engine ? 

Wow. I love that one - hope I get that at The Royal Albert Hall in April.

[GentleTheater]

Bass Duel between Myung and Claypool: Chris Squire comes in and blows them apart.
But in all seriousness all three have very different and distinct styles in their own amazing ways. They're equal in my eyes.

I love Claypool's tapping techniques, I just wish I didn't have a cheap-ass Fender Squire bass. I can play DMV, but the frets aren't spaced well so my index finger hitting all the high notes hurt like hell after a few minute.


also for you nerds D=M/V

[Ultimetalhead]

Eternal Consumption Engine ? 

Wow. I love that one - hope I get that at The Royal Albert Hall in April.

You will. They're playing the whole new album.

[Kotowboy]

Oh.....


....Well that's just fine. 

[Kotowboy]

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/primus/2011/michigan-theater-ann-arbor-mi-4bd0674a.html

[Ultimetalhead]

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/primus/2011/michigan-theater-ann-arbor-mi-4bd0674a.html

Yep. That was the set. Hard to believe it was only 5 days ago.

[Kotowboy]

Setlist.fm is a great nostalgia tool

[Ultimetalhead]

Setlist.fm is a great nostalgia tool

Hell yeah. It's one of my favorite sites on the web specifically for concert memories.

[Kotowboy]

It's even got the REM concert I went to in 1995.

[Scard]

Can someone like...explain Primus to me? I don't get it. I'd like to get it. But I don't.

[ytserush]

Fucking amazing. I'll post a full review when I'm not dying of allergy attacks.

Edit: Well, I'm still dying of allergy attacks, but whatever.

The night started off very well (after upgrading my seat, I was even more pumped). I got to my seat, and noticed that I was indeed extremely close to the stage. They had a really cool stage set up, with giant inflatable (I think) astronauts on each side, with a huge mesh screen behind everything. The pre-show music sounded straight out of a Tom & Jerry cartoon, so it was a great warmup.

The band came out, and I started going nuts. I soon stopped as I realized I was maybe 1 of 20 people who actually seemed to give a shit. A lot of people were standing up, but they weren't yelling or cheering or anything. It was the strangest thing I've ever seen, but I put it past me. Les started strumming the intro to Southbound Pachyderm, and I was even more confused. Now, I fucking love Southbound Pachyderm, but that has to be one of the oddest choices for a concert opener I've ever heard. I expected something that had at least a bit of an edge to it (a lot of shows were opening with Groundhog's Day, which would have been flawless), but I enjoyed it all the same. It definitely didn't help the already lethargic crowd at all.

The show went on. They played Frizzle Fry (which again, I seemed to be one of the few who even cared), Jerry (slightly more cheering), Tommy (about 1/4 of the venue cheered for that), Bob (nobody gave a shit), Eleven (nobody had heard it, I assume), Duchess (nothing), Over the Falls (nothing), Tweekers (with awesome Salad Fingers cartoons on the video screen). The band sounded awesome, but I kept feeling really bad for them because the audience was so fucking lame. Seriously, people were just bobbing their heads casually during the heavy part of Jerry. What the fuck?

The intermission was hilarious. They played 3 Popeye cartoons, which the audience seemed more enamored with than the rest of the show. I mostly sat there worrying about how poorly Green Naugahyde would be received when the audience didn't even flip over a song like Frizzle Fry. Sure enough, the crowd was pretty much silent during Hennepin Crawler (one of my favorite songs, nearly ruined by people being lame). They seemed to start getting into it with Last Salmon Man, ECE, and Tragedy, and I figured maybe it wouldn't be a total failure. Then, Eyes of the Squirrel came on and people were SITTING DOWN during one of the coolest extended jams I've ever heard. The sitting continued through Jilly's On Smack. Lee Van Cleef was definitely the most well-received number of the second set, but the lack of energy continued throughout the rest of the set. Of course, I enjoyed the living piss out of the entire album (it sounds like I let the audience ruin the entire show for me, but I was totally into it when I was there. Just looking back it was kind of disappointing).

They came back for the encore (though, if I was Les I would have just left after the second set) and played HAROLD OF THE MOTHERFUCKING ROCKS. I didn't care about the lazy crowd anymore, and I went nuts. Sang along the entire time, yelled out the spoken word parts before Les could say them, and most people around me thought I was some sort of psychopath. After Harold, Les dedicated the final song to a little kid who was in the first few rows. He jumped into Wynona, and people finally sort of cared. I still noticed people sitting, but it was the most crowd interactive song of the set (So, still pretty lame, but at least I didn't feel like an asshole for getting into it). I left the venue feeling very satisfied, but I heard someone deliver the line that made me realize what just happened.

"Man, they didn't play John the Fisherman. What the hell?"

I just started laughing. Everyone was there for that song that was on stupid fucking Guitar Hero. Just priceless. Oh well, I got to see a good show that was closer to me than most other concerts, and I also realized why no bands come to Ann Arbor. And now, some pictures.

Sounds like a great night.  I'd love to see them one day.


If people want to pay ridiculous prices to hear a band do one song, that's up to them. 

As long as you enjoyed yourself, that's all that matters.

[Ultimetalhead]

Can someone like...explain Primus to me? I don't get it. I'd like to get it. But I don't.

Take everything you'd expect from any other alt-rock band, and reverse it. For example, you'd expect guitar to be the dominant part and have most of the impressive stuff, but with Primus it's always the bass. You'd expect the vocals to be emotional and about a lost love, but these are random and punctuated by Les singing like a cartoon character.

For me, they succeed because there is NO other band that sounds like them. There are a few who were clearly influenced by Primus, but none of them ever do it as well as they do.

[Kotowboy]

I'm not sure about Ler. He can obviously play but sometimes his playing is totally out of key apparently.

I know the Tommy The Cat solo is impressive but making up scales doesn't always work.

[Ultimetalhead]

I'm not sure about Ler. He can obviously play but sometimes his playing is totally out of key apparently.

I know the Tommy The Cat solo is impressive but making up scales doesn't always work.

It fits the music. Listen to Possessed's first album "Seven Churches" to hear Ler playing slightly more normal music (it's death metal).

[Gorille85]

I've been listening to a song or two from the new album and it's not not bad. It's quirky enough for my taste, too. I might pick the album eventually...

[Kotowboy]

Sailing On The Seas Of Cheese is by far my favourite album. This is a very close second though.

[Ultimetalhead]

So Primus reunited with Tim Alexander. This is a good thing.

[Kotowboy]

So Primus reunited with Tim Alexander. This is a good thing.

Came here to post this. They're entering a studio in Nov to throw around some ideas and see if it's worth making an album.

I hope the answer is yes. I could use a Primus album with the "classic" line up sooner rather than later.

[dparrott]

I have always loved Primus, and I looooove Antipop.  I guess it's not weird enough for most fans.  I think "Greet The Sacred Cow" would make a classic Primus video.  Too bad they were near break-up with that album.

[7StringedBeast]

So Primus reunited with Tim Alexander. This is a good thing.

That's awesome!  I'm just afraid any new Primus will sound like the Claypool show.  Their last studio album just sounded like another Claypool side project to me, which I'm not really in to.  I mean, Larry was not even a thing on the last album.

[sueño]

Love 'em!

Tommy the Cat is my personal favorite.  And as a particular admirer of funky bassists, I LOVE how featured it is in Primus!   

I'm sorry I missed them when they rolled thru on tour this year. 

[Kotowboy]

So Primus reunited with Tim Alexander. This is a good thing.

That's awesome!  I'm just afraid any new Primus will sound like the Claypool show.  Their last studio album just sounded like another Claypool side project to me, which I'm not really in to.  I mean, Larry was not even a thing on the last album.

Actually, Ler wrote quite a bit of the last album.

[jammindude]

The newest album is very my different and very cool. It is on my must list for breaking down party,

We need to find and write about the cool parts to enough  but your where were fu thrvyyy

[Kotowboy]

Wasn't into the Willy Wonka or Desaturating Seven albums.

I hope they do another straight ahead primus album like Green Naugahyde soon.

[Bentower]

You're just going to skip over how sloshed that post was? 

I loved everything up until and including The Brown Album and most of Antipop, but nothing has reached that level since. They do still put on a good show though.

[jammindude]

 

This is what happens when you’re in bed waiting for the Ambien to kick in....and then it does.

Sorry guys. Not sloshed, just prescription sleeping pills. I don’t even remember that post. But the gist of it is that I have been listening to the newest album lately and I love it. Probably the proggiest album they’ve ever done.

[devieira73]

You're just going to skip over how sloshed that post was? 

I loved everything up until The Brown Album and most of The Anti-Pop, but nothing has reached that level since. They do still put on a good show though.

To me, Green Naugahyde is great and surpass those albums! The Desaturanting Seven is really nice and proggier, but I think Green Naugahyde is even better.
The Chocolate Factory is truly monotonous and boring.

[Stadler]

I just watched the entire DVD that came with "Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People". 

For those trainspotters in the audience, Geddy Lee, Kirk Hammett and Alex Lifeson all make appearances of one kind or another.   It's a good set, varied, but in seeing the material in context, I realize that I GREATLY prefer Primus with Herb.   It's just not the same without him. 

And Les is a monster; I've seen him twice live - once with Primus, once with Sean Lennon - and was very impressed both times.

[devieira73]

For those trainspotters in the audience, Geddy Lee, Kirk Hammett and Alex Lifeson all make appearances of one kind or another.   It's a good set, varied, but in seeing the material in context, I realize that I GREATLY prefer Primus with Herb.   It's just not the same without him. 

And Les is a monster; I've seen him twice live - once with Primus, once with Sean Lennon - and was very impressed both times.

While I agree pretty much with that (I think that period from Frizzle Fry to Tales...is really amazing and magical), I must add that Jay Lane made an incredible drum work on Green Naugahyde, combining Brain's groove with the more technical and weird approach of Tim. And the album is really inspired! And, if you see Primus live with Jay at the time (there's a lot of youtube videos with great quality), he totally respected Tim's arrangements, including playing with double bass drums, which Brain didn't manage to do.
Yes, Les is just a genius