Enmore Theatre
Friday March 6, 2018 :
Due to a wrong turn at the start of my journey and an intoxicated travel partner, I missed the Dean Ween group, and was shown to my seat with less than 5 minutes to wait for the Primus weirdness to begin. Sitting high on the top level of seating at the beautiful Enmore Theatre afforded a clear view of the stage and the players who would soon take to it. A mostly older crowd buzzed with anticipation, with a few young kids around the 4 or 5 year old mark attending with their parents. My parents took me to an Elton John concert when I was younger, I think these kids win.
The band is soon on stage, virtuoso bass savant Les Claypool receiving the lion’s share of the rapturous reception. The night’s set list draws only minimally on the recent Desaturating Seven album, which was no bother considering I can’t make heads or tails of the album which everyone around me seems to proclaim their best in years.
They start with two of my least favourite Primus tunes, ‘Those Damn Blue-Collar Tweekers’ and ‘The Last Salmon Man’, before airing the first track from the aforementioned new album which actually worked a treat live. However it is around this time, after half an hour and three songs played, it dawns on me that the same problems I had with Primus last time I saw them live are still here in epic proportions.
Barely a single song runs under say 10 minutes once they’ve thrown a mostly meandering jam in the middle of it. Some songs are pushed into the middle of other songs, ‘My Name Is Mud’ getting squished in between the jam sections of ‘Jerry Was A Race Car Driver’. You get left hanging for the resolution of the tune, hit with another song, and then brought back with the final solo/verse/chorus of the song you were listening to 10 minutes ago.
I am well aware they are a jam band, an acclaimed one at that, and this sort of thing is to be expected at a Primus show. From where I sit the extended jams add little to the songs themselves, other than a chance for all to noodle. And though all are fine and dexterous noodlers, there is little of real interest to hear in their noodling when they could be firing off huge song after huge song from their vast catalogue.
I guess this sets me apart as a fan of some songs by Primus as opposed to an actual Primus fan, but thankfully my variety of fandom is rewarded by run throughs of actual cracking tunes like ‘Lee Van Cleef’, ‘Sgt Baker’, ‘Groundhogs Day’ and ‘John The Fisherman’. The sound is great, apart from the kick drums having little impact all the way back in the elevated seating. The band were in fine form, musicians beyond reproach. Claypool is a suitably odd fellow, entertaining to watch as he dances himself around in a tight circle in front of his amps during some of the more bone rattling musical sections. Larry LaLonde on guitar is flawless, his solos are an attraction of nearly every song they feature on, and “Herb” Alexander on drums is rock solid.
All the components should fit together for an exhilarating night of twisted tunes and virtuoso playing, but at the current ratio of songs to noodling, I just leave feeling underwhelmed by what I saw. Maybe it’s all just my problem, but I’m sure my name is now mud with the Primus faithful.
Reviewer : Roger Killjoy
Photographer : Jon Van Daal
PRIMUS
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DEAN WEEN
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