"Primus Sucks" in Brooklyn

July 30, 2010, at the Williamsburg Waterfront

By Joanna McNaney
Published: August 4th, 2010 | 7:00pm

On the first Friday night in several weeks when the humidity didn’t force Brooklynites to withdraw to their air conditioned apartments, the Williamsburg Waterfront was filled with hundreds of stir crazy Primus fans who were chanting "Primus Sucks" as they awaited the band's return to the stage. The venue, located directly on the East River waterfront looking across to the Manhattan skyline, was the perfect spot for the boisterous band who added even more of a festival atmosphere to the evening.

After two oversized inflatable astronauts were blown up for set decoration, Primus entered, led by eccentric frontman Les Claypool who wore an extra tall top hat and his custom Carl Thompson bass guitar strapped over his shoulder. Claypool greeted the crowd with his distinctly nasal voice, "We meet again!" Then as he looked out to the skyline, he continued, “I must say, this is a very spectacular spot…I get the postcard view of my life!"

The night started with the band's self-depreciating anthem “Here Come the Bastards." By their second tune, “Golden Boy,” the moshing and crowd surfing were in full effect. Then, upon hearing “Those Damn Blue Collar Tweakers” and the rhythmic, chord-driven slap of “Over the Falls," fans threw rolls of toilet paper rolls wildly into the air.

The majority of the music performed at the concert came from two of Primus' best albums to date, Sailing the Seas of Cheese (Interscope, 1991) and the Brown Album (1997). "American Life," a mesmerizing song about an immigrant family arriving at Ellis Island, stood out considering the references to local landmarks. The band extended the length of the song to show off guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde's impressive jazz noodling and drummer Jay Lane's impeccable chops. Both "Sgt. Baker" and "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," one of their better known hits, had the crowd shouting lyrics at the top of their lungs.

After this show, it's hard to believe that Primus' debut came more than twenty years ago. But looking at the crowd and seeing the children of Primus fans up on their parents' shoulders, it was apparent that not only does the band live on for younger generations—their music remains some of the most distinctive and obscure around.

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Primus official site

Primus MySpace page

Interscope Records