Primus at the Club Nokia-Part II ( 2010 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine Archives )

Les Claypool of Primus-Club Nokia

Here is the second installment of my 2010 Primus review. It never quite made it into Rock N Roll Ind. Magazine, so I've decided to let it live here. 

I was always quite proud if this review and it is shame that it went unnoticed by the editors of that fine magazine so now you can be the judge  as to its merits.

The Show
After much ado about scalped concert tickets, we are ready for the festivities to begin and Primus did not disappoint. It is not often I take a last minute trip to Los Angeles to see a concert with only twenty bucks in my pocket but what can I say? It was Primus. I had not seen this band live in many a year so I felt it was my duty as a longstanding Les Claypool fan to summon my wits and cunning and go to the Club Nokia, damn the consequences! 

We get in and the stage was lit by two giant astronauts in green lighting and displayed images of the bands faces in the helmets while a sinister circus theme came blaring out of the speakers. The crowd was cheering as the members of the band came strolling out on stage, Les in top hat and pig face regalia. Over the circus music came the recognizable thump of ‘Here Come The Bastards’ and I knew I was in for one bizarre and fantastic ride and already the crowd was bouncing to the rhythmic pulse and Les wasted no time digging into a small bass solo .

Next came a stellar version of Pink Floyd’s ‘In the Flesh’ and the crowd was singing right along, almost drowning out Claypool. ‘Duchess And The Proverbial Mind Spread’ & ‘Those Dammed Blue Collared Tweekers’ followed, but when it came time for ‘Tommy The Cat’, well the place went absolutely nuts. There was an energy spike as Claypool let loose with the grandiose verbiage and at this point there was some crowd surfing and the crowd chanting in unison, “Say Baby!” And of course, Les was dancing around and around like some deranged Mad Hatter as the stage lighting was accentuating the beat, with a flurry of colors and patterns.

At this point, I feel it is necessary to mention the Club Nokia a bit. The theater is a new, freshly designed amphitheater snuggled into a strip mall filled with dazzling neon lights, sports bars and expensive restaurants. Inside, the back of the club is spacious enough to get through with five levels of seating. What struck me is that there is not a bad seat in the house. We were squarely in the middle and I had no trouble making out the band whatsoever and the sound guy was terrific although I feel Larry LaLonde's guitar could’ve been turned up a bit more but hey, the real show is Les Calypool. It is small enough to get that intimate feel without having to mosh your way around the venue. 

Now back to the show. At this point, Claypool was wearing a Bola hat and a snazzy vest. The show continued with roaring versions of ‘Over The Falls’, Claypool now donning a long pointy nosed mask, and a Tom Waits song ‘Big In Japan’ which was a rendition that would have made the old man proud. Next he let drummer Jay Lane  go into his percussive jam into ‘Whamola!’ in which he uses a Stick, which is basically a standup electric washtub bass that he beats on with a drumstick. It’s an unusual instrument to say the least and sounds a bit like a walrus on an acid trip.  

After the mid-eastern flavored ‘Over the Electric Grapevine’, came the moment many Primus fans have been waiting for. As if the fans weren’t crazed enough at this point, Primus went right into ‘Jerry Was a Race Car Driver’. Absolute madness. Moshing, stage diving, and crowd surfing was rampant as the testosterone charged crowd jumped up and down amidst a flurry of bass notes and screaming guitar solos from LaLonde. Rounding out the show was ‘Golden Boy’, ‘Southbound Pachyderm’ and ‘Pudding Time’

Now at some point during the show, Les made the announcement that “all requests must be submitted in writing, on a lined 3x5 index card, in blue ink and addressed to and only to Mr. Larry LaLonde”. Well Sure enough, someone did in fact submit a lined 3x5 index card to LaLonde with the request of ‘Frizzle Fry’ written on it. Unfortunately for us, that song was performed during last night’s show. 

The second request was for ‘Spirit of the Radio’ to which les states” I’m sorry, but I am not familiar with that particular Primus song” in his quick tempo, nasally voice (for those of you who are not in the know, it is a Rush song). Dammit man!, The third request was for “any song by Phish” so we were promptly treated to ‘Shake Hands With Beef’ and a which in Claypool’s words was the closest thing they had to ‘Spirit Of The Radio’. Les does have a certain charm. The last number was a splendidly rockin  ‘Sgt. Baker’ during which the crowd overwhelmed even Claypool’s vocals as they were hands up, jumping up and down and generally getting lost in the final moments as was I. 

How can one sum up a Primus show? Well, as one fan states “Les Claypool destroyed the Bass.” There was lots of moshing and plenty of beer in the hair. What can I say? It was a mix of cabaret, circus sideshow, acid flashbacks, and good ‘ol 90’s rock n roll.

 One of the highlights of the show was when a fan had the audacity to throw a shoe at Les Claypool! Les stopped mid-song and responded “Someone had the intelligence and the insight to throw a show at me. Im not sure why they did that, but it sure was smart. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy like a deer in the headlights, a salmon in the spotlight!” and then he promptly finished the song. What’s not to love?

 Primus is truly one of the most unique groups ever formed and I was blessed to be a part of this experience.