Primus in Chicago: Windy City, Maniacal Music

Primus at The Salt Shed, Chicago

With bated breath I stood, anxiously waiting to see the legendary Les Claypool step out on stage. This would be my first time shooting photos with a press pass and the weight of this amazing opportunity was not lost to me. Claypool’s playing and songwriting is a huge inspiration to me and many of my peers, so to have the opportunity to be within feet of his greatness was something I knew would be a monumental moment in my life.

Standing with the other photographers I felt out of my element. It was clear that they had all done this hundreds of times. Here I was in my Danzig t-shirt and cargo shorts with my cell phone camera in hand, I certainly got some strange looks from the security. It was in this moment of anticipation that I felt myself starting to get in my head. “I’ll just be getting in the way”, “I stand out like a sore thumb” and countless other anxious thoughts fly through my mind. But before I can psych myself out Danny Elfman’s “Clown Dream” starts playing over the speakers, it’s almost time. 

Claypool in his bowler hat

First on stage was Larry “Ler” LaLonde, I felt my heart racing as I took my first few photos. Looking back at these they’re completely unusable, I was shaking with excitement. Right in front of me was Ler himself, a man I will argue is the most underrated guitarist of all time. Learning some of his guitar parts has been pivotal to my guitar playing and for that I have such immense appreciation. Next on stage was new drummer, John Hoffman. I was particularly excited to see Hoffman’s performance, as he had just joined the band after former drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander suddenly departed the trio. Hoffman beat out over 6,200 drummers during Primus’s search for “the greatest drummer on earth”. Following Hoffman emerged the man himself, Les Claypool. Donning a feathered bowler hat he strutted on to the stage to immense applause and chants of “Primus sucks”.

The band opened with “Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers”, a favorite of mine and not something I expected them to play. At this point I was laser focused on staying out of the way of the other photographers, but I kept catching myself bopping my head to the music. The band’s second song, “Dirty Drowning Man”, was another amazing surprise. I was truly having the time of my life. As I got more comfortable taking photos I started to get in the zone. Looking back at the photos I can see the point where I finally got over my anxiety and started being in the moment. I felt so triumphant, I was actually there shooting Primus over the barricades!

Larry "Ler" LaLonde

After the second song, security guided the photographers out of the photo area, my time to take photos had run out, but I was thrilled with some of the shots I got and I still had a whole show ahead of me. I immediately ran straight into the crowd to try and get the best view possible. As I settled into the crowd I started to realize that the band was playing tons of deep-cut songs. Claypool later explained that the addition of a drummer who was a long time fan of the band has inspired them to bring back old songs. Some of my favorites included “Over the falls”, “Jilly’s on Smack”, and the live debut of their cover of “Amos Moses” by Jerry Reed, a track they released on their cover album Rhinoplasty.

An hour into the set Claypool stepped off stage for a moment, and the crowd started chanting “Primus sucks” once more. Everyone around me was ecstatic, it was one of those crowds where you could feel everyone’s enthusiasm. But little did we know, the show was just getting started. 

Les emerged from stage right wearing a pig mask as the lights dimmed. This second part of the set began with “Welcome to This World”, a fitting welcome to the descent into madness that was looming. The song is from the album Pork Soda, a project which I have heard described as feeling like “a haunted mansion with a variety of themed rooms”. This image of an evil haunted mansion loomed in my mind as the riff for “My Name Is Mud” started to play. The bass tone felt massive, like a battle axe being swung down on an enemy. And further up in the crowd it looked like a battle was underway. The mosh pit was chaos, with people flying across the length of the venue in seconds, flung by others dancing in visceral bliss. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more wild, “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver”’s opening riff sets the crowd alight. Sweat and noise overwhelmed my senses, this song in particular will be etched in my mind for years to come. 

To wrap up the show Les stepped off stage for a moment to swap his pig mask for disco ball helmet for the best encore I could ask for “Southbound Pachyderm”. This track alone would have made my night, but the setlist as a whole was better than I could have ever imagined. As the last notes of the show rang out I was beaming from ear to ear, and as I looked around I realized that I wasn’t the only one. Never have I seen a happier crowd. 

Thank you to UIC Radio for giving me such a great opportunity and to the Salt Shed for allowing me to take photos at this show, I am endlessly grateful.