Rush fans are a passionate bunch. I should know, as I am one of them. We adored their music and the intricacies in their writing, the passion behind the music, and the stellar live performances. So when a band decides they’re going to perform a Rush album in its entirety, it raises some eyebrows from Rush fans and potentially some concerns. Could this band replicate Rush’s same passion and do that album justice? When they learned the band was Primus, I’m sure concerns were alleviated because honestly, I couldn’t think of a better band to tackle the challenge. And the album? The 1977 A Farewell to Kings. Primus was making a stop at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre on their A Tribute To Kings tour.
It was a beautiful evening at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre and it was a crowded house. Some attendees were wearing Primus shirts and others wore Rush shirts. A large group of people was waiting in line at the merchandise booth hoping to snag a Primus shirt or other merch before they started. The excitement was building as they got closer to start time and you feel that energy building. The moment the lights went off that crowd burst out into cheers as Primus took the stage.
Primus formed back in 1984 out of El Sobrante, CA. The band released their first studio album titled Frizzle Fry in 1990. The album caught the attention of Interscope Records who signed Primus onto their label. They immediately followed up with their sophomore album in 1991 titled Sailing the Seas of Cheese. The album had two songs appear on multiple video games. Their third album Pork Soda released in 1993 was a huge success and ended up certified both Gold and Platinum. Primus would release three additional albums before making the decision to take a hiatus in 2000. The band became active again in 2003 going on tour and performing at festivals, but it wouldn’t be until 2011 that they would release new music with their album Green Naughahyde. Primus released two additional studio albums with their last in 2017. Their most recent new music came from their EP Conspiranoid released on April 22, 2022. Primus consists of Les Claypool (vocals/bass), Larry LaLonde (guitar), and Tim Alexander (drums).
Primus was set towards the back of the stage with Larry on the left, Tim in the center, and Les on the right setup with a set of keyboards and his bass. They kicked it off with “Groundhog’s Day” from their debut album Frizzle Fry. It’s a cool groovy song with an almost twangy guitar riff and quickly spoken lyrics over singing. They followed that with the title track from their 1999 album “The Antipop”. That song has a great bass riff and very catch lyrics. Throw in beautiful guitars and a smooth drumbeat and there’s no doubt why this is a great song. From there they went into “Harold of the Rocks” also from Frizzle Fry. It’s another groovy rock tune that really got the crowd moving and bouncing for the next 10 minutes plus.
And Primus was hot that evening through all of their first set. They performed “Conspiranoia” from their recent EP The Conspiranoid. That single runs 11 minutes plus long. Les grooved on the bass and joked around with the crowd when people ask him for a pick because he doesn’t use one. Larry was heads-down, literally, tuned into his guitar playing cranking out just some gorgeous sounds. Tim was hidden, also literally, behind his massive drum set kicking out some fantastic drumbeats. This was the first time I had gotten to see Primus live and I was loving it. The crowd was loving it too with their selection of music that night. But, what I was also truly loving was their light show. While the members of Primus weren’t as visible to the crowd, their stage lighting was gorgeous with multiple colors of reds, purples, and blues. Primus wrapped up with “Over the Electric Grapevine” from their 1995 album Tales from the Punchbowl. Les explained they would be taking a break and then come back with their second set of the evening.
Their first setlist was:
- Groundhog’s Day
- The Antipop
- Harold of the Rocks
- Conspiranoia
- Over the Falls
- Lee Van Cleef
- Welcome to This World
- Over the Electric Grapevine
When Primus returned to the stage, the crowd provided a huge cheer. They knew what was coming next; the performance of Rush’s A Farewell to Kings in full. And the moment Larry started playing those few guitar notes of “A Farewell to Kings” the crowd went crazy. Les joined in on the keyboards and then they jumped into the main instrumental. And holy hell, it sounded amazing! Now, Les did struggle through the vocals for this song. He tried to sing it high, but it wasn’t working and sang it lower for the rest of the song. He explained after that he’d been struggling with a frog in his throat and he knows Rush fans are a picky bunch. And we are when it comes to replicating any Rush song. But, let’s be realistic. No one hits the notes Geddy Lee hits because that’s Geddy Lee and what makes him special. When they moved onto “Xanadu” Les seemed much more in tune with the vocals and when he got to “Closer to the Heart”, Les really had it down pat. Was it Geddy Lee perfect no, but I would never expect that from anyone but Geddy Lee.
Instrumentally, Primus had it nailed down. Every song with pitch-perfect, every note hit in the right key and at the right moment. Honestly, if I closed my eyes outside of the vocals, I would have believed Rush was on stage. They were true to form and it was absolutely incredible. And with the lights and stage screen displaying images made it such an amazing show. When they closed out that set performing the ever so awesome “Cygnus X-1” the fans were so engaged between the music and the lights and the screen displaying the story as they played including the ship Rocinante, it was an all-around awesome performance.
The A Farewell to Kings setlist was:
- A Farewell to Kings
- Xanadu
- Closer to the Heart
- Cinderella Man
- Madrigal
- Cygnus X-1
Overall, this was a fantastic night of Primus songs and a tribute to Rush. Fans loved and I loved it too. If you want to pick up Primus music and merch you can visit their site HERE. And if you can get to this tour, go do it, you will love it, especially if you’re a Rush fan.
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