Sno-Core '98


I saw Primus as part of the Sno-Core tour at the San Jose Event Center in CA. The other bands playing with Primus---Blink 182, Aquabats, and the Long Beach Dub All Stars--were mediocre at best (though Blink 182 had their moments), and so I'm just going to focus on Primus' performance.

The set consisted of what are now classic songs in the world of rock: Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers, My Name is Mud, Tommy the Cat, Sailing the Seas of Cheese (a song I'd not heard in a long time), Groundhog's Day, Pudding Time, Too Many Puppies and Frizzle Fry (note that all songs are from the first two studio albums). A few tunes from the latest album were also included: Golden Boy, Kalamazoo, and Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread. For the encore, Les gave the audience a choice of either Jerry was a Race Car Driver or Southbound Pachyderm. The crowd roared their approval for the former, but I'd have liked to hear Southbound myself.

The main complaint I had about this set is that it was too short, but Les explained afterward it was because of the length of the 4-band show. Personally, I think it's better to have Primus do longer sets with fewer bands. The acoustics at the Event Center were not the best, and definitely detracted from the show. However, the venue itself seemed pretty decent. During the intermissions, the animated comedy South Park (for which Primus does the theme song) was projected on a screen above the stage, which helped pass the time.

Les' bass playing was solid as usual, but Ler really shone. The show deviated a bit from the standard song-after-song routine that is common for most live shows. As with the Bottom of the Hill show, there were semi-extended jams once in a while where Ler went nuts. Also present on stage was the "Jimi Hendrix of DJs" who managed to play the theme to Jeopardy with his turn-table, while the band did a new cover that is to appear on a follow-up EP to Miscellaneous Debris. I must say Brain's drumming was far more impressive than the first time I saw him at the Bottom of the Hill Club. While Brain's playing still didn't seem any different in comparison to Herb with regards to all the Primus classics, the drumming has definitely gotten busier.

After the show I got to meet Les and Brain; Ler wasn't around. Les said the new album would consist mostly of covers, but may also contain a couple of live tunes with Brain. The Sno-Core tours is probably one of the last tours the band will do before they go back into the studio for a full-length EP, so I recommend checking out them if you have the chance!


Music ram-blings || The Cheesy Primus Page || Ram Samudrala || me@ram.org || February 10, 1998