The Scene: Two words. Rowdy! Rainy!
Primus: The list of bands that can pull off a full length remake of the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory soundtrack is a short one. Very short. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Primus is the band that did it, releasing Primus & The Chocolate Factory with The Fungi Ensemble last October. Now they’ve taken the whole thing out on the road, performing the album in it’s entirety along with a full set of original Primus songs each night.
100%. That was the chance of rain at Red Rocks last Thursday for the closing night of Primus’ first round of Wonka tour dates. There was also a 100% chance that this would be a weird show, even for Primus. Fired up fans packed into Red Rocks and stayed through consistent heavy rain that fell throughout the night, with a nearly full house until the last notes of the encore closing “Here Come The Bastards.”
The first set was a who’s who of Primus favorites, including opener “Those Damn Blue Collar Tweekers,” a jammed out “Frizzle Fry,” and weather appropriate “My Name Is Mud.” As always, Mr Claypool included a bit of banter between a few songs, noting how lucky we are to have Red Rocks in our back yards, and wondering out loud whether he should play an upbeat song to warm the crowd up or something more trippy on account of Colorado’s legal weed status, before ripping into “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” to close out the set.
With large inflatable mushrooms looming in the back corners, and several other props scattered throughout, the band returned to the stage with the Fungi Ensemble (Mike Dillon on marimba and percussion and Sam Bass on cello) for a complete live performance of the Primus & The Chocolate Factory album. Bits and pieces of the original movie appeared in synch with the band on the large screen behind the band. The highlight was the pair of Oompa Loompas with oversized heads that marched in from each side of the stage and bobbed in unison during the multiple “Oompa” songs during the second half of the set.
The night wasn’t over yet though. The band quickly returned for a three set encore of Primus originals, capped with a raucous “Here Come the Bastards.” Once again, Primus proves their staying power and versatility with what will surely be one of the most unique shows of the year.
Energy: A
Musicianship: A
Sound: B+
Stage Presence: A
Set/Light Show: B-
Overall: A-
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