Primus kicked off their fall tour last week, and made their way to New York last night for a special Halloween celebration at Brooklyn Steel. Currently on tour in support of their recent release, The Desaturating Seven, the trio played two sets of Primus originals and a double encore to a sold-out, costumed crowd. The first set opened with a nearly 15-minute “American Life” from their 1991 Sailing the Seas of Cheese, giving all three members–Les Claypool, Larry LaLonde, and Tim “Herb” Alexander–space to get warmed up to deliver their individual goods. The set continued with Primus essentials, “Moron TV”, “Too Many Puppies”, “My Name is Mud”, and more twisted tunes signature to the 30+ year-old band. Over the course of the first set, the crowd gradually formed what became one of the largest and most contained mosh pits the new venue has seen. With dozens of people crowd-surfing their way to the front, Primus on Halloween proved to be the right choice for all.

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For their second set, the trio expanded their stage setting and performed all seven numbers off The Desaturating Seven, inspired by Ul de Rico‘s 1978 children’s book The Rainbow Goblins. In a storytale setting, with Les Claypool as the narrator, the band played through “The Valley”, “The Seven”, “The Trek”, “The Scheme”, “The Dream”, “The Storm”, “The Ends?” before concluding the section of the show with a traditional bang.

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Much like Primus’ tribute to the Willy Wonka soundtrack in 2014, the book’s “vibrant and intense and eerie and somewhat creepy” vibe inspired Claypool, who told Rolling Stone, “I remember being incredibly impressed with the artwork and the storyline and the content and the message, and I thought, ‘Wow, this would make a great piece of music.’” Riffing off the album’s origins, visuals from de Rico’s The Rainbow Goblins were projected behind the band for the second set, with blinding lasers punctuating the aggressive riffs.

The trio once again returned to the stage for a show-closing double encore, with “Those Damn Blue-Collar Tweakers” and “Tommy the Cat”. With a night off ahead of them, Primus continues tour in Akron, Ohio tomorrow. Check their website for a full listing of tour dates.

Setlist: Primus | Brooklyn Steel | Brooklyn, NY | 10/31/17

American Life, Moron TV, Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread, Too Many Puppies > Sgt. Baker (with Hello Skinny and Too Many Puppies Reprise), Over The Falls, Lee Van Cleef, Nature Boy, On The Tweek Again, My Name is Mud, Over the Electric Grapevine (with full band teases of Nutbutter’s House of Treats and Shake Hands With Beef at the start)

The Desaturating Seven: The Valley, The Seven, The Trek, The Scheme, The Dream, The Storm, The Ends?

E: Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweakers, Tommy the Cat

Check out Andrew Blackstein‘s images from last night’s show below!