Primus brought the A Tribute To Kings tour to The Paramount in Huntington, NY on Sunday. Like other shows on the tour, the concert featured one set of Primus originals followed by a second set where the band performed Rush‘s A Farewell To Kings in its entirety.
Following a visit from Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson (Rush) during Primus’s recent Canadian run, Les Claypool, Larry “Ler ” LaLonde, and Tim “Herb” Alexander have roared back to the States with renewed energy. On Sunday, they hit the stage at The Paramount prepared to continue the tribute spectacle with the enthusiastic co-sign the kings themselves on file.
After walking on stage to Danny Elfman‘s demented lullaby “Clown Dream”, Primus opened the first set with “To Defy the Laws of Tradition” off the band’s 1990 debut Frizzle Fry, followed by “Fisticuffs” from The Brown Album. The band then played “The Toys Go Winding Down” into “Pudding Time”, both off Frizzle Fry, before offering the newly released 11-minute epic “Conspiranoia”, which gave way to by “Over The Falls”, “Lee Van Cleef”, “Professor Nutbutter’s House of Treats”, and “Del Davis Tree Farm”. Primus wrapped up the first set with “The Man With The Iron Balls”, a recent composition inspired by the strength and resilience of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky and produced in collaboration with Gogol Bordello‘s Eugene Hütz (the track also features Billy Strings, Stewart Copeland, Sean Lennon, and Hütz’s Gogo Bordello bandmate Sergey Ryabtsev on the recording).
For set two, Primus delivered a reading of Rush’s A Farewell To Kings as only the eccentric trio could. The band stayed faithful to Rush’s original compositions, but with Les Claypool playing the part of Geddy Lee, Larry LaLonde as Alex Lifeson, and Tim Alexander as the eminent Neil Peart, it still sounded like Primus.
Following the Rush set, Primus took a short break before returning to the stage for a four-song encore. The band stuck to its own catalogue to close the night, opening the encore with “Eleven” before offering “Follow the Fool” from the band’s recent Conspiranoid EP. They concluded with fan favorites “My Name Is Mud” and “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver”.
Below, view a gallery of photos from Primus’s show at The Paramount in Huntington, NY on May 22nd, 2022, courtesy of photographer Kevin Cole.
Primus’s A Tribute To Kings tour continues tonight, Tuesday, May 24th in Washington D.C. For a complete list of tour dates, visit the band’s website.
Setlist: Primus | The Paramount | Huntington, NY | 5/22/22
Intro (prerecorded): Clown Dream (Danny Elfman)
Set One: To Defy the Laws of Tradition, Fisticuffs, The Toys Go Winding Down > Pudding Time, Conspiranoia, Over the Falls, Lee Van Cleef, Professor Nutbutter’s House of Treats, Del Davis Tree Farm, The Man With The Iron Balls
Set Two: A Farewell to Kings (Rush), Xanadu (Rush), Closer to the Heart (Rush), Cinderella Man (Rush), Madrigal (Rush), Cygnus X-1 (Rush)
Encore: Eleven, Follow the Fool, My Name Is Mud, Jerry Was a Race Car Driver
