While Primus is widely regarded as one of the finest power trios of the modern era, that didn’t stop the band from calling in backup from members of Tool and Queens of the Stone Age on Monday in L.A. During an intimate benefit concert at The Belasco, Tool’s Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor along with Troy Van Leeuwen of QotSA sat in for the majority of the ten-song performance.
The hard rock summit came together as a benefit for Canadian director, animator, and writer Jimmy Hayward (Toy Story, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, Finding Nemo). A longtime friend of Primus, the multi-hyphenate is currently undergoing cancer treatment.
The core three of Primus started the show with “Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers” and “Groundhog’s Day” before calling out the rest of the calvary. With dual bassists, guitarists, and drummers, the remainder of the show took on an improv-heavy format. The expanded outfit tackled other Primus originals “Too Many Puppies” and “Here Come the Bastards” before dishing out a wide range of covers.
King Crimson‘s “Thela Hun Ginjeet” marked the first cover of the evening before the collective dipping into the Tool catalog with “Ænema”. Les Claypool and Larry “Ler” LaLonde previously performed the track with Danny Carey when the Tool drummer subbed in for Primus’ Tim “Herb” Alexander for a string of shows in 2014.
The superjam then looked to its classic rock influences with takes on AC/DC‘s “Whole Lotta Rosie”—with comedian Dean Delray wailing on vocals—and Led Zeppelin‘s “Moby Dick”. The latter track served as a springboard for an extended drum duel between Carey and Alexander before the set wrapped with “My Name Is Mud”. Finally, the show ended where it all began with a return to the Primus songbook for a nearly 20-minute “Southbound Pachyderm”.
Primus, Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Troy Van Leeuwen – “Ænema” (Tool) [Pro-Shot] – 4/17/23
Primus, Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Troy Van Leeuwen – “Moby Dick” (Led Zeppelin) – 4/17/23
[Video: eroknrwton]
Primus, Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Troy Van Leeuwen – The Belasco – Los Angeles, CA – 4/17/23 – Full Video
[Video: DoubleAdaFool]
Setlist: Primus | The Belasco | Los Angeles, CA | 4/17/23
Set: Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers, Groundhog’s Day, Too Many Puppies [1], Here Come the Bastards [1], Thela Hun Ginjeet (King Crimson) [1], Ænema (Tool) [1], Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC) [1] [2], Moby Dick (Led Zeppelin) [1] [2], My Name Is Mud [1]
Encore: Southbound Pachyderm [1]
[1] w/ Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Troy Van Leeuwen
[2] w/ Dean Delray on vocals