It was a perfect summer night to watch two bands ply their wares on the waterfront of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. While the venue could use more grass and less fractured concrete the views couldn’t have been sweeter, with the skyline visible to the artists and anyone who turned away from the stage for a second.
Gogol Bordello opened and had their fans pogo’ing in unison to tunes like “Break The Spell” and “Punk Rock Parranda”. “Start Wearing Purple” was another favorite that whipped the sweaty mustachioed Eastern Europeans on the stage (and in the crowd) into a delightful frenzy via the party gypsy punk. Eugene Hurtz and the ragamuffins accompanying him pulled out all the stops; it is nearly impossible to not have a good time at the groups show, they were planning on keeping that joy flowing, announcing an after show they were playing at the Brooklyn Bowl.
The good vibes continued as Primus took the stage with Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde recruiting original drummer Jay Lane back into the fold for this tour. Opening with “Pudding Time” the trio got the mosh pit a’rollin’ and the crowd surfers airborne; the kick drum and low end echoed from apartment buildings while guitars wafted into the river. Claypool, decked out like Abraham Lincoln, mentioned multiple times during the night that the bands view of the skyline was intoxicating. Meanwhile the stage was equipped with multiple light rigs and huge astronauts whose masks projected videos keeping the visuals lively for the fans.
The band played a sampling from all over their back catalog, even two songs (“Golden Boy” and “Over the Falls”) off the rarely played Brown Album. Highlights included the slap bass ska riff tinged “American Life”, the muscle flexing “Harold of The Rocks” and the musical voyage contained in “Over the Electric Grapevine”. Les sounded completely at ease on the various instruments he strummed, while also making excellent use of his “Sandman Microphone” specifically during the encore with the spacious “Southbound Pachyderm” and wailing “Tommy the Cat” capping off a night of uniquely fantastic tunes.
Setlist:
Pudding Time
Here Come the Bastards
Golden Boy
Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers
Over the Falls
Sgt. Baker
American Life
Jerry Was A Race Car Driver
Over the Electric Grapevine
Drum and Whamola Jam
Eleven
Harold of the Rocks
Encore:
Southbound Pachyderm
Tommy the Cat > The Awakening > Tommy the Cat
