The Bay-area alt-rock outfit Primus and Atlanta metal act Mastodon kicked off the 2018 season of “Coors Light Concerts” at the Artpark in Lewiston, NY on Wednesday, May 23.
The crowd was surprisingly light with only about 2,000 sun-drenched, excited fans. The fans who did make the journey to Lewiston were welcomed by perfect weather and a spectacular line up of alt rock, stoner metal and of course one of the most wonderfully weird rock bands in history, Primus.
Opening up the evening was the Nashville based stoner metal band, All Them Witches. A first for me, but I do like checking out new acts. Imagine Black Sabbath with a Southern rock swagger feel to it. It is certainly interesting and worth checking out.
When it comes to Mastodon, most Western (and Central New Yorkers) are very familiar with the band. Two of the members grew up in the Rochester, NY area. The band spent a lot of time touring the region in their early days and their fans remain loyal to this day. Mastodon’s performance can best be described as a thunderous groove vibe with some bone rattling chops mixed in. Throw in the incredible drumming of Brann Dailor and the fans get a deeply intense musical experience.
In true Primus fashion, their intro hits the airwaves and it is “Clown Dreams” from the Tim Burton classic, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. The moment the intro stops, Les Claypool and the band crash onto the stage playing a wild mash up of “Too Many Puppies” and “Sgt. Baker.” Fans erupted into a giant mosh pit. Vocalist/bassist extraordinaire, Colonel Claypool, led the charge with incredibly talented band mates, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander.
It’s not very common that a band can perform their new album in its entirety and still manage to keep the audience engaged. Most people prefer to hear the classics. However, the veteran rockers pulled it off quite brilliantly as they played every song from their current release The Desaturating Seven.
I have to say that I am no stranger to seeing Primus perform over the years, but I stand firm that each time I see them, you never know what you are going to get and every show is incredible.
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