Experimental rock icons Primus return to F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on May 6
From a press release:
For the first time in nearly 12 years, Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum-selling experimental rock legends Primus will perform at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Monday, May 6.
“Tommy the Cat.” “John the Fisherman.” “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver.” “My Name Is Mud.” “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver.” Primus is responsible for some of the most cutting edge and original rock music of the 1990s. And now, the definitive Primus lineup – singer/bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde, and drummer Tim Alexander – is back together and planning on getting the worldwide masses bobbing up and down in unison once more this summer.
Doors at the Kirby Center (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre) open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $49.50, $59.50, $69.50, $99.50, and $119.50, plus applicable fees, go on sale this Friday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. at the Kirby Center box office during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.), online at kirbycenter.org and ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A Kirby Member pre-sale begins on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 10 a.m.
VIP packages are offered online only. The “Fat Bastard Front Row Super VIP Experience” ($209 VIP lift + base ticket price + fees) includes one premium reserved ticket in the front row, early entry to the venue, an invitation to an exclusive pre-show Q&A session with Primus, one screen-printed limited VIP tour poster signed by Primus, crowd-free merchandise shopping, and an on-site event host. The “Lucky Bastard VIP Experience” ($120 VIP lift + base ticket price + fees) includes one premium reserved seat, early entry to the venue, an invitation to an exclusive pre-show Q&A session with Primus, one screen-printed limited VIP tour poster signed by Primus, crowd-free merchandise shopping, and an on-site event host.
Originally formed in 1984, it was not until shortly before the end of the decade that the classic Primus lineup was solidified. With most hard rock/heavy metal acts at the time either neatly falling into either “thrash” or “glam” categories, Primus joined a variety of underground bands that refused to be pigeonholed (and by the early ’90s, had fully infiltrated the mainstream) – merging metal, funk, alternative, punk, country, roots rock, and experimental music, along with frontman Les Claypool’s penchant for witty and often humorous storytelling lyrics.
Building a large and loyal following first in and around San Francisco (before eventually going global), Primus kicked things off with a string of releases that are now considered classic alternative rock titles – 1989’s “Suck on This,” 1990’s “Frizzle Fry,” 1991’s “Sailing the Seas of Cheese,” 1993’s “Pork Soda,” and 1995’s “Tales from the Punchbowl.” Along the way, they toured with some of rock’s biggest names (Jane’s Addiction, Public Enemy, Rush, U2, etc.), headlined the third-ever Lollapalooza festival, and issued a variety of crafty music videos that stood out in sharp contrast to the ultra-seriousness of most other video clips at the time.
Alexander exited Primus in 1996 but returned in 2003, in time for the EP/DVD set “Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People” and a sold-out reunion tour that lasted over the next few years before the drummer departed once more. But as Claypool got to work on putting together a forthcoming book about the band’s history, he began longing for the days when Alexander’s unmistakable and powerful drumming provided the beat. A phone call was placed, a conversation ensued, and before anyone could say, “Here come the bastards,” the Claypool-LaLonde-Alexander lineup was back in business. Plans to tour the world over and offer up new music are already in place. Be forewarned – here they come!
Primus previously played at the F.M. Kirby Center on Oct. 16, 2012. The venue is a historic Art Deco/Moderne-style performing arts center located in downtown Wilkes-Barre. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Read NEPA Scene’s interview with Larry LaLonde before their 2012 Kirby Center concert here.
Photo by Jason Riedmiller Photography/NEPA Scene
