Primus Brought the Weird to Red Rocks With a Mind-blowing Performance: Review

After Primus busted out "Harold of the Rocks" and "Groundhog's Day" to open its set at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, frontman Les Claypool took a moment to address the packed crowd.

"So much shit has happened since the last time we met," he said. Clad in a shining gold suit and a porkpie hat with a jaunty feather, he had one leg propped up on an amp, leaning over his bass as he surveyed the audience alongside his bandmates, guitarist Larry LaLonde and new drummer John Hoffman.

"One thing is, we have a fellow back here by the name of John Hoffer, Hoffington," Claypool continued, as Hoffman put his sticks in the air to a long, rushing round of applause. "He beat out over 700,000 drum applicants to win the Primus Interstellar Drum Derby. And I have to say...we've been doing this a long time, and we have an amazing job — me and Ler have an incredible, amazing job. And now Hoffer's with us, and we're starting to see it with his eyes. This is the very first time he's been to — and played — Red Rocks.

"And sometimes we forget these things. We take these things for granted, we've been doing it for a while. But it's hard to take Red Rocks for granted, it's such a spectacular place. ... We're extremely happy to be here," he said.

"And Hoffer's extraordinarily happy to be here. Fortunately, he has a tall snare drum that hides his massive erection." Claypool said the band wanted to do something "special" to mark Hoffman's first Red Rocks show, "and we literally came up with this this afternoon," he told the audience. "I think you guys are either going to love it, or you're going to hate it."

You could feel the palpable excitement throughout Red Rocks at that moment. "So in celebration of Hoffer's first time at Red Rocks," Claypool continued, "we're going to play seven songs from the Brown Album back to back, right now. Hence, turning an evening of Primus at Red Rocks into Primus at the Brown Rocks."

Audience members barely had a moment to compose themselves before they were swept up by the beginning basslines of "Fisticuffs." It was the first of several tour debuts, including the next song, "Golden Boy," as well as "Shake Hands With Beef," "Bob" and "Southbound Pachyderm." So it's safe to say everyone loved it.
By the time Claypool introduced Hoffman, the drummer had already shown his chops, unleashing a mind-boggling pattern of riffs that led to a cutting crescendo for "Groundhog's Day." When Primus began performing "Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread," he was fully locked in, completely one with his instrument. That song was one that made him stand out during his Drum Derby audition process — most other drummers requested to play "Last Salmon Man" — and Hoffman showcased his wizardry which landed him the gig.
Everyone at Red Rocks was fully engaged, intermittently shouting "Primus sucks!" (a fan tradition) as the band ripped through "Over the Falls," which included a seering-hot solo from LaLonde into "Restin' Bones." Claypool and LaLonde's instruments would leapfrog around each other, forming a dance between the bass and guitar for "Bob's Party Time Lounge" in that idiosyncratic style unique only to Primus. And was that Zeus or Hoffman? Thunder may as well have been bursting from the drums at the end of "Welcome to This World," a standout of the set that closed out with "My Name Is Mud," "Bob" and "Jerry Was a Racecar Driver."

After a solid set of headbanging, the audience was still hungry for more. Hoffman came back to the stage first, pinging a bell cymbal as LaLonde and Claypool returned for a mind-melting three-song encore of "Too Many Puppies," "Dirty Drowning Man" and "Southbound Pachyderm."  You truly can't find this creeping, funky, proggy sound in any other band, and Primus remains as indefinable as ever. If anyone were concerned about Herb Alexander's exit, Hoffman has proven to be a perfect fit — adaptable to improv and moving in sync with LaLonde and Claypool.  When we spoke with him a week ago, it was impossible not to absorb his enthusiasm. Aside from his massive career shift from a local drummer in Shreveport, Louisiana, to being a member of one of his favorite bands, he was also in awe that his first visit to Red Rocks Amphitheatre would be as a headliner. He promised a show that fans would remember — and as always, Primus delivered.

See more photos from the show below: Find more concerts on our concert calendar.