Live Review: Primus and Dinosaur Jr. 7/30/15 Pier 97 NYC

Primus and Dinosaur Jr.

Live 7/30/15

Pier 97 NY, NY

Two of RTBE's Personal Favorites played on a pier jutting out into the Hudson for an excellent night of music last Thursday. While the day was one of the nastiest in recent memory, sweltering 90+ humidity soaked heat and constant torrential downpours, the evening proved glorious. The heat broke, the rain held out and the tunes started.

The only downside to the night was the insanely early start time, 6pm for a Thursday show. We missed openers The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger completely and walked in when Dinosaur Jr. was already on stage. Walking in during "Out There" found J. Lou and Murph in mid set form blasting away. "Pieces" showcased J's vocals blowing into the Hudson while his six string provided immense buzzing goodness. "Feel The Pain" and "Freak Scene" brought in the 90's buzz bin vibe while the 80's got revisited with the bands pounding take on "Just Like Heaven".

Thankfully the group saved the best for last with a huge "Sludgefeast" that showcased not only J's amazing solos but a pummeling Barlow on bass. Ending with a jam that got sluggish in the vein of Black Sabbath, the song was a clear set highlight.

While it is true, we have been pretty down on Primus here recently at RtBE, this nights show restored our faith and was one of the best Primus concert we have witness in a long time. Walking out one by one, Ler, Herb and Les started up "Those Damn Blue-Collar Tweekers" one by one, massively pumping up the crowd.  

While Les has expanded into freakout hippyland as of late, all areas of the Primus song catalog was covered on this night. "Lee Van Cleef" and the good beat of "Last Salmon Man" highlighted the Green era work, while "Semi-Wondrous Boat Ride" was the only (thankfully) nod to Wonka on the evening.

The highlight songs were all from earlier Primus albums though, with Mr. Krinkle really digging deep via less on stand up bass, Herb's pounding on "Eleven" and Larry's spaced out flares for "Southbound Pachyderm". The band also saved something left for the encore as "Mr. Knowitall" and "Too Many Puppies" turned the concert pier into a slam fest.

Throughout the gorgeous evening Les commented many times on the night, his songs (hilariously giving credit to Bono for writing "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver") and the NYPD boat floating next to the stage. Clearly the cops were fans as they blew their whistle for approval when asked for and had I been able to tell my 14 year old self that I would be able to see Primus and Dinosaur Jr.'s original players performing on par with the best they ever had nearly 25 years later, I would be tooting the horn as well. 
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Support The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger here, Dinosaur Jr. here, Primus here and peep some video taken by others and full setlists in the Read More link.




Dinosaur Jr. Setlist:
Bulbs of Passion
Start Choppin
Back to Your Heart
Watch the Corners
Out There
Pieces
Feel the Pain
Freak Scene
Just Like Heaven
(The Cure cover)
Sludgefeast

Primus
New York, NY
07/30/2015
Pier 97
Lineup: Les Claypool - Bass, Larry Lalonde - Guitar, Tim Alexander - Drums
Setlist:

Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers
The Last Salmon Man
Wynona's Big Brown Beaver
American Life
Semi-Wondrous Boat Ride
Lee Van Cleef
Jilly's on Smack
Mr. Krinkle
Drum and Whamola Jam >
Eleven
Southbound Pachyderm
My Name is Mud
Jerry Was A Race Car Driver

Encore:
Mr. Knowitall
Too Many Puppies

- Cygnus X-1 tease during Pachyderm
General Notes about this show:
Dinosaur Jr. Opening