Sunday, November 4, 2012

Primus Gets in Your Face with 3D

Primus 3D - copyright Peyton Owen


When I first bought tickets to go and see Primus in 3D I had no idea what to expect or how exactly the show was going to work at a venue like the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. I walked in after waiting in the ridiculously long line that went down about 2 blocks or so from the entrance of the venue. Once inside, I grabbed some 3D glasses, and hoped it was going to be as great of show as previous times I have seen Primus. I had a good feeling about this show though. Les Claypool, the bassist, has continued to amaze me with his style, skill, and performance.

As the show started, I was shocked by how groundbreaking the 3D was. This Primus concert ended up having by far the best 3D visuals I have ever seen. No movie or IMAX 3D could even be compared to how the Fillmore was set up with incredible lighting, full surround sound, and most of all, visuals that made me think I could grab what was in front of me. It was also amazing how Primus based their show off of images, which if I try and remember all of the shows I have seen with remotely comparable visuals, Tool at Lollapalooza in 2009 as well as Tool (again), and Puscifer (more theatrical) at Rivers Edge, were the only two that stuck out. Most bands have light shows and whatnot, but this was different. I have never seen a show in 3D and interestingly enough when you took off your glasses the screen looked normal, which I wasn't expecting because the only thing I have to compare it to are movies.

As usual, Primus and Les Claypool killed it with their unique sound of jamming hard and heavy bass lines. They also were able to keep the crowd's attention by mesmerizing them with amazing stage presence as well as the passion and intensity coming through the speakers and band. The music went hand in hand with the 3D visuals too, especially when classics came on, such as "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver." On the screen there were 3D pieces of cheese switching to a fast motion cityscape, to old race cars moving statically in the video. See it for yourself:


However, some very tall people made it difficult for me to see many of the incredible images because at certain points due to some people's amazing ability to stand directly in front of me, or to shove past me as thought I wasn’t there in order for them to rudely move through the crowd, almost knocking people down on the nasty floor. Proper concert etiquette seemed to be lacking. I don't think "excuse me" is in very many people's vocabulary.

In the end, none of that mattered because having the opportunity to see Les Claypool shred his bass apart with his signature top hat and circular glasses with Primus' constant creativity put into their performances makes it quite hard to ruin such an incredible experience. The 3D made their performance even better.

Check Primus' latest album Green Naugahyde and go see them live! Share your own Primus experiences.

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