Primus, Coheed and Cambria Dish Out Skyla-High Levels of Prog Rock

It’s been over 30 years, but the memory of crowd surfing my way toward the stage at Lollapalooza in 1993 is still clear as day. Primus was on stage, and as soon as the song “Nature Boy” kicked into high gear, a pit opened below me and I fell to the ground.

A fellow concertgoer wearing a Burger King crown extended a hand, lifted me up into the swirling mass of bodies and mayhem ensued until the next lull in the prog-rock groove.

I didn’t have such a memorable experience during Primus’ headlining set at Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre on Saturday as part of their tour with Coheed and Cambria, but that doesn’t mean the trio isn’t still worth catching live.

Decades on, Les Claypool is still one of the finest bassists to ever pick the instrument up. His playing still looks effortless no matter how intricate the groove or rhythm is.

Read more: Krystle Baller Gets Personal With Primus’ Les Claypool

A setlist full of older Primus tunes would have been great, but with such an extensive catalog, fans were bound to get a broad range of music. There were also a couple of covers as opener Puddles Pity Party joined the band for a stunning rendition of Dio’s “Holy Diver,” while Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez came out for a cover of Rush’s “Cygnus X-1.”

Coheed’s hour-long set drew plenty of audience participation. Billed as a co-headlining tour, it’s no surprise that plenty in attendance were there for Claudio and Co. The band’s energy commands attention as singer Sanchez constantly moved in a way that set his long curls into waves while churning through riffs.

The night started with a brief set by Puddles Pity Party. The clown with the golden voice sings a variety of covers in his own style, with hints of humor and mashups.

His combination of The Who’s “Pinball Wizard” with Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” or Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” with a hint of Frozen’s “Let It Go” work far better than they might sound.

Primus setlist
Professor Nutbutter’s House of Treats
Del Davis Tree Farm
Shake Hands with Beef
Holy Diver
Wynnona’s Big Brown Beaver
My Friend Fats
Cygnus X-1
The Seven
The Ol’ Diamondback Sturgeon
My Name is Mud
Mrs. Blaileen
Jerry Was a Race Car Driver
Encore
Southbound Pachyderm

Coheed and Cambria setlist
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Ten Speed
The Willing Well I: Fuel for the Feeding End
Blood Red Summer
A Favor House Atlantic
Blindside Sunny
The Crowing
Shoulders
The Liars Club
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