Primus will be playing the Strand Theatre on Sunday, May 3.
Now, if you’re anything like me, you saw this announcement and immediately Googled it to make sure it wasn’t like the great Black Flag hoax of 2014. And if you’re one of the tens of thousands of Primus fans who has been helping
them go platinum and gold since their 1990 EP “Suck on This,” you’re probably still on cloud nine (or trying to pick yourself up from your Grateful Dead rug you scored at Bonnaroo in ’98, maaaaaan!) – but one thing is for certain: fans and non-fans can all agree this is a major score for the Strand and our city.
Local musician Scotty Gerardy, who had the honor of playing five shows with Primus in May of 2011 as a member of Dirtfoot, says he was beyond ecstatic over the news.
“I got the text while at the Monday night blues jam at Lee’s,” said Gerardy. “I had to politely put down my horn and skip around the parking lot a few times. I was amazed. It will be a great concert for old fans and new fans as well. If you’re a lifelong fan like myself, it’s ALWAYS a great show!”
As icing on the hemp and patchouli cake, this won’t be just any old Primus tour. For their latest album, the gang channeled singer Les Claypool’s adoration of author Roald Dahl and recreated the score from the original 1971 “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” film. Primus and the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble is sure to be a wild, psychedelic trip with Claypool and his trusty six-string bass leading the way!
Tickets can currently be purchased directly from the Primus website and will go on sale locally at the Strand tomorrow.
And don’t leave the show without a signature chocolate bar. Much like Primus fans, they come in a multitude of flavors (but probably contain less mind-expanding psychedelics).
If you don’t have a sweet tooth, be sure and grab a vinyl. The band has put golden tickets in select LPs which give the ticket-holder free Primus shows for the rest of their life. And that’s pretty, um, sweet in its own right.
Photo via Primus’ Facebook Page.
An earlier version if this story implied that tickets will be on sale Friday, January 30. Tickets are actually already on sale.