Photos by Brad Hodge, www.bradhodgephoto.com

Nashville is a city with a heart for nostalgia, so it was of little surprise that the Primus show at the Ryman ended up a sold out affair. Many of the attendees filled their adolescence with the now classics like “Mudd” and “ Tommy The Cat.” However Primus is no nostalgia act. Even though 1999’s Antipop served as the last new Primus album, Bassist Les Claypool continues to lead this trio down innovative paths to new music. Before indulging in a perfect blend of classic and contemporary Primus, there was the matter of the Dead Kenny G’s at hand.

We were treated to an ample dose of madness from the openers. The band is comprised of fellow Claypool cohorts, saxophone artist Skerik, percussionist Mike Dillon and multi instrumentalist Brad Houser. The schizophrenic pace of the set was electrifying and extremely fun to follow. How could you not expect the taste of insanity from a band with titles like “I’m Your Manager, I’m Your Pimp” and “Jake Brakin” gracing their album. Nashville resident and fellow sax man Jeff Coffin was in the house, and was invited to come up on stage adding yet another mastermind into the mix.

As the venue filled so did the stage with Primus’ usual gigantic spacemen and lighting. Not only was the sound from the 3 headed rock and roll monster going to rattle the roof off, it appeared that at any moment the mother ship might transcend unleashing a true space odyssey. The continued accompaniment of rolling video in the helmets of the spacemen added to the intensity of grooves like “Bastards” and “Pudding Time.” So much mention of Primus is made about Les Claypool, however the crunchy masterful tone of guitarists Larry “Ler” LaLonde and exacting beats of Jay Lane are without doubt just as essential parts of the whole. Which completely evident during takes on “Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread and “Southbound Pachyderm.”

About midway thru the show both bands merged together for what quite possibly provided one of the most exciting highlights of the evening, a take on Tom Waits “Big In Japan.” After the traditional drums/whamola break complete with Les donning his pig mask the odyssey continued with favorites like “Jon the Fisherman” “My Name is Mud “ and “Tommy the Cat.” No doubt this long standing band still knows what their fans want, and with an anticipated album around the corner it looks like they will continue to serve it up for a while yet to come.