Primus Goes 3-D

After a week of trying to set up an interview with Les Claypool, the time and day was upon me. I was slightly nervous, but getting more so as each minute went by and the phone didn’t ring. Les Claypool stood me up.

But, I consoled myself, perhaps it’s a good thing … you know, preserve the mystery in art, the “not knowingness” that’s magical when you buy a ticket and show up with no expectations. Then he called.

Claypool didn’t give many secrets away, but here’s what we know: All audience members will be given 3-D glasses as Primus plays live. This show is part of their 3-D tour, featuring a 3-D-enhanced live musical performance and two sets per evening. No one has ever done a 3-D tour before, so leave it to Claypool to take a run-of-the-mill live performance and turn it into something groundbreaking.

Here’s Claypool’s description: “We come on stage with a screen behind us and some other options on stage,” Claypool explains, “and as we perform various textures come shooting out at you from over our heads. It’s eye candy. It’s all stuff that you would never see at a 3-D performance house. It’s definitely for the heads.”

Even after talking with him, what to expect remains a mystery. “Primus music is a very abstract thing to begin with, but coupled with these visuals it’s definitely something that none has seen before,” he says, “and even if you have come to our shows before you still haven’t seen it because every night is different.”

You don’t have to be a Primus fan to enjoy the evening. “I see a lot of people at these shows that would not be at a Primus show and they come because of the spectacle of it,” he notes. “It’s an entertaining evening. And I’m not just saying that because I’m the guy standing there.”

I believe him, don’t you?

Primus plays 8 pm Friday, May 24, at Cuthbert Amphitheater; $40 adv., $45 door.

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