Primus is headed out on a North American tour this May, though it's not all about their music. Primus will perform Rush's 1977 album A Farewell to Kings each night in full alongside their own music. Primus bassist and vocalist Les Claypool said Primus: A Tribute to Kings was originally supposed to happen in 2019 but was pushed off after being asked to open for Slayer.
"A little over one year ago, Ler Lalonde and I started kicking the idea around of Primus performing a series of shows featuring an iconic Rush album from our youth," says bandleader Les Claypool. "Being that A Farewell to Kings was the first Rush record I ever heard, and that it contains my all-time favorite Rush tune, 'Cygnus X1,' the choice narrowed quickly. Years ago I had done something similar with Colonel Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, when we covered Pink Floyd's Animals in its entirety. It was an insane amount of work, but ended up being one of the most enjoyable live endeavors I've ever done. Dubbing the tour 'Primus: A Tribute to Kings,' it was originally scheduled to be performed in the Fall of 2019 but, when we were asked to support Slayer on their Final Campaign, the 'Tribute to Kings' tour was postponed.
Geddy, Alex and Neil had been superheroes to Larry, Herb and I in our teens, so when we all became pals while touring together in the early '90s, we were pretty delighted; partially because of the musical geek-out factor but mostly because the three guys whom we had admired so much from afar, turned out to be truly great, down-to-earth humans, and like us, a tad eccentric.
The 'Tribute to Kings' tour will be just as it is implied, a respectful and loving tribute to three spectacular musicians, songwriters, legends and friends."
Primus will be joined by a recently-off-their-hiatus The Sword, as well as Wolfmother and Battles.
w/ Wolfmother & The Sword
5/26: Irving, TX: The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
5/27 Houston, TX: Revention Music Center
5/29 Austin, TX: ACL Live at the Moody Theater
5/30 New Orleans, LA: Saenger Theater
6/01 Asheville, NC: ExploreAsheville.com Arena
6/03 Orlando, FL: Hard Rock Live Orlando
6/05 Atlanta, GA: Coca-Cola Roxy
6/06 Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
6/07 Raleigh, NC: Red Hat Amphitheater
6/09 Cincinnati, OH: PNC Pavilion
6/10 Columbus, OH: Express Live! – Outdoor
6/12 Manchester, TN: Bonnaroo Arts And Music Festival
6/15 Richmond, VA: Virginia Credit Union LIVE!
6/16 Baltimore, MD: MECU Pavilion
6/17 New York, NY: Beacon Theatre
6/19 Philadelphia, PA: The Met Philadelphia
6/20 Asbury Park, NJ: The Stone Pony Summer Stage
6/21 Essex Junction, VT: Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Exposition
6/23 Boston, MA: Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
6/24 Wallingford, CT: Toyota Oakdale Theatre
6/26 Sterling Heights, MI: Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
6/27 Cleveland, OH: Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
6/28 Pittsburgh, PA: Stage AE – Outdoor
6/30 Toronto, ON: RBC Echo Beach
w/ The Sword
7/02 Lafayette, NY: Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards
7/03 Westbrook ME: Main Savings Pavilion at Rock Row
w/ Wolfmother & Battles
7/06 Indianapolis, IN: The Amphitheater at White River State Park
7/07 Milwaukee, WI: BMO Harris Pavilion
7/08 Minneapolis, MN: The Armory
7/10 Chicago, IL: The Chicago Theatre
7/11 St Louis, MO: Saint Louis Music Park
7/12 Kansas City, MO: CrossroadsKC
7/14 Denver, CO: The Mission Ballroom
7/15 Salt Lake City, UT: The Complex
7/17 Berkeley, CA: Greek Theater
7/18 Los Angeles, CA: Greek Theatre
7/19 Las Vegas, NV: Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort
7/21 Boise, ID: Outlaw Field at Idaho Botanical Garden
7/23 Bonner, MT: KettleHouse Amphitheater
7/24 Redmond, WA: Marymoor Park
7/25 Troutdale, OR: Edgefield
7/28 Spokane, WA: Riverfront Park Amphitheater
7/29 Bend, OR: Les Schwab Amphitheater
7/31 Paso Robles, CA: Vina Robles Amphitheatre
8/01 San Diego, CA: Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU
8/02 Phoenix, AZ: Arizona Federal Theatre
