by Shoggoth.
Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta GA, USA. May 29, 1999.
Gee, I thought I'd see some other descriptions of shows before or since, but I guess I'm the first. First of all, for all you folks who are going and are wondering -- Primus is 3rd on the main stage and when we saw them they went on at 4:15 PM. I think all the bands on the main stage are playing longer this year than last year -- maybe 45 minutes instead of 30, which can be good -- unless you're Godsmack or Rob Zombie.
So Primus was the main reason I went to Ozzfest this year, Slayer and Black Sabbath coming in 2nd and 3rd respectively. I have to say that when it was all said and done, Black Sabbath truly proved themselves masters of the day. I really didn't expect them to be THAT good. Anyone who drinks too much beer in the hot sun and passes out before they come on should kick themself for a year and a day. But I digress -- Primus really put the thump down, like they always do. I'd never seen them at a festival before, and I think smaller venues are better for them. The people sing along more, and there's more of a vibe when the whole damn floor is jumping up and down to the music. The only thing that disappointed me was that they played NOTHING from the Brown Album which in my opinion, having listened to Frizzle Fry 100000 times, is their best album yet. The entire song selection was from Frizzle Fry and Seas of Cheese except for 2 songs. Here's the playlist as near as I can remember:
John the Fisherman, Those Damn Blue-Collar Tweekers, My Name is Mud, Too Many Puppies, an as-yet unnamed new song (which fucking rocked! Keep that one, guys!), Jerry was a Racecar Driver, Harold of the Rocks
Only seven songs, but they really stretch 'em out with some good improvisational jamming. They had this guy Buckethead, who I guess is an SF local, come out for Blue-Collar Tweekers and Too Many Puppies and play guitar.
All in all I don't like rock festivals 'cause they're too expensive, the days are too long, I get claustrophobic in the crowds, and the food inside the venue sucks for the money you get stuck paying. Don't anyone who attends one of these things delude yourself -- you ARE being milked! But I admire Primus for being there and being themselves. They stood out so much from the rest of the bands, kind of like TOOL and the Melvins did at last year's show. Like Les said, "I myself am only here for the pay...er, the pain of playing testosterone-laden music."
Looking forward to the next album, and the next tour where Primus is headlining!