Opening Night | Primus & The Chocolate Factory In Philadelphia

The big news from last night’s Primus show at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, Philadelphia was the return of drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander. You might recall that “Herb” underwent open heart surgery after suffering a heart attack. Alexander made his comeback on Wednesday night for opening night of Primus & The Chocolate Factory.

[Photo via Official Primus Chocolate Factory Page]

Primus kicked off the show with a run through eight classic originals including “To Defy The Laws Of Tradition,” “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver” and “My Name Is Mud.” Bassist Les Claypool took a few opportunities towards the beginning of the show to welcome Alexander back into the fold and even led a “Primus Sucks” chant in Herb’s honor. Then, the trio and special guests Mike Dillon (percussion) and Sam Bass (cello), aka “The Fungi Ensemble,” went on to perform Primus & The Chocolate Factory in its entirety. Last night’s show comes just a few days after the band released their studio version of the Charlie & The Chocolate Factory soundtrack.

Les Claypool and Co. put an exclamation point on the evening with a three-song encore of “Too Many Puppies,” “Fisticuffs” and “Here Comes The Bastards.” Primus continues the tour on Friday night in Albany. Check out a playlist of fan-shot video by Steve Easton that starts (though it’s out of order) with clips of nearly the entire tour opener:

Playlist Tracks: Too Many Puppies, Fisticuffs, Southbound Pachyderm, Last Salmon Man Groundhog’s Day, My Name Is Mud, Jerry Was A Race Car Driver, Semi-Wondrous Boat Ride & Oompa Violet, Pure Imagination, Farewell Wonkites, Wonkmobile & Oompa TV, I Want It Now, Golden Ticket, Cheer Up Charlie, Hello Wonkites & Candy Man, Over The Falls, To Defy The Laws Of Tradition, Oompa Augustus, Oompa Veruca

Setlist