DATE: Thursday, October 16, 1997            TAG: 9710160084

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E7   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Music review

SOURCE: BY JEFF MAISEY, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   47 lines

IT WAS WELL WORTH WAITING TO HEAR PRIMUS

MUCH TO THE DELIGHT of a near-capacity crowd, Primus threw down the gantlet Tuesday, landing relentless musical roundhouses the entire evening.

For those disappointed by the cancellation of the H.O.R.D.E. Tour, which would have brought Primus to the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater this summer, the fist-gripping vibes of the San Francisco-based trio (with an emphasis on ``bass''), proved to be well worth the wait. In fact, it's unlikely they could have sounded better.

The Grammy-nominated group served prime cuts from its eight-year career as well as tunes from the recent ``The Brown Album.'' The primitive rhythm of ``My Name Is Mud'' churned like a miller's wheel, grinding out Larry La Londe's guitar notes one-by-one. ``Jerry Was a Race Car Driver'' zoomed with the punishing beats of Bryan ``Brain'' Mantia and the revved-up bass lines of Les Claypool.

The black-leather capped, goatee-wearing Claypool performed with sinister authority. As the figurehead of Primus, his sonic bass playing rumbled like a herd of zebra on ``Kalamazoo.'' His deranged vocals on the creeping ``Over the Falls'' and chopping bass on ``Shake Hands With Beef'' made for memorable dark rock. ``Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver'' and a flashy light show also thrilled the crowd. This perfect Primus night was not to be missed.

The best way to describe Buck-O-Nine's rendition of ska is fun. Their high-velocity, up-strumming guitar and accenting brass section kept pace throughout. Their own ``Twenty Eight Teeth'' and a slightly altered take on Joe Jackson's ``I'm the Man'' were the highlights of the set.

If there was a down side, it's the band's lack of energy. The nothing-special performance pacified the audience until the headliners came out. Buck-O-Nine served its purpose but probably didn't sell many CDs.

Tuesday was not the first time Boston's Powerman 5000 has cruised through the Boathouse as an opening act. They were boring earlier this year and didn't appear to have improved one bit - surprising for a band that has a lot of PR push behind it.

The styleless group played ``Tokyo Vigilante No. 1,'' which might have gone over better in Japan. It was chop suey minus the meat. Yuk! ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

MUSIC REVIEW

Primus with Buck-O-Nine and Powerman 5000

Tuesday night at the Boathouse, Norfolk

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu