Legendary prog/experimental rock three-piece Primus have announced that they are cancelling the European leg of their “A Tribute To Kings” tour, citing “unavoidable logistical challenges” via a statement on social media.
The band went on to say: “We apologize to our fans who were planning to attend and look forward to performing in Europe again soon. Ticket refunds will be available at the original point of purchase.”
The tour originally entailed a trip across Europe that would conclude with three UK dates and would see the band paying tribute to beloved Canadian prog-rockers Rush by covering their “A Farewell to Kings” record in its entirety.
In regard to their decision to cover “A Farewell to Kings”, bassist and frontman Les Claypool recently told the Nashville Tennessean: “We always joked that we were going to play ‘Hemispheres’ in its entirety. And then it was, like, ‘Well, maybe we should do something like that.’ ‘2112’ seemed a little too obvious. ‘Moving Pictures’ seemed a little too obvious. So, ‘A Farewell To Kings’ seemed like the right choice.”
Claypool also reminisced on touring with Rush, saying: “I was one of those guys as a high schooler, sitting in the audience … knowing every single note. Rush fans are very scrutinizing. They’ll tell you, we were one of the only bands accepted by the Rush crowd back in the day when we were touring with them. That being said, it’s very precious to a lot of people. We’re taking it very seriously. I’ll tell you, we’ve never rehearsed as a band this much in our lives as we did for this Rush thing. We’re doing it as close as we possibly can to the way they would do it.”
The band will still be performing the US leg of the tour, and for any American fans, more information can be found here.
Originally formed in 1984, Primus presently consists of bassist and vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander. The group are known for their instrumental chops, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and general weirdness, once being referred to as “quite possibly the strangest top-10 band ever” by music journalist Robert Christgau. The group found mainstream success with their sophomore album Sailing the Seas of Cheese, with its lead single “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” remaining one of the group’s most popular tunes, having gained a platinum certification less than a decade after its initial release.
