PRIMUS - Onward and Upward Summer Tour 2025

CRITIC’S PICK:
Fri. July 25
Primus, MonoNeon, Synovus Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park — Frontman/bassist and amiable oddball Les Claypool spent a fair amount of time and effort replacing Primus’ original drummer. The auditions were made into a YouTube series. This tour, dubbed Onward and Upward, is the first to feature winner John Hoffman’s contributions to Primus’ three-man lineup and the band’s first new music since 2017. Based on early single “Little Lord Fentanyl” their well-known quirky prog-funk stays pretty much the same with Claypool’s cartoonish voice and silly-putty bass driving the sound. Opener, Memphis-based Dywayne Thomas Jr. (aka MonoNeon), is an established soul singer/bassist (he was Prince’s last bass player) with an equally colorful funky approach, heavily influenced by Bootsy and blues. — Hal Horowitz