This December, Primus will ring in the new year from its home city for the first time in seven years with the Fisherman’s Chronicles Costume Ball, a patently freaky two-night special engagement. Set to stage at The Fox Theatre in Oakland, Calif. on Dec. 30 and 31, just down the coast from its original El Sobrante stomping grounds, the alt-metal pioneers’ holiday celebration continues a longstanding tradition of winter bashes in the Bay for Les Claypool’s myriad combos.

In an announcement post, the band set an eerie mood with a poster vaguely recalling The Fog and its call for fans to show up in style: “Be it some freakish scaly bastard siren or banshee, or a brave soul who rides the tides a master at sea, come dressed as your favorite seafaring representative!” The band also named two supporting acts for the event, tapping Bay Area funk-metal forebearers The Libomaniacs for night one and Derek Greenberg and Adam Gates’ oddball timepiece project Beanpole for New Year’s Eve.

Bay Area NYE celebrations have been a hallmark of Claypool’s tour calendar since 1992, when he launched the tradition with Primus at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The band continued with this habit through 1999, before Claypool switched over to celebrate the year’s end with his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade from 2000-2004. The frontman performed under his own name til 2009, then took Primus to The Fox from 2010 to 2017. After performances with The Claypool Lennon Delirium, Bastard Jazz and a pandemic hiatus, Primus’ return to the Oakland stage is long-awaited and warmly welcomed.

Presale tickets and VIP Packages–which include a pre-show Q&A with the band–for the Fisherman’s Chronicles Costume Ball will go on sale tomorrow, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. PT. General onsale follows on Friday, September 13 at 10 a.m. PT. For tickets and more information, visit primusville.com.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Les Ler Tim (@primusville)