The venue was brimming with angst and anticipation since the anomalistic king of four strings, would soon traipse onto the stage and redefine what we all consider music. 
An entirely general admission show, The Vic Theatre in Chicago was seething with patrons from adolescent new comers to 40 year-old die-hards all sharing a common bond, an unbridled reverence for bassist, singer and song writer Les Claypool.  Each and every sweat drenched miscreant in this mid sized amphitheater waved their freak flag proudly as the former front man of Primus thumped and gyrated his way through expansively long versions of his material.  The very air emanated with raw power, soulful exuberance, and mellifluous unity.  It was thick, and heavy, the very essence of a great rock show.
Though the once pristine orange and white admissions ticket had simply “Les
Claypool” printed in its showcase, the combo that performed was equally as recognizable.  The group simply known as the Fancy Band has contained a variety of musicians.  This tour in particular was the Fancy Band Quartet featuring Les Claypool on bass and vocals, Skerik on Saxophones, Mike Dillon on auxiliary percussion and Paulo Baldi on drums.
Performance’s defined exuberance as the quartet, sans guitar, circumfused a dynamic plethora of Claypool’s song book from Primus classics to unheard material written for Les’s film  “The Electric Apricot”.  After a two-hour set the band adjourned, and as my stench riddled and drug laden brethren departed the venue one word reverberated through the central lake view area of Chicago…genius.   
Truly and icon in his own right Leslie Edward Claypool has solidified his name in the rock universe as one of the most iconic bass figures in the recently established jam band scene currently sweeping the nation.  A movement and life style dedicated to art, film, and music the jam band scene pioneered by the Grateful Dead, and later spearheaded by the likes of Phish, Gov’t Mule, and Les Claypool will be considered a keynote movement in rock and roll history.  Anchored by the now prodigious Bonnaroo, a four-day multi-stage event held annually on a 700-acre plot in Manchester, Tennessee.  
Though considered to be a solo enterprise based on the fact that he rarely travels with the same combo, Les Claypool established himself differently from his predecessors thus bringing and entirely different voice to the scene.  Les Claypool was the bassists, singer and front man of the cultishly popular early ‘90’s alternative rock band Primus.  An extremely dynamic trio, Primus fused heavy bass lead melodies buffered by incredibly tight and often experimental percussion, accompanied by choppy, harsh, and wonderfully dissonant guitar riffs.  A perfect contribution to the almost bohemian reinvention of rock music prevalent in the early 1990’s.
While keeping Primus together for near 20 years, Les has also managed to shepherd other brain children to the forefront of the jam scene including Sausage, Les Claypool and The Holy Mackerel, Col. Claypool’s Frog Brigade,  Oysterhead, Col. Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brain, and Les Claypool’s Fancy Band Trio, Quartet and, Quintet. He also established Prawn Song Record Label, Frizzle Fry Inc., and Bait Productions.  In 2006 he published his first novel “South Of The Pumphouse” which is being likened to the talents of the late Hunter S. Thompson, and in 2008 is releasing his directorial debut “The Electric Apricot”, a jam band mock-u-mentary flowing through the same veins as Rob Reiner’s cult classic “This is Spinal Tap”.
Doubtlessly underrated Les Claypool’s career has ceaselessly voyaged the eclectic and emerged a cult phenomenon. His talents, as a bassist, musician, film maker, actor, writer, and artist have paved the way for any child bemused by the harsh realities of the Hollywood limelight. 
So few men exist in this realm of paradoxical popularity, but the ones that do etch their lives, minds, and art into the hearts of their appreciators forever.  They’re loved simply because they choose not to succumb to the dregs of capitalistic multinational record companies and persevere through the hardships of cult fame.  Les Claypool made his mark because he was unyielding in his passions which exemplified hard work, dedication and aberration.  To quote a Primus song, “too defy the laws of tradition, is a crusade only of the brave.”