Primus are going to tour in support of a decades-old Rush album. The Bay Area trio has just announced their upcoming A Tribute To Kings tour, on which they will play Rush’s 1977 LP A Farewell To Kings in its entirety every night, followed by a full set of their own Primus songs. The massive cross-country US tour kicks off at the end of May and runs through early August; Wolfmother are opening, with additional support provided by the Sword and Battles.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Primus bandleader Les Claypool reveals that Rush is the first band he ever saw live. “Hemispheres was my first concert,” he says. “Little 14-year-old guy who just threw up in the parking lot from drinking three Löwenbräus, having my mind blown by watching these guys do their thing.” And A Farewell To Kings, released a year earlier, is the first Rush LP he ever heard.

“A little over one year ago, Ler Lalonde and I started kicking the idea around of Primus performing a series of shows featuring an iconic Rush album from our youth,” Claypool adds in a statement. “Being that A Farewell To Kings was the first Rush record I ever heard, and that it contains my all-time favorite Rush tune, ‘Cygnus X1,’ the choice narrowed quickly. Years ago I had done something similar with Colonel Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, when we covered Pink Floyd’s Animals in its entirety. It was an insane amount of work, but ended up being one of the most enjoyable live endeavors I’ve ever done.”

“Geddy, Alex and Neil had been superheroes to Larry, Herb and I in our teens, so when we all became pals while touring together in the early ’90s, we were pretty delighted,” Claypool continues. “Partially because of the musical geek-out factor but mostly because the three guys whom we had admired so much from afar, turned out to be truly great, down-to-earth humans, and like us, a tad eccentric. The ‘Tribute To Kings’ tour will be just as it is implied, a respectful and loving tribute to three spectacular musicians, songwriters, legends, and friends.”

Tickets go on sale this Friday, 2/21, at 10AM. A special presale, including VIP upgrade options, will go up tomorrow, 2/19. Check out the list of tour dates below.

TOUR DATES:
05/26: Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory *^
05/27 Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center *^
05/29 Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater *^
05/30 New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theater *^
06/01 Asheville, NC @ ExploreAsheville.com Arena *^
06/03 Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live Orlando *^
06/05 Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy *^
06/06 Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre *^
06/07 Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater *^
06/09 Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion *^
06/10 Columbus, OH @ Express Live! – Outdoor *^
06/12 Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Arts And Music Festival
06/15 Richmond, VA @ Virginia Credit Union LIVE! *^
06/16 Baltimore, MD @ MECU Pavilion *^
06/17 New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre *^
06/19 Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia *^
06/20 Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony Summer Stage *^
06/21 Essex Junction, VT @ Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Exposition *^
06/23 Boston, MA @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion *^
06/24 Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre *^
06/26 Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill *^
06/27 Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica *^
06/28 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE – Outdoor *^
06/30 Toronto, ON @ RBC Echo Beach *^
07/02 Lafayette, NY @ Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards *
07/03 Westbrook ME @ Main Savings Pavilion at Rock Row *
07/06 Indianapolis, IN @ The Amphitheater at White River State Park *+
07/07 Milwaukee, WI @ BMO Harris Pavilion *+
07/08 Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory *+
07/10 Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre *+
07/11 St Louis, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park *+
07/12 Kansas City, MO @ CrossroadsKC *+
07/14 Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom *+
07/15 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex *+
07/17 Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theater *+
07/18 Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre *+
07/19 Las Vegas, NV @ Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort *+
07/21 Boise, ID @ Outlaw Field at Idaho Botanical Garden *+
07/23 Bonner, MT @ KettleHouse Amphitheater *+
07/24 Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Park *+
07/25 Troutdale, OR @ Edgefield *+
07/28 Spokane, WA @ Riverfront Park Amphitheater *+
07/29 Bend, OR @ Les Schwab Amphitheater *+
07/31 Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre *+
08/01 San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU *+
08/02 Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre *+

* w/ Wolfmother
^ w/ The Sword
+ w/ Battles