Gabby Lala at Stubb's BarBQ - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

By the time I got back to Stubb's the box office and gate had opened, and I was flabbergasted to find that I had been given a dressing room pass, which was a first for both me and the security guys. After a while we got it all sorted out, and I ended up with the dressing room pass and a photo pass.

Unfortunately by the time I got the pass issue settled out the opening act, the Two Gallants, were already well into their set, and flailing about musically. Usually I am pretty impressed with the bands Les has had open for him, but this time his choice was a miss for me. I had invited a musician friend, Dennis Bruhn, former drummer of the Recliners, to meet me at the show, and he arrived about in the middle of their set as well. He felt the same way, saying that the drummer seemed to be leading the songs a bit, and that they sounded out of sync.

Oh well, I was there to see Les and his band and hopefully get that perfect set of concert photos that always seems to elude me when I shoot him. Working my way through the crowd and up into the pit, I set up for the night. With at least three other photographers working the pit it was going to be a tight fit, but unfortunately the other photographers were to be the least of my problems.

Les Claypool at Stubb's BarBQ - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

I don't know if Les has a camera cloaking device that prevents good pictures from being taken at his shows, but all the colored lights he uses have a similar effect. I swear someone must have snuck up into the stage lighting and unscrewed all the white and yellow bulbs. At one point the stage was completely dark for almost half a song and at others it was nothing but red and blue, or red, or blue. As Les plowed through songs like King Crimson's "Thela Hun Gingeet" and his own songs like "Rumble of the Diesel," everyone in the photo pit worked around the lighting trying to get what they could, timing their shutters to snap when that brief moment of white or yellow light might appear on their subject. At one point we all just stopped and looked at each other like idiots, stumped by the lights. After the three songs, we all faded back into the crowd as Les and the Fancy Band kept on going, stopping only to change songs, equipment, or masks.

Winding my way back to behind the sound booth, I caught up with Dennis again. A big King Crimson fan, I asked Dennis about the "Thela Hun Gingeet" cover. He said it was alright, but he didn't understand why Les didn't hire a vocalist. I suppressed a chuckle as I explained that when I'd first heard Primus that had been pretty much my opinion as well, but as I listened to more of his music I realized it's that odd quirkiness combined with the phenomenal slap bass that makes his sound so different and appealing to me. Les' music isn't for everybody and I am sure that a sizeable percentage of the population would find his vocals annoying, but in the context of his music, it's perfect. I like the Residents, Frank Zappa, and Spike Jones, too, so what do I know? Kudos to Les and crew for the extended Spike Jones song set on the P.A. pre-show and during the set breaks. One thing I'd meant to ask Les during the phone interview, but didn't get a chance, was whether he drew inspiration from Spike's music when he did the South Park and Robot Chicken theme songs.

Skerik at Stubb's BarBQ - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

As Dennis and I tried to talk a bit about the show, Les and company continued to play through their set, Les donning the pig mask and stick bass for one song, then on to the Elvis mask for another. I was sorely tempted to try to ping a few mask shots from the crowd as I've never gotten a mask shot (they only appear after the third song), but rules are rules, and three songs is three songs; we AWAYS follow the rules, and my bag was already packed. Besides, the show itself was almost the exact same show as the one on the new live DVD Fancy, and I could always go back and watch that if I wanted to see him play with masks.

Dennis had already left as the show closed at the 10:30 curfew, and I wandered up to the stage to see if I could snap a picture of the set list. Somebody had already beaten me to them, and as the roadies were already crawling over the stage, no sign of a set list remained anywhere. I headed over to the dressing room and after a few minutes was invited in by the band's manager.

Taking a seat in the small cave-like green room there were a few friends gathered to meet with the band, and after a while Paulo Baldi and Mike Dillon, the percussionists, and Skerik, the devilish sax player, showed up. Though Gabby and Les never made it, having turned in shortly after the show, I did meet some nice young ladies as well as Ivan Neville of the Neville Brothers. Ivan and I had a chance to talk about the music scene in New Orleans and it's slow and painful recovery. After relocating after Katrina he is now a neighbor of mine in the small town I live in north of Austin. Ivan, if you read this, send me an email. My Okra patch is ready and I need some tips on how to make an authentic gumbo!

Les Claypool at Stubb's BarBQ - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer