Primus and Mastodon

Summer tours with seemingly disparate co-headliners are nothing new – I saw Black Eyed Peas with Everclear in 1998; a story for another time – but sometimes an odd couple at the top of the bill can make for an unexpectedly rewarding experience. That's the case tonight with Primus and Mastodon taking on Stage AE. The former is flamboyant, unhinged hillbilly metal something-or-other; the latter a more straightforward, focused take on heavy, experimental metal. They're far from bedfellows, but there's a meaty middle of similarities in the bands' penchants for unrestrained intensity and prolific output. Los Angeles' JJUUJJUU opens. - Alex Gordon