The String Cheese Incident will jam out at the Hult Center on Oct. 21.
Concert preview
An eclectic mix of concerts will be visiting Eugene over the next few weeks, covering musical genres from hip-hop to Frank Zappa-inspired rock to “new grass.”
First, on the rap front, the High Times tour will be visiting the McDonald Theater on Friday, Sept. 27. The featured performance will be the South Central Los Angeles quartet Pharcyde, with opening acts High & Mighty, Afu-Ra and Sleep.
Pharcyde made its debut with 1992’s “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde.” The album eventually went gold and the band did a number of tours across the country, most notably on the ’94 Lollapalooza tour as a second stage act. That year they released their second, more relaxed album, “Labcabincalifornia.”
The group then took a five-year break, returning in 2000 with its third album, “Plain Rap.” Tickets are available through Fastixx outlets. Costs are $14 in advance and $18 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the show is all ages.
The String Cheese Incident will be returning to Eugene on Monday, Oct. 21, performing at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. The band released its fifth album and third studio effort, “Outside Inside,” this past year.
The band has enjoyed many successes over the past few years. It has taken over the role once filled by the Grateful Dead — and later Phish — as the jam band of choice, and its live shows have become a big draw. The band’s 2001 New Year’s Eve show in Portland had a recorded attendance of 21,000.
Tickets are on sale via SCI Ticketing, the Hult Center box office and the EMU Ticket Office. Advance tickets are $25, day of show are $27. Show time is 8 p.m.
And to round off the musical mix bag, Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade will be playing the McDonald Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Former Primus frontman and bass master Claypool has been on a roll for the past few years, releasing two live Frog Brigade albums through his Prawn Song Records label, as well as joining Trey Anastasio of Phish and Stewart Copeland of the Police to form Oysterhead, which released its first album, “The Grand Pecking Order,” this past year.
The Frog Brigade consists of Claypool on bass, Bernie Worrell on keyboards, Buckethead on guitar and Brain on drums. Brain was also the drummer on Primus’ most recent release, 1999’s “Antipop.” The Frog Brigade will be releasing its first studio album, “Purple Onion,” on Sept. 24.
Tickets for the show are available through Fastixx outlets. Costs are $17 in advance and $20 the day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m.
Ryan Nyburg is a freelance writer for the Emerald.