LOTUS – LIVE – BEACHLAND BALLROOM -CLEVELAND

LOTUS – LIVE – BEACHLAND BALLROOM -CLEVELAND

By Eric Rauert

No opener meant a night with Lotus at the Beachland Ballroom and I was at a sold out show once again. My usual stage right was packed tight, so I “settled” for an empty corner of the sound booth (and I'm glad I did). Artists must love the ballroom, because Lotus he planned to spend two nights with us in a similar manner Bumpin' Uglies. I was only able to attend the Saturday 4/20 show, but you better believe I wasn't going to miss out on the jam band's celebration of a traditional holiday.

The set got off to an immediate and funky start with “Harps,” which morphed from its freestyle into a killer chord progression that anchored the rest of the song. But the real star of the first set was the wild 4-song jam from “Move Too Fast” > “Sunrain” putting together almost an hour of stellar playing.

My personal highlight of this jam was their cover of “Heads Will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The band wished the crowd a happy 4/20 before diving into the beat. Being covered so much, I can't even be sure I've heard the original but Lotus it is now the definitive version for me. Going in with no expectations, the mastery of the electronics blew me away and the relentless pace of the first set quickly made this four-piece into jam-tronica stars in my eyes.

But guitar fans would win as the final minutes of the first set slowly returned to “Sunrain.” Funky keys and beats gave way to guitarist Tim Palmieri leading a more “traditional” jam band song. The set ended with a segment distinguished by the long guitar solos and bright peaks I've come to expect from bands like Phish and the ping-pong-playing Pigeons.

After the break, the music was decidedly slower paced and funkier, much to no one's dismay. “Catacombs” quickly became my second hit set. With a disco backbone and flute sampling Lotus blamed this lovely little doll on 4/20 saying “see what 4/20 does to us?”. Again I didn't hear anyone complain.

“Age of Inexperience” followed as a solo song to end the set, but it never quite reached the top of the charts earlier in the night. “Bushpilot” was the choice for the encore, with a bombastic (and synth) horn section quickly announcing their return to the stage and their final exit.

I really enjoyed the jam sessions that Lotus had to offer for this show. Honestly, I don't have a clear star of the band and that's a strength. each member plays to the other's strengths during jams. The cohesion, flow and overall feel I noticed in the sets was a result of this teamwork. Combine that with a comfort of genres from all corners of the jam world and you have a show that has something to offer for just about anyone with ears. I was sad I wasn't able to catch both nights of their run, but you can bet I'll be planning the next time they're in town.

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