Considering the absolutely unadulterated insanity that is 2020, it seemed appropriate that the long-awaited return to live music would occur in a gravel parking lot located in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex that typically plays host to the Phillies, Eagles & Sixers. And so, last Friday evening on September 4th, thousands of adventurous fans of Philly’s own genre-bending dance monsters Lotus came together – at safe and socially responsible distances, of course – for what turned out to be a much-needed surreal and cathartic musical experience.
Despite having not performed together in public since early March, Lotus sounded remarkably refreshed and well-rehearsed as they opened the evening with an energetic take on the unreleased track “Lucid Awakening.” It was literally impossible not to smile and contain one’s goosebumps as their trademark smooth & melodic sound began to filter through the attendees’ car speakers. The talented quintet filled out the remainder of the opening stanza with a healthy mix of newer material from their latest release Free Swim – “Earl of Grey” & “Bjorn Gets a Haircut” both sounded as if they have been in the group’s repertoire for years – along with a potpourri of older tunes including “Livingston Storm”, “Wax”, and “Caywood”, as well as an inspired version of the fan-favorite Nomad track “Spiritualize” which closed the set on an emotionally charged note and elicited a raucous response from the crowd, including a cacophony of car horns signaling their appreciation.
After a brief intermission, the at-your-car-dance-party immediately picked up again with a pair of Free Swim tracks, “Catacombs” & “Straight Blade.” This dyad of new material perfectly encapsulates the brilliance & diversity of Lotus’s sound as both songs represent two distinctly different musical styles – “Catacombs” has a bouncy jazz-house vibe while “Straight Blade” contains strong drum and bass influences – yet the group still manages to effortlessly blend the two together, resulting in an electrifying musical dichotomy. The fact that it was accomplished while performing brand new material makes the feat that much more impressive.
The final hour of the second set was comprised of a fluid sextet of mostly older material – including a pair of tracks from the 2007 live album Escaping Sargasso Seas “It’s All Clear to Me Now” & “Flower Sermon” – that continued the trend of showcasing the myriad musical influences Lotus encompasses by seamlessly incorporating elements of jazz, rock, and funk on top of an eclectic mix of electronic beats anchored by the percussive duo of Mike Greenfield & Chuck Morris. The set came to a triumphant finish with a beautiful take on another new Free Swim track, “Land of the Lush”, that featured some delicate atmospheric synth-work from multi-instrumentalist Luke Miller before eventually building to a glorious peak littered with searing riffs from guitarist Mike Rempel.
This new “drive-in” format for live music is admittedly a bit jarring and will take some getting used to as we gradually (hopefully) work our way back to being able to attend concerts at more traditional venues in 2021. Much of the intimacy that one would otherwise experience at smaller clubs & theaters is lost and the lack of a true FOH audio source can lead to some minor sound issues when listening outside of one’s vehicle. That said, Lotus’s innovative musicianship & songwriting allowed them to transcend these minor issues and deliver a truly memorable performance, further cementing their legendary reputation as jamband veterans and musical vanguards.
Lotus – 9/4/20 – Live-In / Drive-In – Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, PA
Set One: Lucid Awakening, Earl of Grey, Livingston Storm [jam in G] > Wax, Caywood, Bjorn Gets a Haircut, Spiritualize
Set Two: Catacombs, Straight Blade, Sift > Expired Slang > It’s All Clear To Me Now > Hammerstrike (intro) > Flower Sermon > Land of the Lush
Encore: MacGuffin
Photos by Dan Drufovka
