Over the weekend, jamtronica favorite Lotus headed to the Mishawaka Amphitheatre in Bellvue, Colorado, marking the first time the band had performed the scenic fan-favorite venue since 2010. With fans having camped out as early as Tuesday to secure the scarce, closeby campsites, the pair of stellar, sold-out shows just outside Fort Collins on Friday and Saturday highlighted just how precise the band has been sounding in 2018 and affirmed that the group tends to pull out all the stops during their most intimate Colorado shows.
To open the first show on Friday, Lotus offered up “Lucid Awakening”, with bassist Jesse Miller leading the charge in making the song’s bubbly melody more propulsive. Guitarist Mike Rempel offered tasteful accents during the initial jam, and the percussion section of Mike Greenfield and Chuck Morris pushed the frantic beat forward into “Space In Between”, which featured an extended jam and shred-heavy peak. Up next was “Bubonic Tonic”, with the happy-go-lucky theme making way for a frenetic, electro-tinged jam highlighted by a rhythm section breakdown, before returning to “Lucid Awakening”.
A bass-heavy rendition of “Blacklight Sunflare” followed before a major highlight of the first set came in the form of an expansive, rumbling take on “Malabarista”, a seldom-performed song that had not been played since 2013 in Aspen and has been played live less than 20 times in total since it was debuted in 2011. “Move Too Fast” followed, marking the evening’s first offering from Lotus’ most recent album, Eat The Light, as well as the first song of the evening containing vocal samples. After some meticulous fretwork from Rempel, the band executed a spacious transition into a thunderous, funk-fueled “Greet The Mind” to close set one.
Following the intermission, “Wax” made for an explosive start to the second frame. Luke Miller perfectly supported the jam as it built up steam before landing in a triumphant resolution ahead of a return to the song’s percussive theme. A smooth “Futureworld” followed jam followed before the band segued into “Tip Of The Tongue”, which featured a discordant improvisation section and was highlighted by Rempel’s soaring, sustained guitar solo and a heavier, more confident tone. Next up was “Kesey Seed”, a slowed-down, soothing, and patient rendition of The Strenght Of Weak Ties track featuring a transcendent and soulful jam. “Livingston Storm” came next, with the grinding, galloping jam led by the band’s tight percussion duo.
After a spacey and abstract introduction, the band entered into “It’s All Clear To Me Now”. With the bass propelling the song forward in tandem with the intricate drum line, the rhythm section crafted a solid base to allow Rempel to truly unleash. A sultry transition helped the band move into another highlight of the night, a jam based around the Grateful Dead‘s “Franklin’s Tower”. Staying in “Franklin’s Tower” briefly and driving the crowd into a frenzy, the group closed out their second set with “Gilded Age” before returning for an encore of The Brothers Johnson‘s funk classic, “Strawberry Letter 23”.
Setlist: Lotus | Mishawaka Amphitheatre | Bellvue, CO | 9/21/2018
Set One: Lucid Awakening > Space In Between > Bubonic Tonic > Lucid Awakening, Blacklight Sunflare, Malabarista, Move Too Fast > Greet The Mind
Set Two: Wax, Futureworld > Tip Of The Tongue, Kesey Seed, Livingston, It’s All Clear To Me Now > Franklin’s Tower Jam > Gilded Age
Encore: Strawberry Letter 23
On Saturday night, Lotus kicked things off with an upbeat take on “Shimmer And Out”, with the song quickly hitting a jubilant peak. The characteristic horn sample announced the second song of Saturday’s show, “Bush Pilot”, which featured a percussive, confident guitar solo from Mike Rempel, followed by an easy-going, unfinished take on “Travel”. Next, the band commenced the first set’s closing sandwich, which saw “Age Of Inexperience” house a “5 Petals” improvisation, recalling the improvisational moniker the band previously took during a performance at Denver’s Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, as well as “Sid” and “Sift”, with the tones across these tunes running the gamut from eerie and spacious to funk-driven with prominent, bounding bass to accelerated, high-energy peaks that easily drove the crowd wild.
For the second set, the band surprised fans with an unusually placed opening “Spiritualize”. From there, Lotus offered up their cover of Tycho‘s “Awake”, marking the seventh time the group has played the soothing, laid-back tune since it was debuted at their own Summerdance music festival in 2015. A bouncing rendition of “Nematode” followed, with the cascading guitar eventually making way for an urgent jam that slowly built into “Slow Cookin’”. A massive drum solo built up the crowd, with the break in the almost trance-like jam prior giving Lotus the opportunity to slow down and gracefully transition into the soulful theme of “In The Bliss”. Savoring the sultry, mellow “In The Bliss” jam, which featured buttery guitar solos throughout, the group eventually landed back in “Nematode” to close out the well-segued segment.
A favorite off of Oil On Glass/Feather On Wood came next, with a gorgeous rendition of “Marisol” helping re-center the crowd. Characterized by elevated guitar, trickling and delicate chimes, and a blissful overall feel, the song was a perfect palette cleanser before Lotus closed out their second set with “Bellwether”, a harder-edged, galloping tune off 2008’s Hammerstrike. For the encore, Lotus returned with two fan-favorite slower, melodic tunes, “72 Hours Awake” and a location-appropriate “Colorado”. Both were beautiful renditions, with each similarly evoking a feeling of nostalgia and longing, making for a perfect way to cap the weekend.
Setlist: Lotus | Mishawaka Amphitheatre | Bellvue, CO | 9/22/2018
Set One: Shimmer And Out, Bush Pilot, Travel > Age Of Inexperience > Sid > Sift > Age Of Inexperience
Set Two: Spiritualize, Awake (Tycho cover), Nematode > Slow Cookin’ > In The Bliss > Nematode, Marisol, Bellwether
Encore: 72 Hours Awake, Colorado
For information on Lotus’ upcoming performances, head to the band’s website.
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