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Lettuce, John Scofield Team Up To Funkify The Theatre At The Ace Hotel In L.A. [Full Audio/Review]

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For most bands, there’s an indelible divide between a festival performance and a headlining show at a venue. Where festivals afford concert-goers the freedom to wander and dance as they please, a set inside a theater creates a more controlled environment with a far more curated vibe. For Lettuce, though, there is no such divide, no barrier between shows and settings—least of all when a legend like John Scofield is involved.

That was certainly the case on a Wednesday evening inside the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. With Scofield in the mix, Lettuce inspired an incredibly kinetic audience—one that included Oscar winner Christoph Waltz and Howard the Dancing Man—to turn a seated theatre into a festive scrum.

The bandmates from the Berkeley College of Music warmed up the stage for Scofield with a stirring rendition of “The Force” as the opener. That classic got some fans out of their seats and a chosen few (including Howard) venturing into the aisles and toward the stage. Over the course of the evening, those numbers swelled, track by flowing track. From saxophonist Ryan Zoidis and trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom blasting away on “Blast Off” to guitarist Adam Smirnoff and keyboardist Nigel Hall tending to a sonic garden on “Madison Square” to bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes and drummer Adam Deitch holding down motive beats on Scofield standards like “What You See is What You Get” and “Take Hits”, Lettuce collectively drew attendees out of their seats and into what became a full-on pit in front of the stage.

By the end of the night, when Lettuce returned to the stage for an encore of Scofield’s “Ladies’ Night”, there appeared, to the naked eye, to be more people moving and grooving through the aisles than observing from their seats. That is, except for Christoph, who stood and observed like a classically brainy Hollywood villain plotting his next dastardly deed.

No matter the cause for anyone’s individual attendance, the collective effect was clear. With a brilliant blend of musicianship rarely seen anywhere—let alone in a burgeoning jam destination like L.A.—Lettuce let it be known that there need not be boundaries between revelers just because of their seat assignments. Instead, if your hips and feet so desire (and they should), you darn well can translate sensational sonic vibes into a venue-wide waltz, no matter where your ticket tells you to go.

You can listen to a full audience audio recording of the L.A. performance below:

Lettuce w/ John Scofield – 3/20/19 – Full Audio

[Taped by Pat Myers]

Lettuce and John Scofield will bring their collaborative powers to San Francisco throughout this weekend. For a list of upcoming dates and additional details, head here.

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