Lotus Brought Their Space Funk Home To The Mann Center in Philly
Lotus is a five piece jamtronic/jazz-funk group based in Philadelphia, PA, as well as Denver, CO. They’re the type of band with a tight-knit, dedicated following built through years of constant touring. Fans go to hundreds of shows to “chase” their favorite tunes, guess the set list of upcoming events weeks ahead of time and revel in the futuristic, rhythmic dance party Lotus is so loved for throwing. When it came time for their highly anticipated hometown show at the Mann Center, it was a safe bet they would play a special gig packed with favorites for their return.
Tycho, a San Francisco, CA, based ambient music project opened up for Lotus as the sun set over Philly’s skyline. Tycho sounded good but the audience’s full attention just wasn’t on the music until Lotus walked out, introduced themselves and questioned, “You guys ready to get your groove on?”
Always.
The beginnings of “Spiritualize” came together and there was an explosion of energy in the crowd. This set the bar high for the rest of the performance, but how could it shape up to be anything short of incredible with a “Spiritualize” opener? We broke out yelps, sporadic dance and I even heard a little bit of meowing. Drummer, Mike Greenfield’s energy was building on the percussion. Guitarist and sample wizard Jesse Miller hit us with a full minute of space gun synths that had me looking over at the person beside me in disbelief. Philly was getting absolutely drenched in the vibes.
Next up was a surprisingly heavy but still very pleasant “Expired Slang”. Lotus was cranking out the older tunes until they played “When Our Nerves” and “Move Too Fast” off their latest album Eat The Light. The new and old material mixed seamlessly all night but these songs in particular worked very well.
Guitarist Mike Rempel serenaded us with sexy guitar riffs through the entirety of “Blender”. “Plant Your Root” picked the tempo back up before they so effortlessly morphed back into Spiritualize for a big ole’ Lotus sandwich of a set.
The first round was fun. But set two was groovy, gnarly space funk from the moment the boys walked back on stage. There are fans who spend years chasing their favorite Lotus songs. I still can’t believe I heard all of my favorites within an hour. They brought me to church when “Flower Sermon” begun. Complete with tantalizing guitar riffs, extra alien ray gun battle noises, and that classic, flirty bass line…I am willing to bet there was not a single person able to stand still for the entirety of the twenty-minute Sermon-groove. LED string lights rapidly rained down on the band while the stage flashed blue through heavy smoke. Bass-fueled breakdowns added some extra energy to the already thrilling song. This kept on until they gifted us the sweetest release possible.
They teased us with a little bit of “Umbilical Moonrise” guitar and everyone knew what was coming. It was an instant turn to the person next to you and tell them you love them moment. Things definitely got deep for a minute.
The grooves picked right back up again on “Sid” and “128”.
Gabriel Otto, who is featured on multiple songs off their latest album and has been a continued presence on the Eat The Light tour joined Lotus on stage to perform vocals for a Tame Impala cover of “Elephant” to close out the show. Lotus also covered “Elephant” at their Red Rocks performance this month. Could this be an ongoing theme for the whole tour? Either way, we’re not complaining.
This was the kind of set that leaves you smiling for weeks after the fact, listening to the stream on repeat and counting the days until you see them next. I’ve already got my tickets for their back to back New York City run at the end of November. You can grab yours here.
Photos by Brady Cooling Photography.
