Heat Check

Tuesday Heat

Last night the Mystic theatre played humble host to Lotus. In my opinion lotus attacked this Tuesday night with serious heat. On a side note, the Miami Heat lost tonight for the first time since February 1st, that was 27 in a row if you hadn't heard. It will motivate them as a team, just as Lotus was motivated in throwing down for a smaller crowd of around 200 in McNears Mystic. Petaluma got a good one.

It was a lively scene regardless of the intimate number. Lotus had their vibe going and the crowd was pleased to move with it. It was clear that the fierce opener was simply setting the tone for a journey that had just begun. Multiple times I had these feelings of fantastic video game odysseys. It was as if everyone had just acquired some super ability or time device that allowed for us all to advance onward. In the first set we were treated to, intro to a cell which grew into golden ghost. I also liked kodiak, a new one. The second set was bananas. Harp kicked it off and then they uncorked a mikesnack which kept the crowd hyped through arupa. Sunrain was hot too.

Lotus at the Mystic

Here's a glimpse at the sets: 1) hammerstrike, intro to a cell > golden ghost, juggernaut, kodiak, let me in, wax   2) harp, mikesnack, bellwether > moonset > bellwether, arupa > sunrain, uffi, jump off  encore) cloud 9, break build burn

They only showcased three tracks from the new album Build, two of the three were to my liking. Their sets had a solid mix of selections from the albums, Escaping Sargasso Sea, Hammerstrike and Lotus. I do need to say however, that they played a song in the first set, prefaced by a comment from Luke the Knife Miller that, "this is an unreleased track." Maybe it should have remained unheard. They tried to implement a fake digi-voice that sang refrain/chorus type fluff, it was dull. I believe all artists have the right and obligation to explore and experiment, but this seemed to be in direct opposition to their more organic approach. With that said, they rocked the rest of the night. I know that they possess a great art, full of creativity and skill. They cooled down the Petaluma crowd with a two song encore (the last song employed a faux MC rap, it didn't resonate with me). Aside from the two blips it really was a funky work night reprieve. The music spread with energetic momentum. All of us in attendance were fortunate to catch this good time. Lotus is still on tour, give 'em a heat check.

eightychoices.