Lotus - Turner Hall (10/24/09)

As far as the "jam-tronica" scene goes, Lotus is like that little brother who grew up in the shadow of bigger, more popular, and more talented older brothers like STS9 and the Disco Biscuits. While these big brothers were playing the Rave and grabbing lucrative and mind-bending late-night slots at music festivals, Lotus was playing to me and like four of my friends at Thai Joe's in Milwaukee, a venue that was so horrible it no longer exists. But then, as the "jam-tronica" genre started to move along through the early 2000s, and the contenders started separating themselves from the pretenders (e.g., The New Deal), suddenly Lotus was right there at the top, having snuck up on the entire family. And as a long-time fan of Lotus, it's been very cool to see their "rise." Their Saturday night show at Turner Hall was yet another step on the ladder within this niche genre that attracts fans from every walk of life (including fans who like to dance while seated on chairs; yup).

Their transformation has almost been funny in a way. A couple of years ago, you could already see it happening: the transition from dudes-in-band to dudes with rock star personas. Bassist Jesse Miller once sported flannel shirts and organic flowing locks of hair harnessed in ponytails, but now he has stringy Ryan Adams' hair and wears white v-neck t-shirts with one hell of a "v" that give him the semblance of someone who smokes 45 cigarettes a day (I'm sure he doesn't, though). They've pushed their rhythm section to the back of the stage and elevated them above the rest of the band--which I suppose is where rhythm sections eventually have to go when you want to relay more sound and play on bigger stages--a huge change from watching them sit in the midst of each other, all at ground level working in unison.

Sound-wise, they are so much fuller and louder. A Lotus concert used to be an event where you could converse while you groove because the jams were thought-provoking, trance-y, and mellow. But now they have found the "11" setting on the volume controls, and have turned those quiet and moving grooves into absolute monsters. "Travel"-- my all-time favorite Lotus song--was overwhelming, like a giant on-stage pulsing, and was probably the best indication of touring success and having more resources to buy sick gear (Did I mention Turner Hall was packed?). They even had keyboard-style light columns mounted behind the stage, which, although were fairly one-dimensional in the way they lit up, were a pretty bizarre sight considering that hanging fluorescent lightbulbs that I could hit my head on at Thai Joe's were once their lightshow.

Yes, this was Lotus, although a much different Lotus from the one I grew up on. All the changes--the hair, the sound, a crowd that now comes armed with thousands of glow-sticks--though hard to get used to, are for the best, both for the band and their ever-growing fan base. I suppose I will consider myself one of the lucky ones who got to experience both sides, as well as whatever sides are yet to come.