Lotus at the Mann Center Skyline Stage - September 23
Words: Brian Overton Photos: Alex Buschiazzo
September is the dawn of Fall, and just two days after the first day of the season with Philadelphia experiencing peaking temps into the 90’s, it made for an excellent vibe on Saturday evening at the Mann Center because it made people believe it was still summer and that we should celebrate in such a manner. The parking lot outside of the Mann Center venue alone was a summer party in itself hosted by The Lotus Family. First drifting into the parking lot we heard a thick bass line drop followed by melodic harmonies that seemed to set everyone’s ears on fire with anticipation during the Beats Antique sound check. This show was booked at the Skyline Stage inside the Mann Center, a gorgeous stage set in the field of the amphitheater overlooking the clear city skyline of Philadelphia; there was no better setting for this evening of amazing music. With everyone claiming their own bit of a shade, it was very clear that both bands would bring the heat and that is exactly what they did.
Beats Antique took the stage at 6pm sharp, a band with an incredibly eclectic sound that draws from many genres of music from all over the world. A heavy Middle Eastern sound is delivered by Beats Antique, who typically record on the west coast but have also spent extensive time in both areas of Russia and Tel Aviv. What Beats Antique does is not only play music, but produce a spectacle for the eyes and ears. Originally comprised of three members, two musicians and a dancer, the band now forms from three musicians and two musical performers. As Beats Antique moved through their set of down-tempo eclectic music, the dancers mesmerized the audience with feather dances, synchronized drum line routines, jar balancing, and at the end of the set a giant inflatable, dancing Cyclops-multiple-armed-monster appeared on the stage. The band uses shadows, light, Indonesian shadow puppetry, custom-created lanterns, dance, story telling, crowd participation and more to make sure this is an unforgettable visual spectacle for their audience.
Beats Antique took the stage at 6pm sharp, a band with an incredibly eclectic sound that draws from many genres of music from all over the world. A heavy Middle Eastern sound is delivered by Beats Antique, who typically record on the west coast but have also spent extensive time in both areas of Russia and Tel Aviv. What Beats Antique does is not only play music, but produce a spectacle for the eyes and ears. Originally comprised of three members, two musicians and a dancer, the band now forms from three musicians and two musical performers. As Beats Antique moved through their set of down-tempo eclectic music, the dancers mesmerized the audience with feather dances, synchronized drum line routines, jar balancing, and at the end of the set a giant inflatable, dancing Cyclops-multiple-armed-monster appeared on the stage. The band uses shadows, light, Indonesian shadow puppetry, custom-created lanterns, dance, story telling, crowd participation and more to make sure this is an unforgettable visual spectacle for their audience.
As the stage set up changed over to the Lotus stage, the crowd experienced the dropping of an uncountable amount of colorful lanterns the truly was reminiscent of the 2016 release Eat the Light and their 2017 b-side release of Drink the Light. The stage had been set and the crowd waited in anticipation for the Philly favorite Lotus to take the stage. The band took the stage and opened with a now 13 year old favorite “Suitcases”. The jazz-guitar rich tune got the crowd moving as the show started to launch and the band then went into a tune that was representative of the scene for the day with those 90's temps by playing a tune off their newly released album Drink the Light, “For the Summertime”. Next came a super-funky version of the song “Inspector Norse” which was followed by extensive jams into particular keys as Lotus loves to do. Next up,an organ and synth-led version of “Sid” which was released in the Spring 2012 Selections, followed by the jam “Neon Tubes” off their album Build, which is a song that has an old school 70's funk to it that gets the crowd boogieing on down. This gave way to the dance- heavy “What Did I Do Wrong” also from the album Build and would close out the first set with a bang.
Both sets of the night were generously sprinkled with dance heavy tunes spanning over almost two decades of their catalog. Lotus treated the crowd to more down tempo tunes that truly highlighted their musical talents of improvisation. The set would start off with the 2016 release “I Have Been a Fool(Toy Guns)”. This lyric heavy tune led into “Spaghetti”, an old Lotus tune some have said is very Phish-esque, a very funky tune that has become a crowd favorite over the years. Next up was an all time Lotus favorite, “Intro to a Cell” from all the way back in 2001 followed by “Marisol”. This drum and percussion heavy bout was then followed by a jammed-out version of “Its All Clear” and into the show closer and Philly favorite, “Tip of the Tongue”. After a slight departure from the stage the band would return to back to encore with their powerful and guitar heavy tune, “Behind Midwestern Storefronts” off the 2008 release Hammerstrike.
Beats Antique and Lotus ended up being the perfect coupling for an outdoor show in Philly. Lotus has become a local favorite over their years and has always retained their tenure as a band that fans love to see. Tonight the quartet took us on a musical journey spanning 18 years of music from their oldest to newest albums. The rock gods gave us one last night of summer to rage the Skyline Stage at the Mann and Beats Antique and Lotus appeased the gods! Live Long and Lotus.
Both sets of the night were generously sprinkled with dance heavy tunes spanning over almost two decades of their catalog. Lotus treated the crowd to more down tempo tunes that truly highlighted their musical talents of improvisation. The set would start off with the 2016 release “I Have Been a Fool(Toy Guns)”. This lyric heavy tune led into “Spaghetti”, an old Lotus tune some have said is very Phish-esque, a very funky tune that has become a crowd favorite over the years. Next up was an all time Lotus favorite, “Intro to a Cell” from all the way back in 2001 followed by “Marisol”. This drum and percussion heavy bout was then followed by a jammed-out version of “Its All Clear” and into the show closer and Philly favorite, “Tip of the Tongue”. After a slight departure from the stage the band would return to back to encore with their powerful and guitar heavy tune, “Behind Midwestern Storefronts” off the 2008 release Hammerstrike.
Beats Antique and Lotus ended up being the perfect coupling for an outdoor show in Philly. Lotus has become a local favorite over their years and has always retained their tenure as a band that fans love to see. Tonight the quartet took us on a musical journey spanning 18 years of music from their oldest to newest albums. The rock gods gave us one last night of summer to rage the Skyline Stage at the Mann and Beats Antique and Lotus appeased the gods! Live Long and Lotus.
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Beats Antique
Listen/Download the new EP from Lotus: Drink The Light
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