11/27/15 Lotus @ Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL

The day after Thanksgiving I make a relatively spur of the moment decision to see Lotus at the Riv. This is one of my least favorite venues in the city but Lotus is a band that I'm really enjoying currently.  I feel like they,re the best of the livetronica acts. (sorry STS9 and Bisco)  Not only do they bring the dance grooves but they bring a superior guitar sound thanks to Mike Gempel.  The drive into the city was relatively uneventful on Black Friday.  I parked in Wicker Park and made the chilly walk to the L train.  Before I left I destroyed a few leftover turkey sandwiches with stuffing. 


At the Riv you're always treated like a criminal at the door by S3 security.  It's tiring.  The layout of the venue sucks.  The seats in the balcony are way too close to the floor to be comfortable.  Sightlines at the back of the floor leave a lot to be desired.  Hopefully when the new Brooklyn Bowl Chicago opens on the near west side that these type of shows no longer happen at the Riv.  I only attended Friday but it seems like this could have been at the Vic with the size of the crowd.  I recognized the second song from the new EP they just released.  Golden Ghost is one that I like.  The first set was fun but that was clearly the warmup.  I saw the usual jamtronica Geneseo people.


I loved the song selection and flow of this second set and have been enjoying it on my stereo since I purchased the livedownload.  Bubonic Tonic was the highlight of the show.  This segued into Hammerstrike which explored some very dark terrain.  Soma and Debris are two songs I wasn't familiar with but I've grown to really like.  The hard rock cover of Elephant was a nice surprise.  There was a very seemless transition between Its All Clear To Me Now and the set closing Tip of the Tongue.  Great set.  Bubonic and Tip of the Tongue are two songs I've liked from Lotus since I discovered them sometime ten years ago.  The slower Cain & Abel started off the encore and provided a nice juxtaposition with Intro to A Cell which ended the evening.  I took the train back to my car and drove home.  Per usual I stopped in Utica at McD for breakfast around 3 am.  This show wasn't that great of an experience but musically it was amazing.  The Riv sucks as a venue but I knew that going in.