Heavy “future-groove” rockers lespecial wrapped up their three-night Colorado run on Sunday with at show at Fort Collins’ The Aggie Theater. The band’s final performance at the Colorado venue treated attendees to a set filled with fan-favorites, fun covers, and a clever mash-up.
Based on the east coast, the power-trio has toured aggressively since the end of October, opening for bands like Aqueous and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong while also playing headlining shows across the U.S.
Related: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Flocks West To Denver For Night One At The Ogden Theatre [Photos]
Sunday’s show got off to a hot start with a set of experimental tunes from Los Toms, a local “psychedelic desert rock” outfit from the Fort Collins arena. The second set of music came from another local outfit, 3420, a genre-melding, bass-heavy trio with a knack for dance-party jams. The two support acts got the crowd perfectly primed for lespecial’s 90-minute, non-stop performance.
lespecial–comprised of Luke Bemand (bass/synth/percussion/vocals), Jonathan Grusauskas (guitar/synth/percussion/vocals), and Rory Dolan (drums/sampler/percussion/vocals–took the stage a few minutes before 10:00 p.m. and opened their headlining set with “Boundaries”, a track that lends itself to a trip-hop vibe. Next up was “Pressed For Time”, followed by the haunting fan-favorite, “Gallows Hill”. lespecial then dropped into the first cover of the night with a rendition of Space Jesus’ “H.M.U.” Another top-track came next with “The Vessel” followed by “Tonberry”, which the band recently played for the first time at their October 24th performance at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse, NY.
Up next was a clever mash-up of Nine Inch Nails‘ “Piggy” and Lil Nas X‘s “Old Town Road”, giving a nod to the recent news of Trent Reznor‘s CMA award for his contribution to the popular country-rap track.
The heavy groove-metal jams continued with a cover of the influential bass legend Jaco Pastorius‘ instrumental version of The Beatles‘ “Blackbird”. The politically charged “American Apocalypse” came next with its fast and funky, slappy bassline, showcasing Les Claypool‘s influence on Bemand. The extended set rolled on with “New Fish”, a cover of Primus’ “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver”, a smooth and melodic “Sound That We Do”, “Crew Swing”, “T Mobile”, and finally wrapping up with “Snells Fleet”.
lespecial continues their 15-date run of shows throughout the end of the year with upcoming support slots for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Lotus, and more headlining performances across the Northeast.
See a full list of tour dates below. Head to the band’s website for more information and ticketing details.
Scroll down for a full gallery of photos from lespecial’s Aggie Theater performance, courtesy of photographer Tara Gracer.
Setlist: lespecial |Aggie Theater | Fort Collins, CO | 11/17/19
Set: Boundaries, Pressed for Time, Improv > Gallows Hill, H.M.U.(Space Jesus cover) > The Vessel, Tonberry, Old Town Road > Piggy (NIN x Lil Nas X mashup), Blackbird (Beatles cover) > American Apocalypse, New Fish, Jerry Was A Race Car Driver (Primus cover), Sound That We Do, Crew Swing, T Mobile, Snells Fleet