Before making their way up to The Gorge for Dave Matthews‘ Labor Day Weekend run, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones transformed Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall into a musical laboratory with a night of unimaginable, seemingly impossible feats.
The groundbreaking bluegrass/jazz fusion quartet comprised of banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, bassist Victor Wooten, pianist/harmonicist Howard Levy, and percussionist Roy “Future Man” Wooten delivered a dazzling two-set performance that balanced virtuosic solo spotlights with tightly arranged ensemble fireworks.
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“Frontiers” opened with Levy cycling through jaw harp, harmonica, and piano in the first 30 seconds, while Future Man’s Drumitar imitated an acoustic drum kit with uncanny precision. “Flying Saucer Dudes” followed, propelled by Fleck’s banjo lines that sounded more like jazz guitar.
The band leaned into its signature mix of virtuosity and humor throughout the night. Wooten’s bass solo—built from percussive loops and playful slaps—brought both awe and laughter as he alternated between jaw-dropping technique and comedic timing. That sense of whimsy and inventiveness ran through the entire show—part of what makes the Flecktones feel like both a high-caliber jazz outfit and a traveling circus of sound.
Their banter, too, kept things light, with Wooten blasphemously proclaiming, “The only man who could play more banjo than this guy is God—and he’d have to practice,” as he introduced the bandleader.
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Songs like “Mars Needs Women” and “Juno” showcased the group’s ability to pivot from cosmic jazz fusion to joyful, melodic storytelling. The band closed the first set with “Life in Eleven”, a polymetric masterpiece that had Levy’s harmonica and Fleck’s banjo trading lines like old sparring partners.
Set two leaned even further into contrast and surprise. “Big Country” unfolded with pastoral lyricism, showcasing Victor’s fretless bass, while “True North” built from Native American-flavored flute into a swinging jazz waltz. “Blu-Bop” reminded the audience why the Flecktones first caused a stir in the early ’90s with their progressive jazz fusion. Fleck then took the spotlight for “Rhapsody in Blue(grass)”, merging Gershwin with Appalachian twang, before Future Man stepped forward to sing the night’s only vocal tune, “Sunset Road”, delivered with soulful, bluesy warmth.
The climax came with “Sweet Pomegranates”, a Howard Levy composition that stretched each member to their limits. Levy scraped a mounted güiro while blowing harmonica, later combing his hair with the scraper as he tore through another impossible solo. The interplay of Fleck’s banjo, Wooten’s bass gymnastics, and Future Man’s hybrid percussion drew the first of multiple standing ovations.
The encore, “Flight of the Cosmic Hippo”, brought everyone together in a community ritual: the band had the crowd snapping on the backbeat, then divided into call-and-response sections, Portlanders gleefully “ooh-ing” and “ah-ing” in sync.
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By the end of the night, it felt less like a concert than a guided tour through an alternate musical universe—one where banjos quote classical arpeggios, harmonicas lead jazz quartets, and drum machines are played like keytars. For the Flecktones, boundaries are just starting points, and in Portland, they reminded everyone how joyful it can be to watch them break.
Click below to view a gallery of photos from Béla Fleck and the Flecktones at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, OR courtesy of photographer Mark Trapper Lichtenberger.
Béla Fleck will reunite with Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sánchez for a run of BEATrio tour dates later this month before joining forces with Columbus ProMusica Symphony for two nights in Columbus, OH in October. He also recently announced plans to team up with former Flecktone Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band) and renowned Tuvan throat singing ensemble Alash for the Jingle All the Way tour, spotlighting music from The Flecktones’ Grammy-winning 2008 holiday album of the same name. Find a full list of upcoming shows and ticketing details on his website.
