The Queen in England may be celebrating her Diamond Jubilee, but here in the States, The Royal Family has been doing a little celebrating of its own. The labels flagship, Lettuce, returned to the Brooklyn Bowl last week to throw a party commemorating the release of its newest album, FLY. The third studio album from the funk powerhouse, FLY has a quite different flow from its predecessor, Rage! Each song has its own feeling, a different flavor from one to the next. Collectively, they make up an album that stands on its own as groove perfection. If you haven’t had a chance to hear the album, take a moment to read the L4LM review here: http://liveforlivemusic.com/reviews/lettucefly.html

By 9pm the floor at Brooklyn Bowl was packed full of funk hungry ragers ready to get down. When New York Knicks legend John Starks came out on the stage to introduce the guests of honor, the crowd flipped and the energy in the room jumped to a whole new level. The guests of honor: Krasno, Evans, Deitch, Coomes, Smirnoff, Kininger, Zoidis, and Hall. Lettuce wasted no time in delivering the FLY funk. The band played the tracks in pretty much the same order that they appear on the album without deviation. While they have been playing most of these for live audiences over the past year, tonight the guys seemed to have an extra punch in their groove, so to speak. Subjected to a crisp, almost effortless sound, Brooklyn funk junkies were quickly wearing holes into their dancing shoes.

One great thing about this album is that each member of this groove vehicle is showcased in different spots through the album. This was no different as the band performed the album on stage. In “Lettsanity” and “Ziggowatt”, drummer Adam Deitch threw down extremely tight rhythms that seemed to be the driving force in this monster funk vehicle. “Madison Square” got quite a rise out of the heavy Knicks fan base in the crowd and also showed why these guys are masters of the ensemble performance. Nigel Hall contributed his amazingly soulful voice on “Do It Like You Do” and Lettuce staple “Making My Way Back Home”. Fans were also treated to an appearance from soul siren Alecia Chakour performing “What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You”. After an intense evening of dance and groove, the boys finished it out with a fantastic version of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up”. The room was filled with an air of love and family, a really special moment.

Stay tuned for our interview with the band!

-Andre Reddy

Setlist

Introduction by John Starks (N.Y. Knicks)
Fly
Lettsanity
Ziggowatt
Madison Square
Bowler
Jack Flask
Do It Like You Do *
Play
LeT It GoGo ->
Makin’ My Way Back Home *
Slippin’ Into Darkness
What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You # (Marva Whitney)
The Crusher
Ghost Of Jupiter
Last Suppit
Double Header
Break Out -> Relax
Move On Up *

* w/ Nigel Hall – Vocals
# w/ Alecia Chakour – Vocals

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