While the “jamtronica” music scene is saturated with artists these days, Lotus continually proves it blends jam and electronic music more seamlessly than any group out there. The band’s closing night at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre on Saturday, November 28th completely covered the spectrum. At times, it was as if Lotus fans were transported to a Berlin nightclub and dropped back off at a rock show before Berlin got old.

Rhythm guitar/keys player Luke Miller is who really sets the tone depending on which instrument he plays. He kicked off the show playing keys and got the crowd moving right from the start with catchy dance riffs on “Tarot”, “Wax” and “Uffi.” He had a guitar hanging off his back the whole time, which he swung around and started playing for the first time on “Destroyer.” This was the first time during the show where Lotus took on a more progressive rock sound.

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All the while, the Riviera Theatre was swelling with good vibes. It’s obvious that Lotus fans really, really love the band, and the band loves them back. The Lotus community was missing a beloved member at the show though, and the band made sure to honor him.

20-year-old Caleb Longtin was well-known for how much he loved Lotus, and he went to as many shows as he could. He had even met the band before and was Facebook friends with Miller. He tweeted multiple times how excited he was for the shows in Chicago.

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Longtin passed away just over a week before the show, though. Days afterword, Miller commented on a Facebook post Longtin’s mother wrote about him:

Just before the final jam of the set, Miller said into the mic “This one is for Caleb.” The band then busted into “Spiritualize,” which was one of Longtin’s favorite songs. A group of his friend’s standing by the left speaker reacted, hugging each other. It was clearly a special moment for a tight community in mourning. The band then jammed into “Slow Cooking” and “Spaghetti,” sandwiching it with “Spiritualize” again at the end to conclude the first set.

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The second set followed a similar format as the first with Miller sticking to keys for most of it. Electronic-heavy highlights from the second set were “Blacklight Sunflare” from the band’s self-titled album and “Livingston Storm” from the band’s hit 2004 album, Nomad. However, even when Lotus is running with a more electronic vibe, the band still does a great job of staying balanced. Just about every song had at least one dominating guitar solo by lead guitarist Mike Rempel. His guitar work and emphasis on the “wah-wah” effect kept things funky throughout the show.

For the encore, Miller switched back to guitar and the band finished the show with “Behind Midwest Storefronts,” a track off its primarily rock-influenced album, Hammerstrike. Like most of Lotus’ shows, the second night at the Riviera Theatre was primarily a dance party with guitar solos sprinkled throughout. Ending the show with a guitar-heavy song tilted the spectrum back towards rock at the end though, truly justifying the band’s “jamtronica” label. Night two of the band’s Chicago run encapsulated why Lotus is so popular among people in all different music scenes.

Setlist: Lotus at Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL – 11/28/15

Set I: Tarot, Wax, Uffi, Cream on Chrome, Spiritualize>Slow Cooking>Spaghetti>Spiritualize

Set II: Inspector Norse, Blacklight Sunflare, Livingston Storm>Sid>Comptroller, Caywood, 128

Encore: What Did I Do Wrong, Behind Midwest Storefronts