A perfect late-summer evening in the Hollywood Hills, a stage tucked into the trees just across the 101 from the Bowl, and four of the most innovative musicians alive stepping back on stage together after a two-year break. That was the scene Monday night at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, where Béla Fleck & The Flecktones unfurled a musical universe of their own making. It was part jazz, part bluegrass, part funk, part classical, part cosmic jam session, and, well, all Flecktone.
The Ford, a historic venue once known more for staging plays than concerts, proved an ideal fit. The Flecktones’ music is playful and theatrical in its own right, but deeply intimate, too. Their sound is the sort that seems to pull you closer while still sending you hurtling into orbit.
This was the second stop of a quick Flecktones tour, their first together in two years. Across ten albums and seven Grammy wins (with 14 total nominations), the lineup has evolved over time, but Béla (banjo), Victor Wooten (bass), and Roy “Future Man” Wooten (percussion/drumitar) have remained at the core, with original member Howard Levy (harmonica/keys/flute) rejoining the band in 2011 after a five-year run as a trio and a 13-year stint with saxophonist/flautist Jeff Coffin, who went on to join Dave Matthews Band. Together, they’ve forged a singular sound that defies genre classification. To call it “banjo jazz” would be like calling the Pacific Ocean “a nice pond.”
Photo: Elizabeth Asher courtesy of LA Phil – Victor Wooten & Roy “Future Man” Wooten, 8/25/25
The quartet began with “Frontiers” and “Flying Saucer Dudes”, both playful and exploratory tunes that set the tone for the night. Béla, sporting an arsenal of three banjos—including one that looked like a toaster from the Jetsons and another glowing purple like it was bound for Mardi Gras—smiled as he and his bandmates introduced each other.
That sense of reunion was palpable as the band dove into “Sex in a Pan”, a funky throwback to their debut record, followed by “Nemo’s Dream”, where Howard Levy’s chromatic harmonica danced and soared before he pivoted to piano for a fleet-fingered solo. By the time they reached “Mars Needs Women: Space Is a Lonely Place” and the odd-meter stomp of “Life in Eleven”, it was clear: the Flecktones hadn’t lost a step.
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones – “Nemo’s Dream” – 8/25/25
[Video: John Ziegwied-Front & Center Concert Videos]
After a short break, the band returned with “Big Country”, Victor’s melodic bass lines weaving perfectly with Howard’s harmonica. Theirs was a duet that felt like two friends finishing each other’s sentences. Howard surprised the crowd by adding a little flute to “True North”, while Future Man dusted off the drum kit to complement his trusty drumitar.
Then came “Blu-Bop”, the band’s pioneering jazz-meets-bluegrass hybrid, which spiraled into “Rhapsody in Blue(grass)”, Béla’s solo reimagining of George Gershwin’s famous tune. From there, the whole band jumped into “Sunset Road”, with Future Man singing the evening’s only vocal line, his voice as funky and quirky as his percussive inventions.
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones – “Rhapsody In Blue(grass)” – 8/25/25
[Video: Todd Norris]
Howard’s “Sweet Pomegranates” came on the heels of a jazzy drum solo from Future Man, before morphing into a fierce banjo-piano back-and-forth. Béla took a quiet moment to tell the story of writing “Juno” (a Chick Corea collaboration) while stranded at Dallas–Fort Worth airport at 4 a.m., trying to get home in time for his son Juno’s early birth. The story lent the piece a touching resonance before the band roared into “The Sinister Minister”, their signature funky romp that had the whole amphitheater grinning.
For the encore, there could only be one choice: “Flight of the Cosmic Hippo”. The low, lumbering groove had the crowd swaying like they were at some intergalactic blues club. It was weird, wonderful, and quintessential Flecktones.
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones – “Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo” – 8/25/25
[Video: Todd Norris]
Monday’s show was a reminder of just how rare and special this band is. Each member could easily headline their own project (and often do), but when they convene as The Flecktones, something magical happens. They create a sound that’s bigger than the sum of its virtuoso parts—a language that’s theirs alone.
Fans still have a few chances to catch this brief reunion. After an August 26th visit to UC Theatre in Berkeley, Béla and his buddies will pull up to the Shedd Institute in Eugene, OR on August 28th, followed by a stop at Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on the 29th. Then the band will open for Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge Amphitheatre before finishing the run with shows in Big Sky, MT and Ketchum, ID. The group also recently announced plans to join forces with former member Jeff Coffin and renowned Tuvan throat singing ensemble Alash for the Jingle All the Way tour, spotlighting music from its Grammy-winning 2008 holiday album of the same name.
If The Ford was any indication, this little tour is less a victory lap than a joyous reminder that after two years away, The Flecktones still speak the same strange, beautiful language. And it still sounds like the future…man.
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones – “Sinister Minister” – 8/25/25
[Video: Todd Norris]
