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Favorite ThisLotus / Festival Pier at Penn's Landing (Philadelphia, PA) / 12.31.11

Published: January 10, 2012

Article By: Billy Murray ; Photos By: Chris Paul

This past New Years Eve, Lotus headlined their big hometown show at the Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. The stage was housed inside a large heated tent, shielding fans from a chilly East Coast night. They sold out the annual event, and for good reason.

Despite an unending, snaking will call line that left many fans complaining, the anticipation was worth the wait. Lotus opened with “Hammerstrike,” the title track from their beloved 2008 album, a mere preview of the impending fireworks. After playing another standalone song, Lotus segued into “Da Funk,” a track originally produced by Daft Punk, which eventually culminated in Deadmau5’s “Ghosts N Stuff.” This first segue set the theme for the night, wherein Lotus incorporated a variety of electronic pop covers sandwiched original tracks. The set ended with “Shimmer In Shimmer Out,” leaving many attendees stunned by the overall tightness and clarity of the performance.

Ten minutes before midnight, set break was announced and the large group of wide-eyed excited fans slowly made their way outside the tent in order to watch the brilliant display of fireworks being set off on the Ben Franklin Bridge. The Festival Pier provided the crowd with a picturesque view of the fireworks display, which only added to the magical vibes that Lotus brought that night.

As the fireworks ended, the second set began during which Lotus opened with a standalone version of “Bush Pilot,” a song from their newest self-titled album released in earlier in 2011. Next was “Travel,” a track from Nomad, possibly their most recognizable album, to date. From there, they segued into Justice’s “Phantom (Part 1).” After playing two more standalone tracks, Lotus ended the second set with an intense throwback sandwich, placing “Umbilical Moonset” in between sections of “Bellwether,” a massive Lotus fan favorite. The encore consisted of two standalone songs, Hammerstrike’s “The Invinvibility of Youth,” and “Blacklight Sunflare,” from their most recent release.

Needless to say, this epic display of danceable livetronica music was backed with a stunning light show. Many fans could be seen completely englufed by the lights, staring straight into the large array of colors riding high on the nostalgia of New Year’s. Overall, the night was nothing less than a stellar performance at a great venue.

 

Setlist:

Set I: Hammerstrike, Middle Road, Grayrigg -> Da Funk -> Shimmer and Out -> Sid -> Flower Sermon -> Ghosts ‘n Stuff -> Flower Sermon -> Shimmer and Out
Set II: Bush Pilot, Travel -> Phantom (Part I) -> Dowrn, The Oaks, It’s All Clear to Me Now -> Nematode, What Did I Do Wrong, Bellwether -> Umbilical Moonset -> Bellwether
E: Invincibility of Youth, Blacklight Sunflare


Tags: Livetronica