Article By: Nicholas Callaio ; Photos By: Margaux Galligan

Despite the blizzardy conditions of the first week of February in Denver, CO – Lotus awed a sold out crowd at the Fillmore Auditorium. They kicked off their first leg of touring in 2012 and if you know anything about Lotus, you know they had something special in store. Also, with STS9's very successful kickoff to the Great Cycle and Spectacle tour just a few weeks before, the band knew they had to pull out all the stops to ensure the same recognition. Otherwise what isn't there to say about the Colorado-Philadelphia based quintet? For more than a decade they have played almost every stage you can imagine and has consistently toured which resulted in the inevitable – mastery of the livetronica craft. Moreover, with Chuck Morris's return from some personal family time, it was undoubtedly going to be a fun-filled inspired show for all.

Lotus opened with a song that only one can dream, “Spiritualize,” and it was certainly a dream come true. They gently lifted the packed venue off their feet with this gem. This was just a taste of their old school style that the fans grew to love. With expectations almost met by the first song, they toned it down a bit with “Golden Ghost” a track of their recent self titled album. The dark twist they put on rock and roll was seem during this segment then they promptly returned to their funky side with “Tip of the Tongue”. Now it was time to put into question of what they had in store for us in due time.

That question was immediately answered with a new track titled “Massif” which can be translated from French to English as “massive” – a generous term that can describe their performance as far. How could have this show gotten any better? More old songs. The vibe transformed into something special when they segued “Spaghetti” into “Nematode”. The crowd was relentless and screaming their heads off craving for more. In a previous interview with Jesse Miller he explains that he likes to go into venues with certain strategies so they can always raise the bar higher. Progressively seeing Lotus in Colorado is a great example in terms of what Miller was trying to express – the band resists the concept of plateauing very efficiently. They brought the first set to a conclusion with “What did I do Wrong” which can be answered by “nothing”.

They began the second set with a hit of Nomad, “Suitcases” then transitioned into “Ghost n' Stuff” made famous by the internationally revered DJ Deadmau5, and ended the segment with the second half of “Suitcases.” There was a second where everyone stopped to asked themselves, “are they really covering Deadmau5?” but the response was incredible as everyone started to pull out the reserves to keep up with this dance party. As Lotus was climbing the imaginary topless mountain at the Fillmore, the crowd was in a dancing frenzy and as everywhere you looked there was a smile plastered on a face. If tornado rolled through and ripped the roof off – no one would even notice because Lotus already conceptually tore it down. No ceiling meant that the sky was the limit, which is saying a lot.

If the crowd wasn't jumping around the clouds by now, then it was time to prepare for lift off. They continuously played through “It's All Clear to Me Now” followed by “Sunrain” then “Flower Sermon” and put the other piece of beard with the ending of “Sunrain” to make a tasty sandwich. That ending to the second set is the gold that fans are looking for when touring with a band like this. This hasn't been the first time this has been done because the ending to their critically acclaimed live album Escaping Sargasso Sea is the exact mirror image. While other bands struggle to thrive in this ever-changing market, Lotus is here to stay with a strong following behind them forever wondering what their next step will be.

Check out the official video for the track "Golden Ghost":