Concert Review: Lettuce, Brooklyn Bowl
October 3, 2024
Photographs by Stanley Collins
On Friday, September, 27th, Lettuce — the veteran Funk band from Boston, MA — played the second night of a two-night stint at Philadelphia’s Brooklyn Bowl. The show comes as part of a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Lettuce’s Live in Tokyo album (recently remastered!). I went to the show with my friend, Tarick — professed Minneapolis sound disciple, and knower of all things funky. After the show, Tarick and I talked about Lettuce’s performance, what makes a good horn section, clapping on the 2 & 4, and a bunch more! Here’s our conversation:
Stanley: Thanks for coming to the show and doing the review with me! This was our first time at the Brooklyn Bowl in Philly. What did you think of the venue?
Tarick: Always a pleasure good brother. Thanks for letting me tag along. As far as Brooklyn Bowl, as a venue, I liked it. I’m not usually a fan of standing room only concerts but it’s more the norm unless you’re in an arena or theater. Venue itself was interesting. Never been in a small club setting next to a bowling alley Lighting was great. Sound was kicking! Not overpowering at all. Shout out to whoever was working the board. All the instruments were clear and not bleeding into each other. Not really a bad spot in the house either.
Stanley: It's funny, when we walked in, we looked at each other like "where's the venue?" because we only saw bowling lanes. But yes, the sound was immaculate! I was right in front of the stage -- in the photographer's pit -- for the first few songs and the sound felt tamed (the subs were KICKING). Later in the show, I was in the back of the room and it sounded great, too. The sightlines were pretty clear. We stood in the back, not far from the bar, which was elevated over the main floor, and we had a great view. There's also a VIP section, stage right. The bar/food was cool, too (quite a few vegetarian options!). Though, the table number stand set up -- how the servers identify you by your order -- makes it nearly impossible for the servers to get you your food once the show starts going, because there are so many people. At any rate, it was a cool venue and an overall good experience.
What did you think of Lettuce's performance? Was there anything about their performance that surprised you about their show?
Tarick: Full disclosure, prior to our convo a month ago I never heard of them lol. So, I had about 3 weeks to familiarize myself with them. They remind me of Snarky Puppy. They were great. I love live music (BRING IT BACK). I love funk and you can tell they’re really tapped in. They were tight! Their breakdowns and turnarounds/changes were unpredictable and original. My favorite moment was when they paid homage to Jean Carne (Philly in the house) with Don’t Let It Go to Your Head.
Stanley: Yeah, so, like you, I had limited exposure to Lettuce prior to the show. The most I'd listened to them was when a song of theirs would get put on the setlist for a gig I was doing.
They were super tight! And I don't mean "tight" in a way where they're playing a bunch of crazy lines in unison. Rather, you could sense a great deal of chemistry between its members. The show felt "organic" to me, like a band jamming, and it would seem like they would be on a groove -- or something improvised -- for an extended period of time, then they would transition to another section or song.
As for a favorite moment, I really like the Jean Carne tribute, too! It was kind of cool to see them basically transform into a session band during her song — they were playing the parts, playing the wax! And they sounded great. I also really like their cover/arrangement of Everybody Wants to Rule the World. I thought they maintained the integrity of the composition while also adding new things to a familiar song.
What did you think of the crowd, their engagement with the show, etc.?
Tarick: LOL, I was kind of shocked about the crowd. But then I remembered some things that I won’t go into here out of respect for your publication. I did think it would be a bit more racially mixed than it was, though. As far as engagement, they were turnt up the entire time. You can tell they really like Lettuce and this music, all the while, dancing off beat and not necessarily clapping on the 2 and 4. But it’s all good lol.
Stanley: Ha! I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of the crowd's demographic. For example, coming into the show, I knew Lettuce had a sizeable following that are musicians. Given their background as Berklee grads and the style of music, that makes sense. Though, as you are pointing out, the show was much whiter and older than I anticipated.
The audience -- and maybe even their following at large -- reminds me of the Grateful Dead's fans (shoutout to the Deadheads). The type of longtime, Baby Boomer/Gen X fan who's been to countless shows, wears the merch, and so on (not bad things!). But this is to say, from the sense I got from being in the room, to be a fan of the band is to also be a part of a community.
Lettuce brought out Philly-based band Snacktime for their encore. When we were walking out of the show, you mentioned how horn sections (good ones, especially?) are hard to come by. What did you think of Snacktime with Lettuce?
Tarick: Despite me being a Minneapolis sound disciple lol, I love me a good horn section. I love dirty horns and well arranged ones; just not Vegasy horns. Horn sections are often expensive to incorporate into your band/music but also hard to rehearse. Trying to get them, not only tight, but to sound great as a unit, and not drown each other out, is what I look for. As well as being able to solo. Snacktime, who I was unfamiliar with prior to last night, were great. They were tight, they could solo and they understood the concept of space. Very important in music; especially funk or jazz.
Stanley: Bro, Vegasy horns is absolutely a thing lol. I think of big bands or a MGM Grand show when I think of the Vegas' sound. Which isn't necessarily bad, but it is distinct. By comparison, I think what we're drawn to is more in line with a Tower of Power, The J.B.'s, or Earth, Wind, and Fire -- still very prominent horn sections, but used differently.
I loved seeing Snacktime with Lettuce! Snacktime has been on the road a lot lately, getting their sound out in the world, so seeing a really established band like Lettuce share the stage with them -- in Philly -- was special.
