My friend Markus remembers Lotus from when they were a Grateful Dead/Jam Band cover band from Goshen College in Indiana. At some point, they shifted into what they are now which straddles some different genres. Improv (Jam Band) music, jazz, dance/trance, rock - you could say that Phish, Umphree's Magee, the Disco Biscuits all do variations on this too. At some point, Lotus decided to drop vocals from what they do, which does seem more like a jazz ensemble than rock (of course, Jeff Beck dropped vocals years ago, even when covering songs that had vocals).
The experience of Lotus does not generate the intensity of the bands named above but they are more than a trance band. Certainly there are peaks and valleys, climaxes, nothing abrupt though - no great swings, wide arcs of music filling the air. Temperamentally, I am much like these guys, steady, don't panic. Perhaps that is why these other bands have greater appeal. That said, this was an enjoyable show, particularly the guitar work and the drumming.
There were two other artists on the bill: aFugate, a loop electronica multimedia solo act and Tigersapien, a four piece dance electronica outfit. I can't say that Tigersapien made much of an impression. They were perhaps more of a straight dance-trance outfit, though the crowd did not seem to be much engaged. aFugate, a one man multimedia extravaganza, did get a good response from the crowd. Of course, he is engaging and works at that. The visuals add to this as well - you can get lost in them.
I was thinking about the different kinds of music I listen to, patronize, etc... There is more overlap that might be obvious at first glance. aFugate was non-melodic, all samples, rhythms, noise, at times quite intense and visceral. Contemporary classical music is often like that as well - though generally not so loud. The context and presentation is so different.
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