If you’re not familiar with Lettuce, you’ve probably never flail-danced in a sea of tie dye and dreadlocks. And for that, I’m sorry. Not only is it incredibly fun, but it seems fans of the artist are just as whimsical and inviting as the band’s free-verse funk.

Lettuce is an 7-piece jam band hailing from Boston, Massachusetts. They took the stage at San Diego’s Observatory on Valentine’s Day to fill the air with funk, energy, and, of course, love. Following the release of their critically acclaimed jazz-fusion album, Witches Stew, I caught them in the midst of their Above The Clouds Tour.

The band consists of Berklee School of Music Alumni, who reconcile their expertise of jazz, funk, and electronic to form an experimentally groovy but polished sound. They’re the kind of artists that you could take your Griz-fanatic little brother and your Dead-Head mom to. Their bridge of classic meets innovative was illustrated by the variety of ages and backgrounds present at the show. Teenagers in crop-tops and white-bearded men in cargo shorts danced together and created patterned whirlpools.

The show opened with The Motet, a Colorado-based group who shares Lettuce’s affinity for tight grooves and emphatic brass sections. (Fun fact: The Motet’s lineup once included Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic.) Their frontman, Lyle Divinsky electrified the audience with gritty falsettos and deep vibratos. His uncanny vocal control balanced the band’s free-flow attitude, and their approachability provided the perfect warm-up for the main act.

After an explosion of high notes and resolute drum hits, Lettuce took the stage. The band-members assumed formation at their respective instruments, and dove right in. Eric Krasno and Adam Smirnoff’s wailing guitars layered atop Nigel Hall’s soulful organ were rounded out by and varied percussion courtesy of Adam Deitch. Proud trumpets and saxophones completed their vibrant and comprehensive sound. The music fluctuated in time with bright, colorful lights to match the motley crowd.

Lettuce flowed from one track to another, making it difficult to determine where one began and the other ended. This is what makes their music so exciting to new listeners and keeps old fans keen: they’re unpredictable and you don’t have to be familiar with their music to enjoy yourself. For this reason, each of their performances are truly one-of-a-kind, a trait that can only be achieved through open exploration and kick-ass musicianship. It makes you wonder how much is planned and how much is improvised.

A quick video search of Lettuce’s live performances will attest to their technically skilled, playful, and energetic performances. Their performances are damn near flawless, and provide some solace in a world flooded with computer musicians. While Lettuce flexed their musical prowess, the venue unfortunately did a huge disservice to them this evening.

The Observatory is an old theater that disarms you of pencils and pens, (because weapons and vandalism) and is notorious for having sound (as well as compliance) issues. It’s intimate and always has ample space for dancing, but I can’t imagine artists are impressed with it. At one point, the horns section had to withdraw from their instruments due to feedback problems. After some resigned glances, the band persevered through the screeches.

A staple of Lettuce’s shows are their fun cover choices, such as a rendition of “Juicy” by Notorious B.I.G. This V-day evening, Lettuce played to the crowd and the holiday with Nigel Hall covering Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You.” Hall’s vibrato is something of dreams, but the choice felt more forced than organic. Perhaps this is why the crowd didn’t respond with the kind of enthusiasm I’d expect. Without the reciprocal energy from attendees, this part of the performance seemed to drag.

Things picked back up towards the end, when Lettuce unloaded crowd favorites such as “The Force,” pulling us back in like sonic quicksand. Despite some venue-specific hiccups, the performance finished strong.

However, I can’t help feeling like Lettuce is an artist at their best in the festival setting, where large crowds of die-hard fans undulate the energy back and forth. I’d be interested to test out this theory at their upcoming Summer Camp, High Sierra, Camp Bisco, or Red Rocks performances this summer.

You can catch them on their US tour at the dates listed here and check out their sophisticated grooves on Soundcloud.

Image: Youtube