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Funky Flecktones satisfy Pabst’s appetite
By Stephan Thomas
After taking off for 2005, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones were hungry to get back on the road in support of their new album, “The Hidden Land.” So it was no surprise that when it came time to play the house that Pabst Blue Ribbon built on April 26, the Flecktones proved to a willing audience that they are the best at what they do.
The genre-busting Flecktones are made up of banjo picker extraordinaire Bela Fleck; the Wooten Brothers, Victor on bass and Roy (better known as Futureman) on percussion; and Jeff Coffin on horns and the band has been making music for almost 16 years.
In that time they have earned the right to bear the label of being one of music’s most talented instrumentalist bands ever.
The large crowd greeted the Flecktones with a thick wall of applause through which the beautiful melody of their new tune “Weed Wacker” filtered out of before exploding into the gentle hammock-in-the-breeze swing of “Couch Potato.”
Before settling down for set break, the other members of the Flecktones slowly filtered off of the stage so Victor Wooten could show off his amazing bass talents. Producing numerous different bass sounds from slapping and plucking his strings, Wooten proceeded to loop each bass line one after another in order for him to take a frenzied bass solo before leaving the stage.
After he left Jeff Coffin returned to the stage and channeled the clarinet of the great John Coltrane, as he soloed over the still-playing bass loop.
The return after set break saw Futureman loop African chants while playing a full drum kit and his drumitar on the composition “Ovambo Summit.” His drum solo was so impressive it was hard to determine which beats were from the kit and which beats were from the drumitar.
The icing on the cake was when Bela Fleck returned briefly to the stage to pick his banjo in some Appalachian bluegrass-world beat fusion.
The Flecktones punched into high gear with the bluegrass breakdown of “Bigfoot” before transitioning into a speedy rendition of “Supterfuge,” which put the slow trot of the album version to shame.
The true highlights of second set revolved around the muscular workout of their new tune “Kaleidoscope” in which each member, according to Fleck, wrote their own part to a spiraling piece that mixes elements of bluegrass, classical and jazz. This tune was a perfect intro into a funky “Scratch and Sniff.”
Fleck’s easy demeanor shown through when he addressed the myriad of fans he had from the dreadlocked college kids to the older homeowner crowd. His easy mood clearly showed the heart behind the banjo.
Fleck brought the show to a perfect wind-down before returning for a fiery encore by offering the crowd an honest rendition of a classical piece on his banjo. Perched on top of his stool, Fleck grinned at his audience while peering over his horn-rimmed glasses; it is an amazing experience when the band can feel as much joy as their audience.
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