Lotus Northeast Run, Spring 2026: Wide Awake in New England
Thoughts on three shows and the power of napping in Write Lotus
Turns out that napping in the car is my mutant ability. How smoothly I can ease the seat back. The willingness to snooze on the passenger side. Discipline in setting an alarm. Hasn’t yet reached a competitive level, but I’ve narrowed down my X-Men name options to Autodoze and Power Nap.
While chasing Lotus around New England recently, I had the opportunity to showcase my talent. A few times. In Pembroke, Massachusetts, I took naps in the parking lots of Soundcheck Studios and the Blacksmith. In Fairfield, Connecticut, my space in the lot near the Warehouse at FTC was serene—under extended branches of a tree, by the commuter rail tracks and their vitalizing sound of travel. Gorgeous day, with a breeze, that the windows were down and the sunroof was open.
Later, and as usual, Lotus pumped me full of oxygen so that I felt…wide awake.
Soundcheck Studios | Pembroke, MA | 04/09/2026
We’ve all been to venues in odd locations, but an office park? A first for me. No wafts of dumplings or gyros from food trucks, no slices of pizza a block away, but the place is comfortable and inviting, and Lotus delivered an initial set that wasn’t any different, like putting on your chosen winter hat. “Mikesnack” featured arrangements I hadn’t heard, namely the tropical jam, and the slow burn of “Marisol” is beautiful.
Set 2 cooked. I love fresh material, and “Coarse Notes” is an exuberant way of firing up the engine for the next hour plus. The introspection of “Arupa” moved things in the opposite direction. Lotus uses this back and forth to shape the experience, and Night 1 at Soundcheck Studios was a fine example. A “Neon Tubes” sandwich, with “Aspic” in the middle, was my moment. And I’m grateful that “Debris” remains in rotation, as its textured, semi-industrial tone is a reminder to just keep driving forward even if it’s the encore.
Soundcheck Studios | Pembroke, MA | 04/10/2026
Return trip to the office park. Given the talent in the band, each member stands out at each show, but one of them winds up nosing ahead by the end. Keyboardist and guitarist Luke Miller was that person here, providing EDM atmosphere and vibes that brought my biggest smiles of the evening. “Catacombs” is a stellar kickoff, and all was cooking—“Spaghetti” into “Sift” into “Remedy” into “Spiritualize”—when Lotus came to a halt prior to completing that signature song of theirs. The fire alarm was blaring. Everyone headed outside until the fire department gave us the go-ahead. Not ideal, but the bizarre situation added to the mystique of the best night of the weekend.
The forced setbreak forced changes to the setlist. “Sodium Vapor” began the second half instead of ending the first, and “Spiritualize” concluded after “Bamboo Forest” stretched past 15 minutes. “Lure” and “Livingston Storm” were a back-to-back study in new school vs. OG Lotus: dichotomy. Jesse Miller, on bass and modular synth, and drummer/percussionist Mike Greenfield continued to fuel the dancing feet of this dad who was up past bedtime again, but still lucid. “Shimmer And Out” and we’re out.
The Warehouse at FTC | Fairfield, CT | 04/11/2026
Guitarist Tim Palmieri’s home state party turned out to be a one set affair. He’d been slinging the whole weekend and now seemed intent on packing the intensity of the typical 13 songs into nine. What’s not to love about a “Suitcases” opener? So cool to catch “Angler” on the run, to allow the tension in the story to hit me with hydrating sound was something I needed on a personal level. “Juggernaut” is my quintessential Lotus track. “Gilded Age” filled me with its typical positive sense of finality, as the weekend’s cherry on top.
The group spent the winter and spring touring in support of Rise Of The Anglerfish, their studio album exploring, among other themes, light and dark. Or maybe it’s above the water and below. Either way, if you’re up on Lotus and marine biology at the ocean floor, the LP name ties into the essence of this outfit with no boundaries. No stone unturned. That philosophy was also reflected in the lighting design, with well-placed disco balls and the color selection that complemented the evening’s soundtrack to the point of inspiration.
I’ve had a desire to teleport ever since learning about Nightcrawler in elementary school. Instead, napping in my Subaru Forester: You don’t get to choose your mutant ability, it chooses you. Music is similar. Sure, personal taste and like-mindedness are high on the list—I’m not convinced there’s something else not at play here, though. An unseen agent, one that Lotus has in their DNA, while my double helixes prevented me from teleporting around New England.
But that’s okay. When the band is this good, it only adds to the meaning of the miles logged. And that has impact beyond a nap.
Setlists
Soundcheck Studios | Pembroke, MA | 04/09/2026
1: Stranger Danger > Bubonic Tonic > Mikesnack, Oblong Shapes > Tip Of The Tongue, Marisol
2: Coarse Notes, Arupa > Modular Jam > Blue Giant, Neon Tubes > Aspic > Neon Tubes, Hammerstrike
E: Debris
Soundcheck Studios | Pembroke, MA | 04/10/2026
1: Catacombs, Spaghetti > Sift > Remedy > Spiritualize
2: Sodium Vapor, Bamboo Forest > Spiritualize, Lure, Livingston Storm > Mink & Shoes > Greet The Mind, Bellwether
E: Shimmer And Out
Note: First set ended early due to fire alarm.
The Warehouse at FTC | Fairfield, CT | 04/11/2026
Suitcases, Resonance Experiments, Electric Orange, Wax, Angler, Sunrain > Heads Will Roll* > Sunrain, Juggernaut
E: Gilded Age
*Yeah Yeah Yeahs (A-Trak Remix)