Camp Counselor Bailey Helps Welcome Lettuce to "The Good Life" at the Slowdown in Omaha

Excitement buzzed through the air as fans approached the front doors of the Slowdown in Omaha this past Tuesday, as many funk fans have been waiting for this night for years. Lettuce, a remarkable funk band out of New York, was finally scheduled to play their first show in Nebraska.

  Filibusta started the night off with electronic funk complete with enticing keytar jams. His eclectic blending of funk, hip-hop, and dubstep got people warmed up on the dance floor. Lettuce, a group of true Funk Masters is comprised of Erick “Jesus” Coomes on bass, Adam Smirnoff playing guitar, Ryan Zoidis on the saxophone, and Eric Bloom on the trumpet. Adam Deitch kills it on the drums, and Nigel Hall was a special treat playing the keys.   The show Blast(ed) Off with high energy right from the start, as the moment the crowd had been highly anticipating had finally arrived. “Never did I imagine that Omaha could rage so hard…” Nigel Hall claimed as he looked over the nearly sold out crowd, “I even want to stage dive and shit!” Hall’s vocal talents and stage presence take the band to a whole different level. The energy in the room skyrocketed when his vocals began with “Do It Like You Do”.   “I don’t know if any of you are James Brown fans…” he said, wearing a yellow shirt with a James Brown’s face on it “….but I am!” The crowd cheered loudly accompanied by some laughs because what funk fan doesn’t love James Brown? The band then paid tribute to the Funk God by performing an incredible version of “Funky Drummer”.   Lettuce performed one of their latest singles off of their upcoming album. Phyllis had a bit more of a psychedelic vibe than some of their previous work. Although CRUSH has yet to be released, the album is currently available for pre-sale on the band’s website and is to be scheduled to release November 6th. The band also threw in a tease of “Have A Cigar” by Pink Floyd before the encore. The show came to an end after a two-hour set of music, and all in attendance seemed satisfied with the incredible funk music they heard that night. Overall the show a great mix of all the band’s albums dating back from their first album Outta Here (2002) to tracks from their upcoming release. This is a truly incredible funk band, and if you haven’t seen this group yet, they are not one to miss! ]]>