Tortoise played Knockdown Center

Still riding high from last year's awesome album Touch, post-rock greats Tortoise played in the Ruins at Knockdown Center.

Brooklyn's own L'Rain opened the night on happened to be the fifth anniversary of her career-changing record Fatigue and the band used the opportunity to bring their whirling afro-funk and space jazz to set the tone for the night ahead. Buzzing saxophone and looping vocals met the band's dense grooves as things swirled into the air with avant-garde bliss. As Tortoise took to the stage, in this iteration they're performing as a quartet, John Herndon pulled right up to one of the two drum kits that were placed center stage and began to plug away into a groove that launched the group directly into their amorphous sound that slowly crept out of their amps and over the crowd assembled before them. Wasting little time, Dan Bitney soon took his place opposite Herndon on the facing drum set and the two began to perform a clinic on interlocking rhythms that put the encroaching crowd into a trance. The weaving beats of "Monica" directly transformed into "In Sarah, Mencken, Christ and Beethoven There Were Women and Men" and at this point, the crowd was fully engaged, all eyes locked in on the two drummers as they moved in such intricate rhythm, their syncopation a truly transfixing experience that made it impossible to watch anyone else on stage in the moment. The multidisciplinary skills of everyone on stage was put to the test as they all traded off on various instruments, some alternating between synths, drums, guitars, vibraphones, and bass, the true collective nature of the band was felt constantly throughout the night. The hums from John McEntire's keyboards and other electronics mashed with Doug McCombs lurching bass lines, adding slabs of texture while their current guitarist sprinkled notes of razor wire over the top. When they began to strike the dueling vibraphones of "Ten Day Interval," the crowd perked out of their haze and began to sway with enthusiasm as the band's mix of lounge music melodies with math rock techniques really made for a head spinning display. Watching a band decades into their career can always be a gamble, but the members of Tortoise show how years of practice and playing together can allow them to flow with the utmost trust and magnetism that it makes for something exceptionally special. Sadly the curfew cut them short after a one song encore, but it was clear from both the band and the crowd that all parties involved were ready to keep the head trip going and for the grooves to be further stretched and looped. Regardless, these veterans continue to put on world-class efforts and are a constant reminder of their long-running status as one of the underground's best.