In support of their April release, It’s All Around You, Tortoise is making a dire run as the hardest touring band in modern rock. A tightly packed tour, playing 23 nights with only one evening off, the band is currently enduring an industrious string of 17 shows in 17 nights stretching from Detroit to Miami. Though the Higher Ground stop was ultimately short in length, it was deep in precise musicianship, as the inventive Chicago five-piece brought their progressive drenched sound to slow paced Vermont.
Against a backdrop projecting artistic patterns, Tortoise demonstrated a clear understanding of playing longwinded instrumental music without stepping into too much dippy psychedelic wanderings. As the illuminations garnered modernism Picasso verse 60’s go-go nostalgia, Tortoise contrasted with influence and sound rooted in the now, as their five full-length albums have consistently explored work that is adventurously ahead of their respective times.
Fancy stage gimmick aside, the band relied on their instrumental versatility while continually keeping their musical egos intact to form the greater whole. Leaders John McEntire, Dan Bitney and John Herndon switched between instruments effortlessly, as Herndon and McEntire would often find each other playing drums face to face, resulting in some densely elaborate rhythms. The clown prince of the band, Bitney, would move about the stage with a sly grin from drums, percussion, guitars, keyboards, and various drum programming, enveloping the visionary multi-layered dynamic of the band. Bassist Doug McCombs and guitarist Jeff Parker experimented with other instruments as the show wore on, but mainly laid a subtle foundation in the background.
Playing a large amount of songs from It’s All Around You, although esoteric, the crowd appeared to be transformed by the multi-layered compositions. A majority of the songs teased a playful groove, before being summoned back into their compositional frames that featured unique xylophone rhythmic foundations. Notable standouts included the intricate "Stretch(You Are All Right)" and the atmospheric pulse of "On The Chin." As the hour and a half set came to a close, the musicians quietly began departing their instruments on stage, as the lights remained dim with the compositions setting a serene mood for the remaining hours of the Sunday evening and to the start of another week.
