Review: Tortoise at The Grey Eagle

A few weeks ago, there was discourse on the charred remains of Twitter about Tortoise. That fact alone was a bit of a surprise since the mainly-Chicago-based instrumental band hasn’t released an album of original material since 2016 and its members aren’t exactly lightning rods for attention. 

The conversation centered on the 25th anniversary of its now-classic album TNT and the fans’ reaction to it countered against the dismissive tone of the reception by the UK music press. The social media discussion confirmed the strong devotion of Tortoise’s fanbase, which has remained steadfast through shifting personnel and the band’s collective commitment to musical exploration. 

With the band members most likely unaware of this extremely online context, Tortoise embarked on a short, six-show tour, planned around its headlining appearance at The Jam Room Festival in Columbia, S.C., and including a stop at The Grey Eagle. This reviewer had never seen Tortoise perform and the biggest curiosity was how its exquisitely crafted sound would translate from the studio to the live setting. 

Witnessing the band members move from instrument to instrument throughout the show — and sometimes mid-song — revealed the intricate construction of Tortoise’s songs while also demonstrating the breadth of each members' deep musical talent. Multi-instrumentalists Dan Bitney, Douglas McCombs, Jeff Parker, John Herndon, and John McEntire collectively operate the machine that is Tortoise, contributing whatever sound is necessary. 

And what is that sound? The electronic basis of Tortoise’s studio work, when presented live, was transformed to a more organic and tangible style, and every song was percussion-forward. This approach was demonstrated in many ways from nearly all songs featuring the playing of two separate drum kits to the array of vibes, xylophone, and electronic percussion being pounded on by band members. Tortoise always ensured that the central groove of each piece was prominent.

Examples of the percussion-forward sound included “Monica” and “In Sarah, Mencken, Christ and Beethoven There Were Women and Men.” The night’s rendition of “Eros,” a song originally found on 2001’s Standards, showcased all the performers playing percussion at one point, before re-shuffling again to include bass and synths to create a rhythmically intense piece of music. 

With a new studio album still in development, the band relied on old material for the basis of the night’s setlist. Only one song was from the most recent album — 2016’s The Catastrophist — with the majority pulled from the aforementioned TNT. Stand-out performances from the album that’s now old enough to rent a car included "Ten Day Interval," in which Tortoise seemed like watch-makers, fine-tuning the tricky and sophisticated details of the song, therefore allowing it to mutate into a sentient, living organism. 

Another highlight of the show was hearing McCombs play the Bass VI, which lended a twangy, Ennio Morricone feel to the proceedings, particularly in "I Set My Face to the Hillside" and the classic “Along the Banks of Rivers.” On record, those songs act as origin points to McCombs’ future project, Brokeback, but onstage it’s a treat to hear him and Parker play off of each other to grow and embellish the central musical theme of each song. 

Tortoise’s appreciation for Asheville was evident right before “Seneca,” the final song of the night, when the bandmates made a point of thanking the city for allowing them to play. (Parker may have even said, “I am Asheville.”) The delight in sharing their music together and making sounds for this particular audience was clear from the smiles on their faces while building the closing tune’s immense groove. 

As the performance came to a close, each band member, one by one, began clapping to the rhythm of McEntire’s drumming. And as the lights came up slightly, they gazed into the crowd, encouraging the audience to clap along. The ending demonstrated the ultimate, organic power of the music of Tortoise as they created an inclusive and uniting moment for everyone in attendance. 

(Photo by Andrew Paynter)