Consider the humble BLT, if you will. Higher tier in the sandwich pantheon, we can all agree. Who gets the praise? Almost always the bacon. The one at the front, the diva taking all the credit and frankly not leaving enough oxygen for anyone else. Some of you might shout no, the tomato! The heirloom tomato! That acid sweetness, that is the unsung hero of the BLT! Without it the sandwich is nothing. But I ask you this… a BT? I don’t think so. However, a BL or an LT? They both sound quite nice. And why is that? By now you may have guessed it….. the Lettuce.

But now to the salient point, Lettuce the band. They have been a darling of the funk jam scene for quite a long time for good reason. Incredibly solid rhythm section, top notch horns, not a hair out of place. They are one of those bands that plays so tight and effortlessly that it makes it all look so easy. The horn section especially knew just how to modulate rhythm to keep things feeling fresh and tight. There were some issues with the sound midway through the set, but everyone kept it cool and powered through. Unless you were really paying attention you might not have noticed a thing, a mark of true veteran stage performers.

By eschewing a charismatic frontman the whole thing felt very organic and homespun. With no lead singer demanding your attention one was able to listen deeply to the finer points of the musicians themselves. It also helped the band be the perfect late night mood maker, enough going on to fuel the vibes without demanding too much of you. A perfect match for a Friday night at Field of Heaven. Like the L in a BLT.