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Rock

Tortoise Tickets

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Rating: 4.8 out of 5 based on 17 reviews

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About

Tortoise is widely considered one of the most influential music groups of the last 40 years, with a wide-reaching impact on the contemporary music scene. Pitchfork says: “Imagine a graphic showing all the bands the five members of Tortoise were in before they came together and then all the bands they went on to play with after. At the top of the funnel you have groups ranging from dreamy psych-rock to earthy post-punk crunch, including Eleventh Dream Day, Bastro, Slint, and the Poster Children; on the 'post-Tortoise' end are groups focusing on electro-jazz and twangy instrumental rock like Isotope 217, Chicago Underground, and Brokeback. In this graphic, Tortoise is the choke point, the one project that has elements of all these sounds but is never defined by nor committed to any of them. Instead, Tortoise floats free, a planchette moving over a Ouija board guided by 10 sets of fingers, where everyone watches the arrow float in one direction but no one is quite sure how it gets there or who is doing the pushing.”
The band, which originally formed in Chicago, comprises Jeff Parker, Dan Bitney, Douglas McCombs, John Herndon, and John McEntire.
Initially hailed as pace-setters of the then-emerging, so-called “post rock” sound, the Chicago Tribune called Tortoise’s sound “mood music that refuses to be shoved into the background, as inviting as it is challenging.” Releasing just seven albums since 1990 — including classics like 1996’s Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1998’s TNT, and 2001’s Standards —Tortoise has steadily and intuitively evolved across its life, creating genreless music that is as timeless as it is ahead of the curve.
The band’s legacy goes beyond its recorded output, as well. Per the New York Times: “While Tortoise's albums have experimented with the editing and overdubbing possibilities of the studio, the band thrives performing in real time.” Rolling Stone deems Tortoise “a live marvel,” while Pitchfork further says the band’s performances reveal that “at heart, they’re a supremely fun band, wide open to all sorts of sonic possibilities.”

Setlists

  1. Set 1:

    1. 1.Vexations
    2. 2.Layered Presence
    3. 3.The Equator
    4. 4.Works and Days
    5. 5.Elka
    6. 6.The Catastrophist
    7. 7.I Set My Face to the Hillside
    8. 8.Promenade à deux
    9. 9.Dot/Eyes

  2. Set 2:

    1. 10.Axial Seamount
    2. 11.A Title Comes
    3. 12.Gesceap
    4. 13.Oganesson
    5. 14.Night Gang
    6. 15.Rated OG
    7. 16.Crest
    1. 1.Prepare Your Coffin
    2. 2.Dot/Eyes
    3. 3.Monica
    4. 4.In Sarah, Mencken, Christ and Beethoven There Were Women and Men
    5. 5.Works and Days (First known performance)
    6. 6.I Set My Face to the Hillside
    7. 7.Gesceap
    8. 8.Vexations (First known performance)
    9. 9.Oganesson
    10. 10.Eros
    11. 11.Ten-Day Interval
    12. 12.Seneca

  2. Encore

    1. 13.Tin Cans & Twine
    2. 14.Crest
    1. 1.New song; possibly "Vexations"
    2. 2.Monica
    3. 3.In Sarah, Mencken, Christ and Beethoven There Were Women and Men
    4. 4.Prepare Your Coffin
    5. 5.Dot/Eyes
    6. 6.New song; possibly "Works and Days"
    7. 7.I Set My Face to the Hillside
    8. 8.Gesceap
    9. 9.Oganesson (Live debut)
    10. 10.Minors
    11. 11.Ten-Day Interval
    12. 12.Eros
    13. 13.Seneca
    1. 1.new song, live debut—possibly "Vexations"
    2. 2.Monica
    3. 3.In Sarah, Mencken, Christ and Beethoven There Were Women and Men
    4. 4.Prepare Your Coffin
    5. 5.Dot/Eyes
    6. 6.new song, live debut—possibly "Works and Days"
    7. 7.I Set My Face to the Hillside
    8. 8.Gesceap
    9. 9.Along the Banks of Rivers
    10. 10.Eros
    11. 11.Minors
    12. 12.Ten-Day Interval
    13. 13.Seneca

  2. Encore

    1. 14.Tin Cans & Twine
    2. 15.Crest

  1. TNT

    1. 1.TNT
    2. 2.Swung From the Gutters
    3. 3.Ten-Day Interval
    4. 4.I Set My Face to the Hillside
    5. 5.The Equator
    6. 6.A Simple Way to Go Faster Than Light That Does Not Work
    7. 7.The Suspension Bridge at Iguazú Falls
    8. 8.Four-Day Interval
    9. 9.In Sarah, Mencken, Christ and Beethoven There Were Women and Men
    10. 10.Almost Always Is Nearly Enough
    11. 11.Jetty
    12. 12.Everglade

  2. Encore

    1. 13.Along the Banks of Rivers
    2. 14.Crest

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Reviews

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 based on 17 reviews
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  • Great venue for a FANTASTIC band

    by Ceejay on 10/20/24Outset - ChicagoRating: 5 out of 5

    Outset is warm, comfortable and the staff are all very friendly. Tortoise absolutely thrilled me with their sounds and their precision. Lovely night

  • Consistently great

    by Fuguegnus on 4/20/17Teragram Ballroom - Los AngelesRating: 5 out of 5

    It was my second time seeing Tortoise at the Teragram Ballroom and it was amazing. Always on point and they have a sense of humor which is an added bonus. I used to listen to them in college because they are instrumental and I could get some work done without being distracted. But when they play live they have so much energy that you want to move. I don't know how some people can just stand still. In these weird times it's imperative we have a band like Tortoise around. Thank you Tortoise!

  • Tortoise

    by Fuguegnus on 5/9/16Teragram Ballroom - Los AngelesRating: 5 out of 5

    Soo Good! Come to LA more frequently please! Top notch musicians no doubt...second time seeing them and definitely not the last. While waiting for the band to come out I met some interesting fellow tortoise heads and spoke French. Very cool! Tortoise is apparently huge in Europe and for them to play at a small venue like the teragram was a treat! Thanks!

  • by Anonymous on 3/18/16The Sinclair - CambridgeRating: 4 out of 5

    Great show - even the opening acts were good. Mind Over Mirrors especially - he setup his gear and played in the middle of the audience. Tortoise are professional musicians and did not disappoint - two drum kits! Two vibe setups!

  • Tortoise!

    by CSBTOWN on 9/18/12Webster Hall - New YorkRating: 5 out of 5

    The show was excellent! Recently found out Tortoise was playing and had to check them out again. Great set! Matmos and Future Islands were really good -- haven't seen them before, but will in the future.

  • by Anonymous on 9/17/12Webster Hall - New YorkRating: 5 out of 5

    Future Islands crushed it! Thoroughly enjoyed their performance. Tortiose was also great.

  • Thrill Jockey 20th! yey!

    by Eggnest on 9/17/12Webster Hall - New YorkRating: 4 out of 5

    Awesome lineup. Future Islands surprised me. Tortoise kicked ass as usual.

  • Tortoise Kills an Entire Audience

    by WHM200000 on 9/17/12Webster Hall - New YorkRating: 5 out of 5

    Tortoise was unreal. Go see them before you die- Also, bought vinyls for 15 a piece, nice touch! Press more, Tortoise.

  • by Frankysoave on 9/9/10Paradise Rock Club - BostonRating: 4 out of 5

    Like the animal, the band had been reclusive. I saw them last at the Middle East downstairs (almost 10 years ago). Like the animal, the music moves slowly but always manages to create unique soundscapes. The scales of the shell come in different shapes but form an incredible array. Just good stuff if you're up for the challenge.

  • Tortoise tour is tops!

    by TrippyMike on 7/25/09Black Cat - WashingtonRating: 5 out of 5

    Tortoise at the Black Cat in DC last week was awesome. Some of the new material they were showcasing is more rockin' than earlier more ambient stuff. That's either good or bad depending on how you feel about the old material, and about rock music in general. But some of the new material is just as spacey and weird as the classics they've been cranking out for over a decade now. They did lots of the old classics as well. The light show is really cool as well, similar to some of the psychedelic shows of 60s San Francisco bands.