Bela Fleck brings unique sound to Murat

Gray hair and glasses met the colorful and youthful to compose the diverse audience at the Bela Fleck and the Flecktones concert Monday night at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis.\nBand members walked on the stage one by one, opening with a brand new song from their new album, Outbound. The airy, happy tune, carried by saxophonist Jeff Coffin, reeled the crowd into what would be a three-hour performance. After the high energy number, bassist Victor Wooten and banjo player Bela Fleck started off the second song with an impressive jamming duel, which was followed by an even more impressive double saxophone solo by Coffin.\nAsking the crowd if another new song would be acceptable, Fleck introduced "Puffy is Free," prefacing the song by explaining that it reminded him of "freedom and walking in the sunshine on a beautiful day." A bit warmer than the two first songs, the romantic undertones of Coffin's clarinet solo were complemented by a synthesized echo courtesy of Fleck's electric banjo.\nAlthough the band's unity was evident during the first section of the show, each member's individual talents were highlighted by lengthy solos, beginning with Wooten and his bass guitar.\nWith closed eyes, Wooten jammed out deep, low rhythms to start his 25-minute solo. The sound escalated, morphing from bluesy slow tones to a rhythmic reggae beat, intermixed with covers of "Chopsticks" and "Amazing Grace." Wooten owned the stage, his unique bass beats filling the theatre with an infinite number of sounds from just one instrument, bringing the entire audience to its feet in amazement.\nAfter the extensive solo, the band returned to the stage and Futureman took over the lead rhythm with his creation, the Synthaxe Drumitar, a guitar-shaped electronic drum set, of which there is only one. The new song, "Billy Bob Marley," ended the set, ebbing and flowing with a "reggae, Bill Monroe mix," Fleck said.\nAlone, Futureman began the second set with a simple, earthy beat on "the box," which sounds similar to a snare drum. Dark African tribal chants joined the drum beat, courtesy of the ZenDrum, a synthesizer. His long dreadlocks began to fly through the air and as the rhythm swelled, Futureman rose from "the box" and began playing the Synthaxe Drumitar, cymbals and the bass drum simultaneously. The insanely coordinated solo went on for 15 minutes before the rest of the band joined him for the remainder of the second set.\n"Stomping Grounds" followed and was the highlight of the show. The melody, reminiscent of a childhood memory, was met with approving applause. Featured solos from Wooten's bass, Fleck's electric guitar and Coffin's sax were present throughout the jam, as they played a game of cat-and-mouse with the lead. As Fleck busted out in a rendition of "Wipeout," Futureman was not left out of the circle, playing the trademark drum beat with soul.\nFollowing the well-known song, the Flecktones played yet another from their new release, a smooth, swanky number, led by Coffin's dramatic saxophone. "A Moment So Close" was next, the only section of the show with vocals by Futureman. The faster, more bluegrass beat featured Wooten on the bass again, but with an entirely new spin -- at the end of his fast-fingered solo, he spun the bass around his body in sync with explosive applause from the audience.\nBut the concert didn't end there. After Fleck told the audience, "It's fun for us to do new stuff," the band contrasted the previous upbeat numbers with another new song that sounded more like a lullaby with a warm, syrupy sound. \nFleck followed in the solo tradition with a lengthy acoustic set, featuring classical banjo numbers mixed with renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the theme song to Charlie Brown. His mastery of the instrument was evident when he played the banjo with his nose; the crowd-pleasing move was apparent by the standing ovation Fleck received when finished.\nAfter several minutes of applause, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones reappeared for an encore, which brought the crowd to its feet. The wild rhythm of "Hoedown" was an uplifting end to a phenomenal show. The dancing audience applauded enthusiastically while the Flecktones took a final bow.