Article Contributed by L. Paul Mann
Published on 2026-05-20
Pat Metheny: Side-Eye III+ at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA, on May 5, 2026. Photos by L. Paul Mann
On May 5, 2026, twenty-time Grammy winner Pat Metheny returned to Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre for a seminar in sonic evolution. There is a rare alchemy when a jazz legend steps onto a historic stage. Metheny arrived at the Lobero intending to look both backward and forward. For his sixth appearance at the intimate venue, Metheny used the acoustic space not as a museum for his 50-year career, but as a springboard for his newest trio: Side-Eye III+.
The “Side-Eye” concept is now Metheny’s main vehicle for self-renewal: a rotating platform spotlighting a brilliant new generation of musicians. He tasks them with reshaping his vast songbook while pushing him into new territory. This latest “+” variant is among his most muscular, striking an exquisite balance between dazzling virtuosity and cinematic narrative.
Flanking Metheny were two jaw-dropping young talents. Both more than held their own against the leader’s legendary fretwork. On keyboards and organ, the ensemble benefited from an expansive, shape-shifting harmonic foundation laid down by Chris Fishman. This often echoed the glory days of the late Lyle Mays and the first Pat Metheny Group.
On drums, Joe Dyson led with an outstanding exhibition of polyrhythmic drive. His chemistry with Metheny was immediate and electric; the pair exchanged rapid riffs during a fiery “Trigonometry” performance from 1986’s Song X, showing that Metheny’s avant-garde appetite remains strong.
What began as a trio project has now morphed into a five-piece touring powerhouse with the addition of Jermaine Paul on bass and Leonard Patton on percussion and astounding vocals.
The evening’s setlist was a curated roadmap of Metheny’s musical consciousness. The group dove into sweeping mini-epics from the self-titled album, Side-Eye III+, including the soaring “Don’t Look Down” and rhythmically intricate “Make a New World.” These expansive compositions filled the room with lush, symphonic textures key to Metheny’s aesthetic. He used his guitar-synth setups to create massive soundscapes.
Yet, for the jazz purists in the room, the night offered brilliant tethers to his origin stories. Metheny traced his career back to its genesis. He played the winding, jigsaw melody of “Bright Size Life” — the title track of his 1976 ECM debut. Hearing that clean, lightly delay-dusted tone ring out through the Lobero’s immaculate acoustics was a moving reminder. It showed how he bucked the hyper-aggressive trends of ’70s fusion in favor of folk-inflected lyricism.
The band also triggered waves of sentimentality with updated renditions of Pat Metheny Group classics. The looping, hypnotic handclaps of “The First Circle” had the crowd enraptured. A slow-building, sultry version of “Are You Going with Me?” featured a blistering synth-guitar solo that brought the house down.
When Metheny returned to the stage alone for his customary acoustic encore, he treated the audience to a moving medley. He effortlessly transitioned from “America the Beautiful” into his David Bowie collaboration “This Is Not America.” The intimacy of the Lobero felt absolute.
Now in his seventies, Pat Metheny remains unrestricted by nostalgia. His sixth visit to the Lobero Theatre was no victory lap, but a spirited statement of ongoing creative vitality. Backed by a phenomenal young rhythm section, Metheny proved again that his musical life is a brilliant, continuing progress.
