By: Ryan Ruff Smith
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| The Flaming Lips - Publicity Photo |
God help The Flaming Lips should they ever come up in one of our classroom discussions. Their live show is shamelessly spectacular. Throughout the course of the evening, frontman Wayne Coyne shot streamers and confetti out of high-powered air guns, spun a colorful light on a rope like a lasso, popped giant balloons with his guitar, stalked around the stage with huge fake hands, hung a large strobe light around his neck, delicately carried a fake bird with flapping wings around the stage, “played” an electric cornet, held up a big round mirror while the entire crowd shone their laser pointers at it, and inflated an enormous balloon filled with confetti until it burst over the crowd’s heads. Fans dressed in alien costumes and Santa suits danced on either side of the stage. High-powered fog machines enveloped the stage in seconds flat. Huge cannons launched bursts of yellow confetti into the air as the music swelled, and epic lighting and video projections underscored the whole event. And it was awesome.
Remarkably, The Flaming Lips have the substance to back up the spectacle, and by pushing everything to its absolute extreme, they’ve put together a multi-sensory carnival of a live show that is every bit as rewarding as it is over-stimulating.
This was the first show I had ever been to at Myth in Maplewood, and I was a little apprehensive about seeing a rock show at a venue that doubles as a classy nightclub (though I was pleased to learn from their website that their staff members are both “sexy and attentive”). And though it is quite a drive for us city folk, it is convenient if you need to stop by Carpet King on your way to take in some psychedelic rock. But gripes about location aside, the club certainly did have the stage, sound system, and space to accommodate the Lips’ oversized show.
Before they got started, though, Black Moth Super Rainbow kicked off the proceedings with an enjoyable set of synth-fueled psychedelic rock. The vocals were sparse and heavily treated, but the band was able to conjure up a variety of unique sounds from their various synthesizers, propelled by energetic drumming and sinewy bass lines. Coyne watched most of their set from the side of the stage. Those who caught The Flaming Lips at the State Fair last summer probably remember how involved Coyne was in the process of making the show happen, rather than just hanging out in his dressing room until it was time for him to come onstage, and his attentive attitude towards the opening act Sunday illustrated this admirable trait once more.
Of course, it was once The Flaming Lips took the stage that the excitement really started. They entered to dramatic pre-recorded music, and then launched into “Race For the Prize” from The Soft Bulletin. White light flooded the stage and yellow confetti erupted into the air, drifting down slowly into the bouncing crowd in a euphoric audio/visual endorphin rush. After the explosive opener, though, the set took a little time to find its feet. They went into a puzzling jam where they just played the middle section of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” for a couple of minutes while Coyne held an electric cornet up to the microphone (he later explained that the instrument was invented to play a recording of “Taps” at soldiers’ funerals). “Free Radicals” was energetic and got the crowd involved in a rowdy sing-along, but Coyne’s voice sounded ragged during the first half of the set, especially on back-catalogue obscurity “Mountain Side” and the introspective “Vein of Stars,” from last year’s album At War With the Mystics. He compensated by upping the ante on the spectacle; in the middle of “Vein of Stars” he pulled the mirrored laser pointer stunt. The laser pointers had been handed out to the crowd before the show, and though it was fun to watch fans point them at each other and the band members’ crotches, their true purpose came to light when Wayne directed everyone to point them at a big mirror that he held up. The entire venue was filled with a criss-cross patchwork of red beams, and the effect really was stunning.
As brilliant as the visuals were, though, one got the impression the Coyne was starting to worry that he had painted himself into a corner. Before playing “Driving to Work in the Year 2025 (You’re Invisible Now)” from their experimental 1997 album Zaireeka, he apologetically informed the audience that he wasn’t going to be jumping around and throwing confetti during this song, because it is more serious and not as uplifting as their usual concert material. Though Coyne’s eager optimism is refreshing in the self-conscious world of indie rock, I certainly would hate to see him shy away from more difficult issues. His brand of hope is most effective when it is shaded with tones of melancholy and despair, as was illustrated by signature song “Do You Realize?” and my pick for a show highlight, “Waitin’ for a Superman.” The latter tune illustrated why their 1999 album The Soft Bulletin is still the high-water mark in their discography. The lyrics are deceptively simple, delivering hope while carrying a great weight – “Tell everybody waiting for Superman/That they’ll just have to hold on as best they can/ He hasn’t dropped them, forgot them or anything/It’s just too heavy for Superman to lift.”
After a searing performance of rocker “The W.A.N.D.,” the audience demanded two encores. The first was an obligatory, though awfully fun, run-through of their left-field hit “She Don’t Use Jelly.” Whereas many serious rock bands try to shy away from their crossover hits, The Flaming Lips seem to wear theirs as a badge of honor. The second encore was a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Moonlight Mile.” Though I’m sure most fans were hoping for one more Flaming Lips original, it was cool to see the band do something so straightforward, and it brought the emphasis back to the music after an evening of eye-popping, multi-sensory entertainment.
As the crowd filed out into the suburban night, there was no question that we had all gotten our money’s worth. But at the same time I couldn’t help but speculate – what’s next for The Flaming Lips? Having reached an unquestionable zenith in terms of presentation, the only way that they will be able to top themselves now is the old-fashioned way – with some more great tunes. I just hope they remember that the music is the most important element of any concert, no matter how spectacular.
Location Info:
Myth Nightclub
Artist Info: The Flaming Lips
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