A man in a fur stole walks forward on the stage, lasers shooting out of the palms of hands approximately fifty times larger than normal. Earlier the same man had crowd-surfed in a giant hamster ball. Pictures of bugs, rainbows, eyeballs, and other things designed to freak people out shine from a back-drop video screen accented by a light-up arch over the stage. Confetti cannons blast pieces of colored streamer that flutter all over the ballroom but never seem to land. Two dozen giant colored balloons are passed back and forth amongst the audience like beach balls, and a cry of accomplishment sounds whenever a short person gets her hands on one. Lights drip from the ceiling like rain, and the smell of marijuana is evidence of the least mind-altering substance being used by the crowd right now.
I saw the Flaming Lips at the Aragon last night with my roommate. As expected, they ended with this song, which is so beautiful and existential, it's practically designed for a ballroom of glazed eyes watching colors and shapes fly around. Lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Wayne Coyne knows exactly how to captivate his audience because he knows how to grab and keep their attention: giant hands, balloons, confetti, lights, a video camera inside his microphone -- you really have to see the band live to realize and appreciate their particular brand of psychedelic rock. I can now cross them off my list of the 50 bands I apparently must see before I die.*
When they started this song last night, a guy in the audience turned to me, dead serious, and said they'd written this song about him. He was probably in junior high when "Do You Realize??" was released in 2002 as a single off Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. So, you know, I question the accuracy of that statement. I can tell you, however, that this is the official rock song of Oklahoma, the home of the original members.
In addition to this song and some fan favorites, the Lips played 1999's The Soft Bulletin in its entirety. Fun fact: It was on the '99 tour for Soft Bulletin that current drummer Kliph Scurlock was first hired -- as a roadie. Talk about living the American dream. Anyone optioned that script yet?
Wayne Coyne with giant laser hands
Wayne Coyne in a hamster ball
Party time. Excellent.
They must have had hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of light and effect equipment.
Wayne Coyne on the mic camera--
* This is an impossible list for many reasons, but it's still a good one.
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