A vibrant celebration of love…
“Kacey Musgraves once mentioned that while she was on acid, she collected some fireflies from her garden, brought them into her kitchen, and spent the night watching them dance to Bossa Nova.” The storyteller, clad in a flower costume, shares this amidst a sea of confetti that blankets everything and everyone in the venue. The large, deflated pink robots have just been taken away, and staff have to escort a fan out due to a bad trip. This is, of course, a Flaming Lips concert—a psychedelic extravaganza like no other.
Two years prior, the band embarked on a predictably successful tour for their most commercially acclaimed album, 2002’s ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.’ I attended their first show at London’s Troxy, which was incredibly enjoyable, as all Lips performances are, though it felt a bit unpolished—quite normal for an opening night. Tonight's show is more refined but maintains the easygoing confidence typical of a band that’s midway through a tour—and what a tour it has been.
To start, the sold-out audience experiences the full, sequential symphonic delight of ‘Yoshimi...’—an enticing offering that many deem worth the ticket price alone. After a short break, the Lips come back to perform an additional eleven tracks from their extensive catalogue, right up to curfew. At 64, Wayne Coyne shows no indication of aging gracefully. He embodies the sartorial Willy Wonka of psychedelic pop, cheerfully launching confetti into the air. From the outset of ‘Fight Test,’ Coyne demands nothing short of complete excitement and joy from the crowd, acting as both ringleader and frontman, committed to spreading positive vibes regardless of the circumstances.
I notice a few kids in the audience, absolutely enthralled by the enormous bouncing balls above, feeling a tinge of sadness that this might be a concert experience they never surpass. ‘Are You a Hypnotist?’ gets the diverse audience swaying, as two women dressed as jellyfish—complete with lights—drift past. By the time the final chords of ‘Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)’ echo through the venue, the adults are just as stimulated as the children. Some even leave before the encore; it’s unclear whether they overlooked the second set or were simply overwhelmed.
Returning to the stage, it’s a rapid-fire collection of some of the Lips’ most iconic songs, demonstrating that despite all the wild antics, you don’t sell out venues like this without great music. The playful sing-along ‘She Don’t Use Jelly’ kicks off the set, quickly followed by crowd favorites like ‘The Spark That Bled’ and the epic deep cut ‘Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung.’ ‘Do You Realize??’ makes another appearance—why not? After all, there’s a fan in attendance who has been to 85 Lips shows. The evening concludes with the rousing ‘Race for the Prize,’ a thrilling finale to a lively set.
It’s well-known that the Lips are a fantastic live act, but the blend of one of their most celebrated albums, a best-of set, and an enormous amount of confetti creates an unbeatable atmosphere. Long live the Oklahoma freaks.
Words: Sam Walker-Smart Photography: Rhys Dolman
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"Kacey Musgraves once shared that while she was under the influence of acid, she picked some fireflies from her garden, brought them into her kitchen, and observed them as they danced to"