"If you could blow up the world at the flick of a switch, would you do it?...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah..."
the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah song... (with all your power)
At war with the Mystics
Life's become a bit of a carnival recently, what with the
Goth weekend just over a week ago, the
Dresden Dolls last weekend and now the Flaming Lips. Confetti, mirrored balls, doves, nun glove puppets and large hands... And that was just the Flaming Lips.
There's something nostalgic and appealing about a concert at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. It takes you back to those holidays you took with your parents as a child, and turning up to see the Flaming Lips with that childish spirit is a plus. They even sold crisps and sweets on the way in to the Empress Ballroom, a first for a concert I've ever been to. The Empress Ballroom itself is a fantastic venue for a concert, plenty of bars and magnificent décor. Since 1896 the Ballroom's chandeliers, ornate balconies and parquet flooring have seen many different events, from party conferences to wedding receptions. But nothing could have prepared it for the Flaming Lips.
Supported by Deer hoof, the night started on a bizarre note. Deer hoof are a threesome group of noise rockers from San Francisco. Their strange mix of energy, noise and Tokyo born Satomi Matsuzaki's high-pitched lyrics, make them a perfect support for the Flaming Lips. Guitarist John Dietrich jerks and gurns his way through every song, like a man possessed, while Greg Saunier beats the devil out of his four piece drum kit. Fantastic! Whilst this whole display goes on, Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips front man) watches side stage.
"I thought I was smart - I thought I was right
I thought it better not to fight - I thought there was a
Virtue in always being cool"
Fight song
Yoshimi battles the pink robots
Being a Live Lips virgin, I didn't know what to expect when the Lips finally took the stage. I've heard the rumours - fluffy bunny costumes, confetti, big balloons - but I wasn't sure what would happen. When they finally appear bedlam ensues. The air is thick with confetti, girls dressed as santas one side of the stage whilst on the other girls dressed as Martians (...?) and Wayne walks on stage wearing two large moulded hands. The crowd goes wild, and why not? After all, this is fantastic. The whole thing is like the final act of a concert, except at a Flaming Lips concert, why wait until you're about to leave the stage to have all the enjoyment?
And there are superheroes everywhere. Captain America, Wolverine, Wonder woman - that guy in white with a black hood whose name I cannot remember. They jump into the audience and wander around. Some people get all the best jobs...
Wayne Coyne seems to work his way through all these antics like some whacked out, hippy commune leader, or a funky TV evangelist, trying to sell the good life to you. The strange grin on his face throughout like a child with a new toy. He strikes me as a man who has spent a lot of his time thinking about bad things, possibly worrying and stressing, and then finally coming to the conclusion that life is too short to worry. So now he enjoys letting off streamers and crowd surfing in a giant bubble. Would you expect anything less from a man who cites that he would like his epitaph to read "there is nothing after death, and this is good news!!!!!!"
"So don't you believe them,
They'll destroy you with their lies"
My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life As Blazing Shield Of Defiance And Optimism As Celestial Spear Of Action)
At war with the mystics
I think this is reflected in the music of the Lips - which is, by the way, great live. There are political messages, philosophical questions and there are funky electro sounds. All to a fantastic laser show and large screen videos. And I loved it. The selection of music was varied and included all the cassic: "Yoshimi battels the pink robots", "do you realize", "she don't use jelly". And also an encore with the Black Sabbath classic "War Pigs" - which I appear to be hearing quite a lot these days.
Although the gig at the Blackpool Winter Gardens was missing some of the key elements from a Lips gig - namely the now famous 'space ball' and the large balloons (we were told these would damage the chandeliers) - this was still a fantastic gig. He still blow up a balloon at the end - and I mean "blow up". I highly recommend the Flaming Lips to those who feel that music has got a bit sterile or too serious, as those terms cannot and will not be used to describe the music of these great guys. I personally can't wait until my next Lips gig. Hopefully, I'll see you there.
Until next time...
If you'd like to learn more about the Flaming Lips, then take a look at their website...
here. They also have a number of their songs available to stream from their site.
If you'd like more on Deer Hoof, there website is located...
here. To here some Deer Hoof songs, check out this resource...
click me and select a tune
Setlist
Race For The Prize
Free Radicals
Vein Of Stars
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Part 1
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Part 2
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song
Fight Test
The W.A.N.D.
My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion
She Don't Use Jelly
Do You Realize??
Encore 1:
War Pigs
Encore 2:
A Spoonful Weighs A Ton
Navigation
The Flaming Lips - Blackpool Winter Gardens 8/11/2006
and I found a piece at Work the other day...
Linear Mode
