If you've ever wondered what it's like to attend a concert by the Flaming Lips, just pretend you're going to a party hosted by a 7 year old whose parents let them buy one of everything at the party store. Confetti? Check. Smoke machines? Check. Metallic gold balloons spelling out "Fuck Yeah Winnipeg"? Of course. A whimsical, strobing, life-sized-glowing-unicorn-and-also-lazer-hands good time.

Sound like a lot? With out a doubt. But, it's for the audience. An escape from the everyday. A distraction from the routine of daily life. A reminder that sometimes it's OK to get lost in the silliness, if only for 90(ish) minutes.

I've honestly never really dug that deep in the band's catalogue, a casual fan at best, but they played some of the hits. "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt. 1" (complete with giant inflatable pink robot, "The Yeah Yeah, Yeah Song (With All Your Power)", a touching cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" ( from inside the human hamster ball) and "Do You Realize?" (performed under a giant inflatable rainbow) were the highlights.

Front man Wayne Coyne, dressed resembling some sort of pirate Santa Claus, occasionally tossed handfuls of confetti from a satchel, threw giant balloons into the audience and shot even more confetti from his own confetti gun. Coyne clearly revels in being the host of this wild spectacle, particularly while mounted upon the glowing life sized unicorn. Like some sort of psychedelic Willy Wonka, Coyne has literally found a way to stay a kid forever. Who else can begin a story with "The first time we tried to use the inflatable rainbow...."?

A Flaming Lips show is a non-stop assault on the senses. A giant, over the top, kooky birthday party that you're excited to have attended, but are equally as excited that you don't have to help clean up.

Remember kids, "Never doubt the rainbow."

October 30th, 2018

Hot fun in the summer time.

The Music

October 30^th, 2018