Wow. The Flaming Lips show at House of Blues last Thursday was one of the best concerts I've seen in a while. I'm not sure how they did it, but Wayne Coyne and his band managed to create the closest thing to the Coachella vibe than any other show I can remember. (All photos from
Orlando Sentinel, which also posted a great review of the show.)
1. No pretense. Wayne was onstage before the first band took the stage actually helping set up the equipment. He waved to the audience and seemed completely unaware that the sold-out crowd was there to see him. When the opening band, Stardeath and the White Dwarfs, took the stage, I could see Wayne crouching on the side of the stage, listening intently with genuine interest. It was incredibly charming and, well, understandable because the band truly delivered. It was a mesmerizing set, and not just because the strobe lights were making me see swirls in the air.
The lead singer of Stardeath, we later learned, is Wayne's nephew. He's one proud uncle.
2. Costumes! Band members were dressed as superheroes, and some lucky fans danced onstage in Santa outfits and alien costumes. Scanin the audience, I saw full-body bunny costumes, teletubby head gear and other oddities. Oh, and the nephew had a kickin' green unitard with rainbow stripes down the sides.
3. Lasers and light shows! In addition to the intense smoke machine and the video screen that spanned the entire back wall of the stage, there were lasers, confetti rockets and cannons, enormous blow-up balls and about 1,000 laser pointers dispersed among the audience. Under Wayne's direction, we all pointed our lasers at him during one of the band's new songs, and he used a mirror to reflect them throughout the hall. At times, there were more than 25 inflated balls bouncing around the audience, and constant streamers and confetti filling the House of Blues like a New York ticker-tape parade. At the risk of sounding cheesy, it was beautiful.
4. Celebrity sightings! Twice during the show, the band used a video clip of the band being introduced to launch the next number. First, it was Jon Stewart, from his Jon Stewart Show in the '90s. The second was Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, welcoming the band to the Peach Pit during a cameo on Beverly Hills, 90210.
5. The music. Of course, the music was incredible. I heard my favorite Lips' songs, including "Waitin' on a Superman," "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots," "Do You Realize," "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song," and "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton." Oh, and of course, "She Don't Use Jelly."
Overall, it was truly one of the best shows I've seen. I had a permanent smile affixed to my face the entire time, and thankfully, the high lasted for days. My crush on Wayne, I believe, will last much longer. He's like a Michael Stipe, or an indie Bono. My friend Kelly and I both agreed that "an outlook on life like Wayne Coyne" now ranks high on our list of personality traits for a potential love. I can't wait for the Broadway show!
Next month marks the 10-year anniversary of Jeff Buckley's death. Like every other fan, I am obsessed with finding new things -- pictures, quotes, music, videos, etc. -- that provide another view of my favorite singer. Tomorrow, a new book hits shelves called The Spoken Word Revolution Redux. The accompanying CD includes audio of Jeff reading a letter he wrote to Bob Dylan, apologizing for imitating him at a recent show. Like everything Jeff created, it shows his humor, deep sensitivity and humanity. Listen to it on Entertainment Weekly.com.
