FORECASTLE PHOTOS: The Flaming Lips

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I gotta admit, by the time Sunday night at Forecastle hit last weekend,  I was pretty wiped. Nonetheless, being in the photo pit for the beginning of the Flaming Lips set (and having Wayne hit me in the face with a huge balloon he was swinging around) was by far the highlight of my entire weekend.

Somehow, I’ve managed to see the Lips probably 6 times over the past 7 years (I think Bogart’s circa ’03  was my first full show – I ducked out of their midnight Bonnaroo show earlier that summer after a couple songs to catch a late night set by Medeski Martin and Wood. It’s a decision I may have later slightly questioned after realizing how many Dark Side covers the Lips threw in that set, but one that I still stand by, by and large.). As most repeat-Lips showgoers know, their set really hasn’t changed too terribly much in the past decade, with the exception of many of the Yoshimi and Soft Bulletin single-oriented ballads having been replaced by more psychedelic Embryonics and At War with the Mystics jams, a few different videos and other subtle tweaks. Anyway, don’t take that as a complaint, b/c  the Lips have successfully established their live performance as one of the most entertaining and enjoyable shows you can catch today, hands down, andif anything the show has gotten bigger and better. Their festival production rivals any multi-million dollar arena stage show, while somehow maintaining a boutique, audience-centric vibe that doesn’t feel fake or forced – gaudy, yes, but in a delightfully giddy way. Unbelievably, they go through the (extensive) motions of setting up the most copious party stage in the world – fully equipped with a 20+ft. tall arched LCD screen, scores of ginormous balloons, massive fully-loaded confetti guns, animal costumes, etc. – night after night after night (with Wayne Coyne himself meticulously walking around the stage for a good 10 minutes before the set making sure everything’s in it’s place). But you would never know it by watching, because the band genuinely appears to be having a blast. Whether or not the Flaming Lips is a band you listen to with regularity – or even like – I dare you to go to a Lips show and not have a damn good time. Eating bad acid doesn’t count.

I do rather miss the fake blood and Don’t Snort Your Brain video that used to be staples of their set, but the huge plastic bubble and increased confetti are nice additions to the show that I’ve noticed in recent years.