You hear the rumors, see the photos, read the reviews, but still you wonder: can The Flaming Lips really put on the show that ends all shows? Well, finally I can say, yeah, I really think they do.
Wayne Coyne was exactly what he has been billed as: a delightfully crazed front man who was entertaining in every move he made. The most notable of these moves was the one he made from the stage to the crowd…in a bubble. I had hoped – hell, prayed – he would pull this stunt at the festival, and was overjoyed to witness it go down. And the guy never really let up, nor did the rest of the band. They chose to play out nearly all of The Soft Bulletin, only stopping for Coyne to tell a story or two about a few of its songs. One aside revealed “The Spiderbite Song” was inspired by a spider bite that almost got band member Steven Drozd’s hand cut off by the some over-zealous doctors. During “Waitin’ for a Superman,” which was for Elliott Smith, he admitted that they were playing a sad song, which generally wouldn’t be performed at such a happy place like a music festival. Its performance came with grace and some beautiful piano, though, which caused just about everyone there to pause in tribute.
The rest of the music was definitely its best when it was at its most rockin’ and amplified by the additional speakers the band brought with them. In addition to the equipment, they brought all the party favors they could muster like confetti, balloons, animated stars and catfish. Each piece thrilled and added a constant burst of color to an already colorful set. It also needs to be said that Coyne’s mane of hair, matched with the fur wrap he wore ‘round his neck, made him appear like the friendliest lion in all of the land. I just wanted to jump onstage and squeeze him.
Toward the end, Sasquatch! organizers brought out another birthday cake, and after the crowd joined the band in singing the birthday anthem, Coyne began throwing pieces of that mammoth cake at them. I danced around in glee, shocked it had taken me so long to witness a show of The Flaming Lips. And that is why I offer my fullest gratitude to you, Wayne Coyne and Co., for not backing off an inch in this production - I am now a believer.
