I wish the following words were mine, but obviously they ain´t, but they express just the feeling I had after the koncert i was lucky enough to attend:
Most have been here before and know what to expect: Wayne Coyne’s endearingly meandering monologues that celebrate the here and now, giant screens, puppets, confetti, giant balloons, all soundtracked by a 21st century psychedelia that looks only to today and beyond for inspiration. So far so Lips but the unexpected re-election of George W. Bush since the band’s last visit to these shores has propelled the group into the hitherto unexpected territory of political protest.
Thankfully, The Flaming Lips never resort to empty hectoring or posturing; ‘The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song’ improbably juxtaposes a tune of celebratory joy with gloriously simplistic lyrics that successfully balance the thin line that separates profundity and naïveté and it’s a trick that’s repeated during a gargantuan reading of ‘Free Radicals’. Moreover, Coyne’s never-ending enthusiasm and almost childlike imagination proves that dissent can be fun: at stage right stand a gang of Santas – a representation of the Christian Right – while stage left is occupied by a clutch of aliens – that’ll be the Scientologists, then – and in the middle are us and The Flaming Lips. Simplistic? Sure. Fun? You bet!
As Wayne happily adopts the role of ringmaster, Steven Drozd’s move from behind the drumkit to assume the role of musical director/guitarist/keyboardist ensures that The Flaming Lips sound bigger than before. Such is the scope of ‘Race For The Prize’ that, as Coyne rolls over the heads of the audience in his space bubble, the song’s mood of hope is transformed into one of air-punching triumph.
The Flaming Lips’ ability to stir emotion without manipulation is one of their key strengths. ‘Do You Realize??’ possesses the rare ability to reduce grown men and women to blubbering wrecks whilst staking a claim as the greatest song ever written.
As the band wring out the last metallic chords from Black Sabbath’s damning ‘War Pigs’, it becomes apparent that The Flaming Lips are something that should be experienced at least once in every lifetime. A total trip, The Flaming Lips is a journey into sight and sound, thought and deed that balances comedy with philosophy and the profound with the frivolous that leaves the audience better people for the experience with no unpleasant side effects. Better hold them close because there aren’t many like them.
