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indie-snob>+!#
flaming lips @ the riviera (5-3-2003)
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At one point I would have said the best live act I've ever seen was Radiohead... and I believed that this was true. That, of course, was before I was front row at a Flaming Lips show. The Sun was the first band to open for the indie pop legends. (Unless you count the guy who reads poetry at bunches of Chicago independent rock shows, especially ones associated with Saddle Creek and ones at the Fireside.) As I hear, the Sun hit it big at the SXSW festival this year, and seemingly for good reason. The band puts this almost punk-style vocal sound together with Brit-rock (even though they're from Columbus). Spastic keyboards and pulsating drum and bass lines really made this music lively without losing a general pop charm. Not a bad live show, either, with enough moving and bouncing to keep everyone interested. Then, to everyone's surprise, Sparklehorse came out next to play a couple songs. I've always wanted to hear Sparklehorse, as I've heard great things about them and they've been on tour with lots of great people (Radiohead, Tortoise). And, I'm glad I did. Although it was only an abbreviated version of the band, the lo-fi guitars and glitchy electronics made a perfect soundscape to fill the theater. To make things even better, they had these really awesome video projections on the screen, reminding me of the Boards of Canada website (which you should check it because it's so amazing). But then, we all knew what we were in for next. If you've never heard about Flaming Lips shows, I have two questions for you: 1) WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN? and 2)WHY HAVE YOU NOT GONE TO SEE ONE YOURSELF? First of all, big, gigantic balloon lined the stage, along with gidgits and gadgets and all sorts of crazy things. Then, they started throwing big balloons into the audience for everyone to bounce around (which for some reason was so entertaining). When the Flaming Lips came on, the brought a collection of humans in plush animal costumes, the most entertaining included a goldfish, panda and bunny. They all held powerful flashlights and began to dance around. Then wayne began to throw confetti and twirl a big lighted... thing. They were so fantastic musically, too, playing with such amazing quality and precision, not to mention so much fun to listen to and watch. They started with some nearly soft-core porn videos on the projector, and then moved to more *ahem* modest reels. Perhaps the funniest thing in the entire set was Wayne's nun hand puppet that he put in front of the camera to sing "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1." It was so funny because the nun was completely on time and her mouth opened and closed so perfectly. Not to mention the fake blood dripping off his face and his big fist "puppets." The set was pretty heavy off "Yoshimi" with a few classics like "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton" and "She Don't Use Jelly." I was hoping for some songs off the new Fight Test EP, especially "Thank You Jack White (For the Fiber Optic Jesus That You Gave Me)," especially since one of the people dancing on stage was a Jesus with a crown of lights. My favorites were "Yoshimi," "One More Robot," and "She Don't Use Jelly." MMMM... such an amazing show. I honestly had the most fun I've ever had at a concert, and should you EVER have the chance to see them, I so very highly recommend it. You will not regret it. Wow. Wow. Wow. Best show I've ever been to. Period. |