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The Flaming Lips are back playing live music once again. In their continued development
as recording artists, they have arrived at a musical vocabulary far beyond that which they have used in
the past. This has necessitated a move away from the compromises that they used to come to in the old live
shows and, as they were reluctant to create a 'touring band' of session musicians, has led them to start
to experiment with using pre-recorded music for parts of the show.
With this new starting point, the band decided to develop a show which was more of an all round spectacle -
if they were to restrict themselves a little in the flexibility of the live arrangements, then they would
compensate by providing a stunning and magnetic visual side to the the performance. Taking this principle to
a typical extreme, the band has assembled some of the most striking and evocative video montage ever seen.
Displayed on a spectacularly hi-fidelity projection system and used alongside various other visual elements
(miniature cameras, hi-tech lighting rigs, large quantities of glitter, a giant gong, and hand puppets)
this takes the indie rock show to new and ever more grand heights. For those familiar with the band, they're
now performing as a three piece (Ronald Jones is long since departed - see history)
and Steven has forsaken the drums. Well, kind of. They've pre-recorded the drum tracks, with various
differences from the records, and sometimes Steven can even be seen playing drums on the video screen behind
the band. Wayne recently explained on daisy radio
that they decided Steven should become more involved as a multi-instrumentalist and, since he's such a good
drummer, they couldn't really hire someone else to impersonate his drumming style. So now he's there doing
both things... in the Flaming Lips universe everything is possible. If you can get to one of these gigs (we
suggest you expend time and spend money to make sure you do) then you'll get to see Wayne beating the living
daylights out of a gong, singing with hand puppets, and singing in front of a 10ft high closeup of his face.
Oh, and of course you might experience the Headphone Concerts element too. Not satisfied
with visual high-fidelity, the band have sought to provide the additional clarity that you get when you listen
to music on your headphones. So they got themselves an FM transmitter, a bunch of in the ear headphones, and
some pocket radios. Which means you get the clarity of the perfect mix, fantastic stereo panning, and the
power of the PA volume on top. The upshot is a concert of both visual and audio intensity which,
once it sucks you in, might never let you go.
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