Wot no Justin Timberlake?! (Flaming Lips in general)

Member Name: theediscerning

Product:	Flaming Lips in general
Date:	28/10/03 (110 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Music

Disadvantages: Talk

The title of this op refers to the time when The Flaming Lips included amongst their many friends in furry animal costumes the ex~N*SYNC member on Top of the Pops.

The subject of this op refers to the closing gasps of their Pink Robots tour, which has seen them travel the world with copious companions in aforesaid outfits, with lashings of fake blood, great quantities of balloons, and great acclaim only matching the pizzazz of the concerts.

With just a few dates left on the itinerary in the UK it is a bit late perhaps to exhort the readers of this to go and chase them up before they leave ?and let other bands play?, as vocalist Wayne Coyne has it. But they are one of the finer bands around, and the live experience is something to be much enjoyed.

To listen to the orchestral grandeur of the last two albums, those that have firmly put ver Lips into the Sunday supplements and dinner party CD players of taste, it is surprising how well the lush sound transfers to the live performance. With just four performers, aided by pre-taped electronica and other sounds, the instrumentation is surprisingly honest.

The set is roughly a third taken from The Soft Bulletin, a third from the last album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and a third from the older back catalogue. This means that theediscerning cannot, even if he wants to, recite to you the full concert running order, as he doesn?t know the titles of the old stuff.

But for anything more than the casual fan, the concert is full of welcome highlights. Starting with the rattling, soaring Race for the Prize, the first three tracks build to the great Fight Test.

However following this is the start of the flaws in the gig. While some acknowledgement of the audience is always welcome, Wayne and the Lips seem very reluctant to let us alone to enjoy the gig. What we get is a very long and unwelcome polemic about American politics, merely to introduce an older number. Thro
ughout the concert, in fact, the rest of the band and company will stand idle as Wayne waffles on, heavily name-dropping other acts they have been billed alongside in recent months, and so on. He?s not exactly the world?s most lucid public speaker, and the first occurrence of this annoyance is especially unwelcome, destroying any flow to the concert.

Still, Yoshimi Battles? part one, the single, is included, in fine form, with a great little audience singalong extension at the end. The better side to the audience inclusion is bright light showing us to them, and making us feel at a party, a sense also aided by other stimuli ~ more on those yet to come.

The technology of the concert is not just restricted to the sound, as there is a very sharp and bright screen for images behind the band. This is used to project the videos for the Yoshimi singles and other tracks, and to show Wayne?s waffles in great detail from a tiny camera mounted atop his mike. It also serves as a great way for us to see possibly the world?s best public information service film ~ great value, that.

Fans of The Soft Bulletin will be happy to hear we get quite a few tracks, including The Spark that Bled, complete with fake blood. Fans of Yoshimi may be a little miffed that we only get the three singles, plus a perfectly mellow-then-rollicking In the Morning of the Magicians?. (you?ll have to forgive the titles, it?s de rigueur for Lips fans). Fans of the old material will have to settle for a great version of She Don?t Use Jelly.

Since the start of the tour way back when, the running order has been altered with the inclusion of their collaboration with The Chemical Brothers, The Golden Path. While this catchy but weak single only really brought out the worst in both outfits, here it is a much meatier workout for the musicians, and a classy number. It would have served as a great rouser for a rollicking second half to the gig, except The Flaming Lips don?t
really do moshing music, and Wayne would rather have us grind to a halt while he discusses the reasons for the following ~ a joint Happy Birthday to whoever among the crowd would have it that the day is their birthday.

The close of the gig is no major surprise, Do You Realize? (sic), possibly their finest moment, which means Waitin? for a Superman is relegated to encore. An older track to close is next, and we say goodbye.

So The Flaming Lips could have played a lot more music, if they couldn?t have sounded any better at what they do play. The concert is fairly good value, given two support acts as well ~ although the first was never heard by theediscerning, and Clinic were rather ropy, with the obligatory muddied, support band, ?make your own lyrics for the songs up? sound ~ despite their own back projection videos.

But the only fear theediscerning had before leaving home ~ that they would have dropped all the party animals and balloons, was unfounded. A good dozen youngsters, presumably on the holiday of their life from college in Oklahoma City, festoon the sides of the stage, bop along, and add to the light show. Annoyingly (perhaps), many of them are really very attractive lasses when their headwear is removed ~ allowing theediscerning to call one stage right a brilliant chick and get away with it.

The other included ingredients mentioned way back in the introduction, the balloons, are there in abundance. Wayne took to the stage way before the rest of the act, and overlooked some of the setting of the stage, before leaving us in the company of a large blue balloon to play ?volleyball? with. This was greeted with much joy by many. Cue the opening number, and among all the strobes, dry ice and great light show there are at least a dozen of the bleeders bouncing around the auditorium. Several of the livelier numbers are cause for the burst ones to be replaced, and the party atmosphere as the crowd drops what is cool, as
Wayne later suggests, and mucks about with them like childish loons, is great to experience.

The fawning talk by Wayne later tells us we?re interested in art, music, and all the finer things in life, making us the best fans a band could have. Well, theediscerning already knew he was great, thanks. This concert was nearly itself one of those finer things, but didn?t concentrate enough on honouring the last album by the band and was too diluted by speechifying and rambling talks, yet musically was still so enjoyable, a four star rating and a recommendation seem in order. So that?s what it?s been given.


Seek out the last few dates of the last tour of this production near you quickly, should you be so lucky to be in the vicinity...

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