City Stages review: Flaming Lips - Scene source - al.com

City Stages review: Flaming Lips

Posted by Mary Colurso -- The Birmingham News June 16, 2008 12:56 AM

The Flaming Lips
(Sunday at 10:10 p.m., Miller Lite Stage)
The Flaming Lips closed City Stages on Sunday night with a torrent of confetti, a blizzard of balloons, showers of streamers, whimsical inflatables, curtains of fog, flashing videos and two cheering sections of faux Teletubbies.

Oh, yes, there was some freaky-fun rock music, too, performed with childlike glee by lead singer Wayne Coyne and his band.
The Lips didn't just put on a concert, they staged a psychedelic spectacular. Their 10:10 p.m. performance, which lasted about 95 minutes, surely must be the most elaborate capper in the Birmingham festival's 20-year history.

Coyne, 47, turned the Miller Stage into his own personal playhouse, unleashing nearly every gizmo in his toy chest. All of the colorful activity was meant to mesh with the tunes on the set list, which included "Flight Test," "Do You Realize," "She Don't Use Jelly," "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" and "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)."

Perhaps it seemed as if audience members were caught in some strange fever dream, but that surreal quality is the Flaming Lips' specialty. Coyne's voice -- sometimes frail, sometimes icy-high and often compared to Neil Young's -- added to the imaginative impact.
Fans in the large, rowdy crowd appeared to relish every note and antic. Puzzled newcomers who didn't quite get the Lips' music aesthetic had plenty to look at, anyway.

Keep reading to see video clips from The Flaming Lips' performance.

The Flaming Lips - live at City Stages

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