Indie/alternative band The Flaming Lips made their way back through the WNY area this past Monday night playing Artpark in Lewiston. This time they are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark album ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.’ The band last played Artpark in 2018. So, they already have a familiarity and following of fans that were already lined up to get a good spot before the doors opened.
The band is led by the only original member in vocalist Wayne Coyne. Coyne takes part in every area of the show. You can see him before it started fiddling around with some of the things before the concert to ensure everything ran smoothly. If you never have seen The Flaming Lips live, almost every part has a significance to it. At times there were giant inflatable pink robots that were on each side of Coyne when the show started (also in the pit too). That went back up and down throughout the first set. He also had a sunflower head dress and was immersed in a giant bubble. Throughout the show, Coyne kept trying to keep the audience enthusiasm at a high level by encouraging them throughout. He also continually raised both arms in gesture just about after each song like it wasn’t only a victory for the band, but for the fans as well. The band did two enjoyable sets that kept the cheerfully crowd visually attached throughout the entity of the show. Eyeballs appeared on each side of Coyne, and he also shot confetti guns into the air as well. To close out the wacky, weird, and wonderful set, Coyne brought out a balloon that said, “Fuck Yeah Lewiston.” Which he held and moved around stage before gleefully tossing it into the crowd.
Its hard to conceptualize what The Flaming Lips are really. Their lyrical content is spacey, and the song titles are somewhat bizarre. They combine those elements in an over-the-top live performance. Their fans love it, and I even witnessed a father and son hugging and crying during the song “Realize.” The fans dress in various odd costumes to go along with the theme of the night. I think the fans and the band joined as one and became one entity for the show. The meaning behind all of it is being proud of who you are and loving every minute of it!
Set 1:
Fight Test
One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21
Yoshimi battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1
Yoshimi battles the Pink Robots Pt. 2
In the Morning of Magicians
Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell
Are You a Hypnotist??
It’s Summertime
Do You Realize??
All We Have is Now
Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)
Set 2
She Don’t Use Jelly
Flowers of Nepune 6
The Gold in the Mountain of Our madness
What is the Light?
The Observer
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)
Suddenly Everything Has Changed
Pomeii Am Götterdämmerung
A Spoonful Weights a Ton
Race for the Prize
We would like to thank Ron Perks from Livenation for the credentials to review the show.
